The Career of Great Cause book is designed to help you gain clarity on your career path.

1. CREATE A CAREER
OF GREAT CAUSE
By Chris Bittinger

2. CAREER MAXIMIZER
When I ventured off on my career exploration process, I was determined to find a
sense of “cause” for my life. My goal was to find a way for my work and my cause
to somehow collide. To make this happen, you have to seek out ways to connect
your cause to your work.
I call this connection your
“career of great cause.”
If you do not risk dreaming about a preferred future, you greatly reduce the
chance to reach that vision. If you are adrift in the daily activities with no clear
picture of the future, you slowly find yourself backed into a corner. This guide is
for those in search of a way to add meaning to their career. Whether you are in
between jobs, feeling unfulfilled in your current job, recently graduated or looking
for enrichment in a job you love—this is your starting point.
In this guide, you’ll find four exercises to start you on the path toward discovering
your career of great cause. I included my answers to these exercises to serve as
examples to get you on the right track. Completing these exercises will help you
gain clarity and focus as you pursue these important next steps in your career.

3. EXERCISE ONE: A CAUSE, NOT A JOB
As you pursue this journey, continue to remind yourself that this is a journey for
a cause and not a job. The moment you begin to think of this as a job search, you
will likely find yourself feeling discouraged and down—I know that was the case
for me. Remember that this search is an opportunity for your personal cause to
intersect with your ability to make a living.
Write down 5 things about your own story that could inspire a cause.
1. __________________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________________________
5. __________________________________________________________________
Here is the list I made:
• When I was 5 years old, my dad indicated that I always wanted to
share a cracker or snack with him.
• When I was 7 years old, I was the person in my house who asked my
parents if we could help a family in need for Christmas.
• Growing up I was the neighborhood leader, initiating fun activities
and calling my friends over to play an exciting game of hot box.
• In college, I was the person who gathered students together for a
Bible study because I felt like it was important.
• I remember enjoying 1:1 conversations and helping my classmates
get unstuck in their lives.

4. EXERCISE TWO: 4 WAYS TO FIND YOUR CAUSE
I admit it’s not easy to track down your cause. Here are a few ways to focus your
thinking and gain clarity as you begin thinking about your cause.
1) List out at least 2 moments in your life when you felt like you were in the
zone. The moments in which you were engaged, enthused and, most importantly,
bringing about positive results. This will help you identify the places where you
have been and what you might need to explore.
1. _________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Here are my examples:
1. During a time of leadership transition in my corporate career, I
was given the opportunity to help lead a team to ensure business
objectives were met. This time was very meaningful to me because I
felt connected to our CEO during a time of organizational uncertainty
and found myself in a position to really help the team reach the sales
goal. We exceeded the goal by 16% and were able to give bonuses to
every employee inside our organization. I felt engaged and a sense of
ownership.
2. Over the past 16 years, I have been able to connect with students,
executives and managers to help them gain clarity in relationships
with others, their leadership abilities, client issues and operational
problems. Ninety percent of the time this took place in a 1:1
discussion, which is where I find myself most engaged and in the
“zone.”

5. 2) Talk to those people who you consider to be people of cause. It is inspiring.
Ask them, “What gets you up in the morning?” Then ask yourself,
“What gets me up in the morning?” ________________________________
What gets me up in the morning is the opportunity to serve others by meeting
people where they are and helping them take the next step.
3) Read everything you possibly can by the people you admire and the people
who have a cause. Write down 3 big takeaways from your reading that point you
in the direction of your cause:
1. __________________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________________
4) Look in your current environment for ways to contribute in areas of interest.
Start contributing, even in a small ways, to allow you to test out different causes.
5) Do the Informal 360 Exercise. Send 15-20 emails to friends, former colleagues
and family members to gain feedback on what they have observed in your life.
Here are some sample questions to ask:
1. Provide me some examples of when you have seen me at my best.
2. Describe what you think are my best accomplishments.
3. What do you think is my unique contribution to this world?
4. What type of work environment do you think I would thrive in?
5. When have you seen me most frustrated? What do you think the
factors were that led to this frustration?

6. EXERCISE THREE: INSTRUMENTAL VS. FUNDAMENTAL
Let’s take a cue from Dan Pink to start brainstorming some next steps you can
take in your search for a career of great cause. In The Adventures of Johnny
Bunko, Dan Pink points out that in our career path we make decisions for
instrumental and fundamental reasons. An instrumental reason is made because
you think it is going to lead to something else, regardless of whether you enjoy
it. A fundamental reason is made because YOU think it is inherently valuable
regardless of where it may lead.
Write down at least 1 example when you made a decision based on instrumental
reasons.
Decision:
What did it lead to?
Did it accomplish what you thought it would accomplish? Yes No
Did it result in you feeling more or less fulfilled? Yes No
Do you regret making this decision? Yes No
Why or why not?
Write down at least 1 example when you made decisions based on fundamental
reasons.
Decision:
What did it lead to?
Did it accomplish what you thought it would accomplish?
Yes No
Did it result in you feeling more or less fulfilled? More Less
Do you regret making this decision? Yes No
Why or why not?

7. Here are my answers:
Instrumental reason: Early on in my financial services career, someone
encouraged me to get my MBA in Accounting. The idea was that it would open
doors and provide flexibility. I did not really enjoy accounting. I liked the concepts
and felt like I was sharpening my sword, but I am not accountant material. In the
back of my mind, I thought it would lead to something else.
Decision: MBA in Accounting
What did it lead to? Something to put on a resume, knowledge.
Did it accomplish what you thought it would accomplish? No
Did it result in you feeling more or less fulfilled? Less fulfilled
Do you regret making this decision? No
Why or why not? It has some value.
Fundamental Reason: Pursuing this idea of helping folks move from point A to
point B in their career process is something I feel is inherently valuable. I do not
know what it will lead to.
Decision: Open Pivot
What did they lead to? Opportunity to help others find their cause
Did it accomplish what you thought it would accomplish?
I hope so.
Did it result in you feeling more or less fulfilled? More, I feel engaged,
fulfilled, purposeful, happy and creative.
Do you regret making this decision? No
Why or why not? I am passionate about people and their development.
Now, think of the decisions that you must make to take the next steps in your
career. Think of both fundamental reasons and instrumental reasons that will
guide you in making these decisions. Keep in mind the examples of fundamental
reasons and instrumental reasons that you came up with and what the outcomes
were.

8. EXERCISE FOUR: WAVING THE MAGIC WAND
Now that you’ve had a chance to give your cause a little thought, you should be
ready for the next exercise. Here the objective is to get you thinking about what
you want without worrying if it is possible. This is a chance for you to dream big
and discover what you would choose to do if you knew you could do anything. I
challenge you to come up with the perfect picture of what you would be doing,
how much money you would be making doing it and what you would have in your
next career. Simply put, find a quiet place, focus your energy and write down
everything you want out of your personal life and your work life.
Write down at least 6 items related to your perfect picture:
• I would be
• I would feel
• I would have
•
•
•
Here is a brief snapshot of what I came up with:
• I would be making six figures.
• I would be working 1:1 with clients 70% of the time.
• I would be training 20% of the time.
• I would be planning/reading/prepping/training the other 10%.
• I would have autonomy.
• I would have tons of variety.
Now, pick your favorite items from this exercise that relate to what you discovered
about yourself in the first three exercises. Is this your cause?
If your answer is yes, it’s time to create a plan for how you want to pursue it. For
example: You want to go to Europe to develop yourself as a writer? Price it out. Cut
out pictures and visualize yourself in Europe. Even better, set a date and a budget
so you can go!

9. CHECKING IN
As I pursued my plan for making my career of great cause a reality, I made a
habit of revisiting what I wrote as I went through these exercises. This practice
reaffirmed that the new direction I was taking in my career aligned with the
goals I set out to accomplish. I believe it is a true testimony of the importance of
documenting and revisiting goals. It serves as both a life vision and a vision for
where you want to take your work. The checking-in process is about evaluating
yourself after completing this exercise to see if your work is lining up with your
cause and to see if your dream is becoming more of your current reality. Hold
yourself accountable and see how you’re progressing. Revisit what you wrote
down during the exercises to see how things are coming along. And continue to
ask yourself, “Is this my cause?”
I hope you will share with me what this journey reveals to you. If you find that
you need guidance as you go through these exercises, please do not hesitate to get
in touch with me. I will be delighted to hear from you. After all, my own career of
great cause it to help you find yours.
I invite you to contact me for guidance as you pursue this journey.
chris@theopenpivot.com // 317.431.7182
theopenpivot.com
Chris Bittinger launched his “Search for a Cause” initiative in 2009, which allowed him
to connect with more than 50 leaders in Indianapolis on the search for his life / work
passion. Chris is native to Indianapolis. He is a graduate of the school of education at
Butler University and received his Masters in Business Administration from Indiana
Wesleyan University. He lives in Carmel with his wife Tricia of 17 years and daughters
Margaret and Claire.