Embracing Inner Diversity

Future Work Strategy #1

Dec 01, 2024

Welcome to my CoR Future Work Series—a space to explore tangible strategies for transitioning to a more fulfilling work-life, one that nurtures a healthier self, society, and planet.

One note upfront: I’m not here to hand you “the one” right answer or a recipe for success. Instead, my invitation is to inspire you to reflect, explore, and adapt these concepts to fit your unique situation. Let’s move forward collaboratively, embracing a new way of living and working.

I hope to inspire you to explore concepts that may resonate with your situation and encourage you to further build on my ideas:

New Ways of Working
👉Future Work Strategy #1: Embracing Inner Diversity
Future Work Strategy #2: Allowing Self-Actualisation
Future Work Strategy #3: Time – The New Wealth
Future Work Strategy #4: Rewriting The Rules of Work
Future Work Strategy #5: Envisioning

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below

Who Am I If I Don’t Perform?

A question that stayed with me after a coaching session was: Who am I if I don’t perform? For much of my life, performance felt intertwined with survival, a metric by which I defined my value. But through years of inner work, I’ve begun to shift. Today, I can honor my being as much as my doing.

I have a much lighter relationship to the term «work». I love working—work ignites me. For me, work is about expressing myself, it’s about contributing to society, not just the economy. Work, to me, is about collaboration, inclusion, and creating value with and for others. It’s also about being seen and respected as part of a larger social fabric.

But it wasn’t always like that. I know what it means to suffer in toxic work environments. And the way our culture links personal worth to performance in labour troubles me deeply. Many of us have felt the sting of self-doubt when life circumstances—be it caregiving, illness, or unemployment—affect our ability to perform. This shouldn’t be the case. Our value shouldn’t be tied solely to metrics of efficiency or growth.

A Broader Perspective on Work

In my last article, I highlighted the importance to reframe what we consider work today to see all contributions to society—paid or unpaid—as valuable. From caregiving to volunteering, our contributions extend beyond what traditional economic systems recognize.

For example, in my home country Switzerland, 41% of people aged 15 and older reported engaging in voluntary work in 20201, reflecting millions contributing outside formal employment. These unpaid efforts—mentorship, community gardening, community care, nature clean-ups—enrich our world. Yet, we’ve collectively decided to honor only certain kinds of work with pay.

Exploring Your Inner Diversity

Our inner lives are as multifaceted as the ways we contribute to society. We’re more than our job titles or the answer to, “What do you do for a living?” Imagine what a world would look like, if we dared to explore the full spectrum of who we are. What if we allocated more time to explore different interests we have? What if we allowed ourselves to approach the world with the curiosity of a child? Might allowing space for more diversity within us invite more diversity and creativity into our lives in general? I would love to see more people experimenting with this thought.

My Approach: The Portfolio Career

After leaving a corporate role, I unintentionally stepped into what I later learned is called a portfolio career2. A portfolio career is a professional path where we engage in multiple roles simultaneously, rather than holding a single job. This can include part-time employment, freelance, but also building one or multiple businesses.

Imagine the following: While other people diversify their investments, I diversified my income streams. This approach allows me to combine different types of work that align with my skills, interests, and lifestyle preferences. It also has the positive side effect of making me less vulnerable and dependent on one employer only.

By following my inner voice, I explored diverse interests, combining coaching, learning design, digital transformation, social innovation, and leadership roles. This approach has brought balance to my life, allowing me to nurture relationships, spend time with loved ones, and pursue my passions.

For years, I was trapped in dichotomous thinking—believing I had to choose between stability and entrepreneurship. But embracing inner diversity taught me there’s room for and instead of either/or. This mindset has been deeply fulfilling.

Bringing More of Yourself Into Life

There are multiple ways to live a more diverse life, and to bring more of yourself into the world. And that doesn’t mean that you need to leave your job doing that. Here are a few ideas to get started:

1. Start With Inner Work

Reconnect with your inner truth through reflection, meditation or coaching.

What’s in it for you?
What aspects of your life are waiting to come alive?
What do you do, to create more space for your own diversity?

2. Side Projects

I prefer the term «side projects» to «side-hustle», because New Work is no longer about hustling, but about work that serves us. Side projects can offset negative emotions from full-time work and bring joy through independence. (Read more about the benefits here.3)

3. Volunteering

New Work is about self-actualisation, but also about actualisation of society as a whole. Scientific evidence overwhelmingly supports the positive impacts of volunteering on a volunteer's mental, physical, and social well-being. These benefits can have long-lasting effects on overall health and life satisfaction.4

4. Part-Time Work or Job Sharing (for men as well as for women!)

Working part-time can be a powerful option to create space for other activities or time for being. Fortunately, there is a growing trend in job-sharing for leadership positions and a shift in workplace culture, accommodating the desire for work-life balance while retaining top talent and promoting diversity in senior roles5.

5. Sabbaticals

Taking a break to rest, reflect, or pursue a passion can reduce burnout and increase creativity. (Explore the growing case for sabbaticals in the modern workplace.6)

6. Solopreneurship

Solopreneurship is a unique form of self-employment. Unlike traditional self-employment, a solopreneur intentionally commits to running a one-person business (sometimes in a co-lead). This way of working still includes the possibility of delegation to other businesses, but it focusses on very smart, efficient, business models, primarily making use of digital tools and automation. This way of working often goes hand in hand with personal development and independence, rather than being primarily geared towards economic growth. This creative autonomy fosters a sense of purpose and satisfaction that is hard to replace.

7. Entrepreneurship

And maybe you’re not the type for solo, or have an idea that is asking for a bigger business. Activating your entrepreneuial spirit can be incredibly fulfilling. Entrepreneurship enables individuals to make a direct impact on their community or industry by solving problems, creating jobs, or driving innovation.

No need to chose

Reflecting on the start of my portfolio career, there are moments I wish I had already begun building my solopreneur business while still in my previous role. The journey of creating my own business has been profoundly rewarding, not just professionally but on a deeply personal and spiritual level. It enriches any other aspect of my life. In hindsight, I now see how firmly I was caught in the belief that I had to choose between the two paths. But here’s the truth—you don’t have to choose.

If this resonates with you, stay tuned—there’s much more to explore on this topic, coming your way in 2025.