Mac Prichard Joins Us On The Steve Jobs Inspired Join Up Dots Business Podcast
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Introducing Mac Prichard
Mac Prichard is our guest today on the Steve Jobs inspired Join Up Dots free podcast interview.
She is the founder and publisher of Mac’s List, helping people find the jobs that they will love.
His platform Mac’s List is now the premier resource for connecting passionate, creative professionals to meaningful and creative work throughout Oregon and Washington, with a growing monthly outreach to more than 80,000 people.
Prior to moving to there in 1991, he lived in Massachusetts where he was legislative and media relations director for the state Office for Refugees and Immigrants, the first public information officer for Boston’s “Big Dig,” and a researcher in former U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy’s first Congressional campaign.
But this was of course a stepping stone to where he is today the recognized expert on job hunting and career management.
How The Dots Joined Up For Mac
Throughout the years our guest and his team’s mission has always remained the same: to help people find rewarding, interesting jobs that pay decent salaries and to help employers find the best possible candidates for those jobs.
So whether you are looking for your first job, a better job or just want to manage the direction of your career, Mac’s List offers the resources you need to make it happen.
In addition to Mac’s List, he also runs Prichard Communications, a registered B Corp creative agency that works with top-tier foundations, nonprofits and purpose driven brands across the country.
So was this a business driven by his desire to help people change their lives or simply a gap in the market he could see needed to be filled?
And where do people go wrong when looking for a job? Is it not knowing themselves well enough, or the company that they are hoping to enter?
Well lets find out as we bring onto the show to start joining up dots with the one and only Mr Mac Prichard.
Show Highlights
During the show we discussed such weighty topics with Mac Prichard such as:
Why it is so important to be able to delegate in your business, as this is a brilliant way of scaling your business. The owner must be allowed to do what they do best.
Why knowing your goals is the first thing that people need to be focused on when going for a job. Don’t take the job without knowing what you want to get out of it.
The second thing is looking for a company that interests you…..make sure you connect with people inside that organization to find out what its like on the inside before you ever go for the interview.
and lastly….
The issue that surrounds the job market place, where 80% of jobs are never being posted to the world. Recognise that most jobs are filled by word of mouth and start networking.
How To Connect With Mac Prichard
Return To The Top Of Mac Prichard
If you enjoyed this episode of Mac Prichard why not listen to some of our favourite podcast episodes such as Nick Ruiz, Sarah Caltieri, Tra Williams or the amazing Tosca Reno
Or if you prefer just pop over to our podcast archive for thousands of amazing episodes to choose from.
Full Transcription Of Mac Prichard
Intro [0:00]
When we’re young, we have an amazing positive outlook about how great life is going to be. But somewhere along the line we forget to dream and end up settling. Join Up Dots features amazing people who refuse to give up and chose to go after their dreams. This is your blueprint for greatness. So here’s your host live from the back of his garden in the UK, David Ralph.
David Ralph [0:25]
Yes, hi there, everybody, and welcome to another edition of Join Up Dots. It sounds like I’m here at the moment. It sounds like I’m on the microphone. But actually, I’m in St. Lucia at the moment and my my daughter, my beautiful daughter is getting married to Greg. So I’m either nursing a hangover afterwards or it’s the day before I’m a bit confused, but that’s where I am. So when you’re listening to the show, you can think about me walking around in my tight mankini my phone if that’s a good image for you. Anyway, let’s get on with the show because today’s guest is somebody that I’ve wanted to have on the show for quite a while because he is the founder and publisher of Mac’s list helping people find the jobs that he will love now he’s platform max list is now the premier resource for connecting passionate creative professionals to meaningful and creative work throughout Oregon and Washington with a growing monthly outreach to more than 80,000 people. Now prior to moving there in 1991. He lived in Massachusetts, where he was legislative and Media Relations Director, but a state office for refugees and immigrants for the first public information officer from Boston’s Big Dig and a researcher in former US rep Joe Kennedy’s first congressional campaign. But this was of course, a stepping stone to where he is today as the recognised expert on job hunting and career management. Throughout the years, our guest and his team’s mission has always remained the same to help people find rewarding interesting jobs that pay decent salaries, and to help employers find the best possible candidates for those jobs. So whether you’re looking for your first job, a better job, or you just want to manage the direction of your career, he offers the resources you need to make it happen. Now in addition to max list, he also runs precharged communications, a registered be core creative agency that works with top tier foundations, nonprofits and purpose driven brands across the country. So was this a business driven by a desire to help people change their lives or simply a gap in the market you could see needed to be filled? And where do people go wrong when looking for a job? Is it not knowing themselves well enough or the company that they’re hoping to enter? Well, let’s find out as we bring onto the show to start joining up dots with the one and only Mr Mac Prichard. Good morning, Mac. How are you sir?
Mac Prichard [2:33]
I’m well David, how are you?
David Ralph [2:35]
I’m very, very well, but I’m just losing my voice. I’ve been recording all day. And I’m just starting to get that that sexy. That sexy throat, which probably balanced up quite well with the image of me in a mankini. So I cannot apologise enough, sir.
Mac Prichard [2:49]
Yeah, I’m struggling with getting that out of my head. David. That’s quite a quite a picture. You said.
David Ralph [2:55]
there been an Amen Kini. He’s a wonderful picture. And I will send it out to anybody who has signed a photo of me in a mankini for everyone. Is that the kind of outfit that you would frequent Mac? Do you feel comfortable in that kind of that kind of clothing?
Mac Prichard [3:10]
Well, David, I grew up in the Midwest in the United States. But in my 20s, when I started working, I was in Boston in the 1980s. So we all dress like Michael Dukakis, the governor of Massachusetts, so those days, so I don’t have quite the buttoned down style that I did 30 years ago, because I’ve been living on the West Coast now for more than two decades. But no mankini probably is out of my passion reach. So I kudos to you.
David Ralph [3:40]
And we were talking about this on the last show that I was recording how just simple things in life become real pleasures when you realise but actually it has separated you from your past. And I was saying I always used to wear a suit and a tie and polished me shoes every night. And now the only time I do that is for weddings or funerals. And I just gonna float around in shorts and T shirts and stuff. Very relaxed outlook, and I never lose the thrill of thinking. I’ve created that environment. But I can do that. So are you somebody that is sort of very relaxed with your dress sense Are you somebody that creates their own time freedom in their life now?
Mac Prichard [4:17]
I certainly toned down my wardrobe since moving to Portland, Oregon, and I no longer David have my shirt or shirt starch so that that was a huge step forward. And it also helps that I commute to work by bicycle every day. So it’s hard to ride your bike to work in a Brooks Brothers suit. You probably want to wear chinos or blue jeans and that’s what I do.
David Ralph [4:42]
So how flexible Are you you’ve got a lot of things going on. You’ve got max list, which obviously we’re going to talk about you’ve got precharged communications, but can you just sort of not turn up and then the world continues Do you have to be there overtime?
Mac Prichard [4:57]
Though, I’m fortunate David. I’ve got to Very strong number two’s, one runs max list, which is a small business that employs five people and the other runs, Prichard communications, which also employs five people, we all operate from the same office in downtown Portland. And I have learned in Sunday, it’s sometimes been a painful lesson, it’s probably taken me longer than it should have. But I’ve learned the value of delegating and trusting others. And to do that you have to find good people. And I’m fortunate enough to have two very strong managers helping me
David Ralph [5:34]
and what held you back with delegation, because I know I, I was great at delegating in a corporate environment, I was brilliant. But actually, in my own business, I found it very difficult to delegate, because it was just like, Oh, I can just do it quicker. And I know how it’s going to be done, I found it very sort of problematic, what held you back from actually freeing yourself to be able to focus on the real things that will scale your business?
Mac Prichard [5:59]
I don’t have a quick answer for that. But what I will say, David, is that I learned that when I let people run with things, after having given them a clear sense of the goals, we want to accomplish, and I have to hold myself back sometimes candidly, but I, when I watch what they do, I’m so impressed by what good people can get done. And they may, as you say, have done it in a different way than you and I might have. But the result is what we what we both agreed we wanted and, and often, more often than not, they do things that never would have occurred to me and and so I’m just through practice and watching people accomplish these things. I’ve seen the benefits of delegation, the key is to find good people. And the other thing you have to do is communicate clearly with them about the goals you get, and you got to do both.
David Ralph [6:59]
Now now with Mac’s list. Obviously you’re not just finding good people for yourself. You’re finding good people for companies across across Portland and Washington. It was this something that was a gap in the market but you saw or did you stumble across it? How did this sort of grow into what it is today,
Mac Prichard [7:16]
it’s a 16 year overnight success, David I it Max was started as a way for me to stay in touch with former colleagues, I worked in state government here in Oregon, down in the Capitol, which is about 50 miles south of Portland, where I live and work now. And nobody objects to getting a job posting. And I, I wanted to stay in touch with these former colleagues. So I I started a very simple list with a few dozen names. And I would forward postings to these people. And as the years went by, I would hear from employers who wanted me to send their postings to my list and people I’d never met would write me or call me and ask to be added to the list. I did this because I wanted to be not only stay in touch with my colleagues, but I wanted to be of service to others. And I’m an inveterate networker, I love connecting people. And, and, and my passion for connection is part is a big part of what drives both our communications company and Max list. But I as the years went by, it became a part time job. And I realised I either had to stop it, or I had to figure out a way to monetize it. And that’s what I did sort of charging for listings. And I was surprised because I, I didn’t understand the value that I was providing employers and readers. But what they told me employers was that they save time and money because when they posted a listing with me, they got fewer applicants, but they were the right applicants and the readers enjoyed getting the list because they I was connecting them with employers who might not normally advertise on Craigslist, or the big international boards like monster,
David Ralph [9:01]
there’s so easy, easier to create a money route, and then go after VAT or create the product, and then try to find a way of monetizing it afterwards. Well, what do you think of it? Because there’s different views of how things are created. Some people say, you can’t possibly imagine the opportunities you’re going to create until you create it. So you don’t want to limit yourself by just going after one money category. What do you think about that building back to a 16 year overnight success, as you say,
Mac Prichard [9:32]
Well, what I was doing and I didn’t understand it was I was solving a problem. For the employers I was the problem was they couldn’t they were having to wade through hundreds of resumes to find high quality candidates. And for readers, the problem I was solving was they they didn’t know how to connect with these employers. Other than going through a big job board basically going through the front door and I was providing Way to go around that. And so I would say, if you’re thinking about starting a business or you have an idea for one, think about the problem you’re solving. And if you’re not clear about that, you need to get clear about it. And I came, I stumbled into this candidly, David, now it’s a it’s a mid six figure business, as I mentioned, it employs five people. But once I understood the problem I was solving, I spent more time both talking to readers and employers to understand more about their needs. And that’s helped so much with our growth. And I think that’s a principle anybody can apply to a business idea they might have or to an existing business,
David Ralph [10:39]
I think that’s brilliant advice. Because you do have to be clear of what you’re bringing to the to the party, don’t you people, if I come over to your website, I need to know within two seconds, what you’re doing. And I know, and I’m totally transparent there, when I created Join Up Dots, I couldn’t see how to monetize it at the beginning it It fell into place quite nicely after a while. But if I went back, I would have defined that value piece that problem that I was solving right at the very beginning. Because when people reach out to you, the marketing becomes easier, the sales become easier, and things just become sensical. Don’t know you speak with the passion, because you know what it’s bringing.
Mac Prichard [11:19]
Absolutely. And I think many entrepreneurs start with an idea, there’s some idea they have, they’re excited about. And that’s terrific. But you’ve got to test that idea in the market. And the best way to do that is to start having conversations with people or companies that you’ve identified as, as customers, and draw them out about their problems and see if what you’re offering is going to help solve their most important problems. Because if you build a business without doing that kind of research, having those kinds of conversations, you may launch a book or website or some consulting practice, whatever the service may be, that the market doesn’t want, and you don’t have to, there’s an easy way to find out, go out and talk to people.
David Ralph [12:08]
But in the online world, it’s quite easy to sit behind the computer screen and just get soundbites little one line text is in Facebook and stuff. So you think that you really need to go out into the marketplace, network, meet people at conferences, and really talk face to face.
Mac Prichard [12:26]
I do and I i think it most people who have an idea for a product have a list of customers in mind. And you need to get in front of those customers. And and have those conversations, it’s the same with job hunting David and Max list is a job board. And I’m proud of the value we offer to our employers here in the Pacific Northwest. And and the response they get from from readers, I know it’s valuable to them. But in the United States and even globally, there are estimates out there that as many as 80% of all jobs are never posted anywhere. You’re filled by word of mouth. And and there’s no conspiracy here, David it it’s it’s about human nature we hiring someone is a big risk. And so to manage that risk. Most hiring managers and employers firstly turned to people they know and trust people they often make work with in the past. And then they turned to people who could recommend that they know and trust who can recommend potential candidates. That’s how most jobs get failed. Most job applicants, however, focus their search, and they spend almost 100% of their time responding to postings on job boards. But if you’re, if up to 80% of all jobs are never posted, you may be missing out on as many as eight out of 10 jobs. And you need to think about how you spend your time and and 70 80% of it should be out there being part of those conversations about jobs that gets built by word of mouth, it’s the same for business. If you’ve got an idea for a product or service, you want to sell it. Yes, you can respond to formal solicitations request for proposals. Those are labour intensive processes. The best way though, is to get in front of the customers you want to talk to and hope you will will buy your product and ask them about their problems. What keeps them up at night and you’ll get amazing insights.
David Ralph [14:33]
Now, if people are looking for jobs, they’re obviously either trying to transition from where they are people unhappy where they are and they want to try something else. Or they’re just looking for increased salary. That could be the case as well. Now, what sort of holds people back then from actually jumping out and because I think that would be quite daunting for somebody to be in a job. Get quite institution analyse as you’re doing a job, and then think, right, okay, I’m going to go off to conferences, I’m going to network, I’m going to get out there because you almost don’t believe in the talents you possess that you can bring to the marketplace. It’s almost like you just can do a job. And that’s it. Do you not see that as a scary way of operating?
Mac Prichard [15:17]
It is scary. And many of us struggle with it. I certainly have. I’m happen to be in my late 50s. I’ve been working now for 35 plus years. And I have had three periods of unemployment, David, and way back in my my 30s. And late and mid 20s. Two of them are quite long, eight to 10 months. And the challenge for me and I see this in so many people who come to max list and and people who are in their careers in general, they’re unclear about what they want to do next. That’s the first challenge. The other one is many of us just don’t know how to look for work. It’s it’s a skill we, we haven’t mastered. They’re often great resources, we can take advantage of, you know, Career Services, offices and universities, and that are even available to alum. So you don’t have to be a student. Art and and secondary schools have those offices, too. But most of us don’t, don’t take advantage of that. So our jobs often come to us in response to because we heard about them to a job board, or maybe a friend helped us and, and we get comfortable somewhere. And then five, seven years go by we know we want to change, but we don’t know how to do it. And we and we struggle with figuring out what it is we want to do.
David Ralph [16:39]
So what is the solution then. So we get to a point where as young kids, we know exactly what we want to do. We are creative, we are free spirited, we want to be astronauts, we want to be rock stars, and then we get into employment. And little by little we start building somebody else’s dream until we forget our own. How do we overcome that then?
Mac Prichard [17:01]
I think it’s it’s two steps, David. The first is it begins with self assessment, knowing who you are, and what you want. And there are many books and great online tools out there that can help you do that. There’s a Strength Finders. 2.0 is a wonderful tool. It takes you through a process that helps you identify your strengths and, and your talents. You also, in addition to knowing what you’re good at, you need to know where you want to go. And you can. So you need to be clear about what it is you want to do next. And I’m a big believer in aiming high. But you got to be clear about what your goals are. And you can work through that. By working with a career coach, there are some terrific books out there that can take you through a process of self exploration, you can, again, if you’re a college graduate, you can often contact your University Career Services office that they’ll provide free services to grads, but you whatever the process you choose, you’ve got to get clear about that. And then once you know who you are and what you want to do next, you got to understand David how the system works and how hiring works. And yes, you should spend time on job boards. But you’ve also got to understand how hiring managers make decision and how decisions and how powerful word of mouth is. And and once you understand how that system works, it’s it’s a skill. It’s like any skill job hunting, you can master to just take practice and study. I once went to a conference on leadership in Orlando. And it was about it was for business leaders. And there was a fellow there a retired Navy officer who had written a book called it’s your ship. And he talked about his experiences working with his crew and turning this boat around it had one of the worst ratings in the Pacific fleet to one of the to the top. And I don’t remember a lot about the story or or the book that he described. But I do remember this he said how important it is to understand the system because once you understand the system, whether you’re working in a company or in politics or in the nonprofit world that or or hiring, then you can make the system work for you. And and I think that’s just powerful advice.
David Ralph [19:25]
But let’s play some words now. And they sort of Delve back into that finding yourself because it does seem an issue as you say, but people don’t know themselves well enough. So they’re not actually presenting what is right to the hiring company. Here’s Jim Carrey.
Jim Carrey [19:40]
My father could have been a great comedian, but he didn’t believe that that was possible for him. And so he made a conservative choice. Instead, he got a safe job as an accountant. And when I was 12 years old, he was let go from that safe job. And our family had to do whatever we could to survive. I learned many great lessons from my father. You Not the least of which was that you can fail at what you don’t want. So you might as well take a chance on doing what you love
David Ralph [20:07]
that plays into the max lifts mantra, doesn’t it?
Mac Prichard [20:11]
It does. And you were all going to have probably seven, maybe 10 different jobs in the 40 plus years we, we spend in the work place. And we’ll probably change careers two or three times, David. So we’re going to have to take risks, and the more we know about how to look for work and how to manage our careers, the more successful we’re going to be, we have to accept the fact that there is no lifetime employment anymore. We’re in charge of our careers, and it’s a responsibility we’ve got to take, we can’t wait to be packed, we have to figure out where we want to go and understand what it’s going to take to get us there.
David Ralph [20:53]
So with yourself, Mac, have you created a life that you love? Have you created sort of your dream future? Or is it just a future?
Mac Prichard [21:03]
I, I’m very happy with my life, David I, in hindsight, everything seems 2020. And I I know that’s a big theme for you and your listeners. When I got out of college way back in 1980. From the University of Iowa, there were three things I wanted to do, though, I’m not sure I could have said it to as concisely as, as I’m about to put it I I wanted first I wanted to be a writer. Second, I wanted to work on electoral campaigns. And the third thing I wanted to do was work on human rights issues in Latin America. And I’ve done all three of those things throughout my career. Today, I’ve run two small businesses, one helps people find great work the other helps foundations, nonprofits, and purpose driven companies. With social change communications, the constant that’s running through all the career, all the jobs I’ve had in the last 35 plus years, has been I’ve tried to make a difference about the issues I care about. And, and in the community where I live in work and service is a really important value for me. And it’s it informs the work I do today. And and it’s it’s been a constant in my career for the last 35 plus years, when
David Ralph [22:18]
was the last time you actually went for a job then and went through the same route, as the guys listening probably do on a weekly monthly basis?
Mac Prichard [22:26]
Well, the last time I went through a formal job application was in 2001. So it’s been 16 years. With the public relations company, we compete for business all the time. So it’s while the the process is different, the principles are the same. You employers are hiring our firm, to do work for them. It’s often project based work, or it might be something that goes on for a year or more. But we can’t take anything for granted even our long term clients that we’ve been service supporting for a decade or more. We have to, we have to, we have to provide good service, because the contracts and regularly and they could not be renewed. So you know, understanding what are our clients need, what their problems are providing solutions to them, thinking about better ways to serve them. These are all things we do as a public relations company. But good employees and good career managers apply the same principles to get the things they want to accomplish as well.
David Ralph [23:36]
So so for the listeners out there, thinking of going for a job won’t be the three big mac tips to really sort of give yourself a fighting chance of getting to at least second interview and getting the job.
Mac Prichard [23:50]
top three tips would be this one, be clear about what you want. David, I meet so many people, and I used to say this myself, I’d say what what are your goals? And often the answer is I’m keeping all my options open. The problem with that is if you don’t know where you want to go, you’re you’re going to go in all kinds of directions. And also people can’t help you. So if you tell me, I’m interested in a communications position with a nonprofit that works with people overseas, I when you tell me that I’ll think of particular organisations or people I might know, and I’ll think, Oh, well, you should talk to this lady who works at Oxfam, and I might make make an introduction so you kind of know where you want to go, or what you want rather. And the second thing is you kind of know the companies or organisations that interest you. And I find when I if I press people, they often have a list of dream employers and they may even check the websites of those those companies on a regular basis for job postings and and that’s good. They show it But, again, most jobs are filled by word of mouth. So if you know you want to work at a place like Nike or or Disney or get big start identifying people who are inside that organisation, find out, get a look at your LinkedIn account. If you don’t know people who are first degree connections, find people who are second or third degree connections, who can introduce you check your University Alumni database. Most colleges and universities have graduates just everywhere, and fellow graduates are always happy to talk to people who went to the same school. The point is, if you know you want to be inside a company, start building relationships and having conversations with people inside that company before the jobs are posted. So you’ll have allies and champions on the inside. When when you’re ready to apply for a position. And then the third thing is recognise that most jobs are filled by word of mouth. Yes, visit job boards. But you’ve got to get good at skills like informational interviewing, and networking, and in volunteering and strategic ways that can help your career. And I again, I know these are, these are hard skills. These are skills that take time to master but anybody can and and it is scary going to networking events or asking people for information or interviews. But the more you do it, the better you’ll get. And you’ll start to hear about these jobs that are never posted. Or for the jobs that are publicly posted. You’ll have people who will put in a good word for you. And when there are 100 200 resumes in a stack, reposition. Yours will be one of the 10 or 15 they get pulled for that first phone interview or conversation. And that puts you ahead of the pack.
David Ralph [26:54]
Right advice. Great advice. So let’s just summarise that. So the first one is knowing your goals is the first thing that people need to be focused on when going for a job. Second one would be recognise that most jobs are filled by word of mouth. And then the last one is looking for a company that interests you and making sure that you connect with people inside that organisation. First, Is that
Mac Prichard [27:16]
about right? That’s Well said, David. very succinct,
David Ralph [27:20]
right? Okay, so we summarise that. So people out there, if you’re looking for a job, voles are Mac’s tips, he runs Mac’s list, and he’s really in the inside track of getting a job. So Mac Well, what is it that you look for you say that you’ve got an amazing number twos, but what is it that that really, Shawn for you? Or did you find out that they were really good once they were in employment?
Mac Prichard [27:43]
Well, you know, the people who work with me now, were people who came to me on the recommendation of others, in one case, or in another, it was somebody who started here as an intern then came back for a middle, sort of a mid ranking position, and now has a obviously a senior job. But they were people who were recommended to me by others I trusted, or people I’d worked with in the past. And I think that’s how, again, as we’ve talked a bit, that’s how many employers make these decisions. Because if you make a bad hire, if you have to let somebody go after 369 months, it’s, it’s hard. That’s a painful process to go through. It’s also expensive, because then you have to start all over again. And, you know, you want to avoid that. I think the other qualities that people I work with share in common. And I think these are common traits for people who are successful in their careers in general. They’re, they’re lifelong learners. They’re always they’re thinking about new subjects mastering new skills. They ask lots of questions. They’re curious. And they’re secondly, they’re, they’re passionate, they’re, they’re excited about the work they’re doing. Because they know, David, that this is what they want to do. And sometimes they’ve gone through some of us go through those self assessment processes, some of us discovered by trial and error. But the key I think, for people who are successful what they do, is they know they that’s where they want to be, and they add gives them an energy and excitement. I hear it in you would clearly you found your niche with a podcast that makes them successful in their jobs.
David Ralph [29:33]
Yeah, I think that excitement does come through, you know, I’ve done like 900 episodes, and sometimes I think to myself Blimey, 900 episodes and other times I think to myself, well, it means nothing because hopefully I’m going to do 5000 episodes and 10,000 episodes, you know, you’ve got to start somewhere and you’ve just got to keep on doing it. But as long as you can still find that passion and fortunately with myself, there was so many nuances that that intrigued me with podcasting. So when I did go for a little bit of a flat stage Well, I didn’t think that it was sort of it was doing what it should be, I found an interest in other areas. And I think that is a good thing for people in organisations, but you might be bored in your job, but it doesn’t mean that an organisation is rubbish. There’s other sort of specialisms as other areas that you could sort of focus into what you think,
Mac Prichard [30:20]
I agree, I think we all all have jobs, with duties and responsibilities, that we get excited about that, we will look forward to tackling those tasks. And I think the more we can be clear about what we’re best at, and what we’re most excited about, the more successful we’re going to be. But more importantly, I think, the more satisfaction we’re going to get from our work and, and, and, and, and from our lives.
David Ralph [30:49]
Great stuff. Well, we’re gonna play some words now. And we’re going to see how they have impacted your life or maybe having a tool, Steve Jobs.
Steve Jobs [30:58]
Of course, it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards, 10 years later. Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something, your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well worn path. And that will make all the difference.
David Ralph [31:32]
Very famous words, and have you heard those before may have it’s it’s a wonderful speech is a wonderful speech and he applies to so many of our lives. Is it something that you can look at and reflect back on your own?
Mac Prichard [31:44]
It is? I, you know, I think I mentioned earlier, what I wanted to do after I got out of college. And I think if you and I talked way back in 1980. David, it what I said in one or two minutes probably would have taken me 90 minutes to say. And so I think it was always there as as Jobs says these three goals that I was interested in these three things I wanted to do. But I I’m not it’s much, much clearer today than it was 37 years ago.
David Ralph [32:20]
He is funny, though, isn’t it with age and experience? You know, I can see clearly the path that I have been on for the last sort of 25 3040 years really, I can see it just and it wasn’t so much the dots have joined up. But the way that I felt about things, I think that is what’s joined up. I think that the passion, the enthusiasm for something, the fact that I love connecting with people and having deep conversations, all those things have always been with me in my life, but I couldn’t see how to build a business around them. But now with the internet, you literally can take most ideas and create something, but we’ll find a market I believe, do you think
Mac Prichard [32:58]
I do. And I think also as we move through our lives in our careers, we see opportunities that might not have been apparent to us 510 20 years before running one small business much less two had never been on my bucket list. It was the opportunity came to me 10 years ago to start the public relations company. And I I thought it was not something I was that was on my list of goals for the next three to five years. But I recognised What a great opportunity it was because I had a someone who came to me and said, I would like to commit like to work with you as a public relations consultant. Would you like this contract? And I said, Yes. But I said yes, in part because max list had taught me that. There weren’t a lot of great jobs out there that I wanted to do. And this was a much more interesting opportunity. I I also said yes, because I realised having done all this work on political campaigns, both as a volunteer and as a paid staffer that the campaigns are like, small businesses in many ways, David, they, they they require you to set up systems and in a short amount of time, 612 18 months, you have a product, it’s the candidate and you don’t want election day whether or not he had a sale at that. I went through that process about a dozen times and in different roles, but it was great training for running a small business because it this business is all about systems. It’s about processes about people and it’s about results. And so those that experience I didn’t think was preparing me for business ownership working on political campaigns, but I think it was the perfect laboratory.
David Ralph [34:58]
Hey, sounds like he certainly does Going forward, is there any sort of dreams of future companies or you just take it as it comes?
Mac Prichard [35:06]
I, you know, in the next seven to 10 years, I, I want to grow both companies, I also want to get less involved in the day to day operations. And I want to, particularly with Mac’s list, understand how we can serve job seekers better. We’re growing our education and training services, while continuing to grow the job board. But you and I’ve talked about the importance of job hunting as a skill. And I feel very passionate about that, as does by staff, because we meet so many job seekers who are struggling with how to look for work. And we want to provide more help in that area, the public relations company, we’re growing our practice, we are a national company, we serve clients on the East Coast, as well as the Pacific Northwest. And we have these great national relationships, we’re bringing those back to the west coast and growing our practice here. So that our clients here can benefit from those national relationships as well. And that’s an important priority for us in the next five to seven years.
David Ralph [36:13]
Right, stop big dreams, and I’m sure you will fulfil all of them because you’ve got that focus, you know, your goal. And you’re moving forward, as we have been moving forward for the entire show to this part that we call the Sermon on the mic when we send you back in time to have a one on one with your younger self. And if you could go back in time and speak to the young Mac, what age would you choose? And what advice would you give? Well, we’re gonna find out because I’m gonna play the theme. And when it fades up, this is the Sermon on the mic.
Unknown Speaker [36:46]
With the speed of the show,
Unknown Speaker [36:49]
does
Unknown Speaker [36:53]
this mean?
Mac Prichard [37:03]
Well, this is to my self at age 21, coming right out of college. And the three bits of advice I would give are these one, aim high, don’t be afraid to take risks. And as you think about your goals, don’t limit yourself. Don’t be afraid to to reach as high as possible. Second, learn to manage up good work alone isn’t going to speak for itself. You’ve got to understand what your your bosses and your clients care about what matters to them. And once you understand their needs, then you can figure out how to serve them better and your your professional life will benefit as a result. And the third thing I think is just be sure to take time for life outside of work, don’t it’s having a work life balance is really important.
David Ralph [38:03]
Right advice and great advice for everyone. So Mike, well, the listeners, what’s the number one best way that our audience can connect with you?
Mac Prichard [38:10]
Well, they can visit the websites for the two companies, David for max list, if they can go to Max list.org join the dots, we have a special offer for your listeners. It’s the first chapter of our new book, land your dream job anywhere, and they can download it for free. We also have a podcast called find your dream job we publish every Wednesday, and we’re just about to celebrate the recording of our hundredth episode. So I’m impressed that you’ve done 900 because 100 has been a lot. And then secondly, you could go to our to learn more about our public relations company visit Pritchard communications Comm.
David Ralph [38:49]
Brilliant. We have over links on the show notes. Mac, thank you so much for spending time with us today. joining up those dots. And please come back again when you have more dots to join up. Because I do believe that by joining up the dots and connecting our past is the best way to build our futures. Mac Prichard. Thank you so much.
Mac Prichard [39:04]
Thank you, David. It’s been an honour.
David Ralph [39:08]
So there you go, if you’re looking for a job, and he’s demand to touch base with good advice, bear real good and simple, sensible advice. I didn’t actually know but 80% of all jobs are sort of posted in the house kind of makes sense. Really, when I think about it, most of the jobs that I’ve got been by word of mouth, but I’m no more. I haven’t had a job for many, many years now. And I don’t intend to have another one. But thank you so much for listening.
Outro [39:35]
David doesn’t want you to become a faded version of the brilliant self you or wants to become. So he’s put together an amazing guide for you called the eight pieces of advice that every successful entrepreneur practices, including the two that changed his life. Head over to Join Up dots.com to download this amazing guide for free and we’ll see you tomorrow on Join Up Dots.
