Rockport’s founder, Nicholas Lore, was his own toughest career change client. A pioneer in sustainable resources, energy conservation and organic farming years before the green revolution, he was the CEO of an energy conservation and solar company on the coast of Maine. He had written and been responsible for the passage of legislation that saved thousands of beautiful historic houses from destruction. He had invented a technology that saved countless barrels of oil each winter. His office looked out on a beautiful harbor where lobster boats and fog horns greeted the new day.
Yet he had trouble getting through the workday and was at a loss to understand why his career should leave so much to be desired.
He looked for professional career counselors. Talked to their clients. And came to realize that current career guidance was not producing the results that their clients hoped to achieve. Most people he interviewed said that while the counseling was useful they still did not know with any certainty what would fit them best. Most had still not decided on a definite new career direction.
Encouraged by a mentor, R. Buckminster Fuller, Nick Lore founded Rockport Institute in 1981 and dedicated it to developing more effective ways to guide people through the process of career decision making. These programs consist of clear-cut steps that help clients choose a career that will be highly satisfying, use their talents at the highest possible level, yet be practical and achievable.
At last, Mr. Lore had found the career he could be passionate about: helping others do the same.
He was the first to theorize that both fulfillment and success depend on choosing a career that fits well with several key elements:
- Natural talents and innate abilities (in-born aptitudes)
- Personality traits
- Traits you were born with, such as your temperament (personality type).
- Traits developed during your lifetime as a result of your socialization, upbringing; the experiences you have had, the choices you have made and what you decided they mean; your identity and life view (personal philosophy).
- Sense of purpose, meaning, contribution
- Workplace ecology – all the external factors in your environment and workplace
- Harmony between your goals and values and workplace rewards
Today, Rockport programs are available world-wide and have guided more than 16,000 clients toward satisfying careers that use their talents to the fullest. They have come from all walks of life: rich, poor, professionals, artists, students and people reentering the work force. They have included national and global leaders, Fortune 500 CEOs, and the senior policy makers of four presidential administrations. Some clients come to us with a background that includes an extraordinary record of success. Others have found career success elusive because they have been in the wrong field, a less than ideal job, or perhaps have never really settled on one definite career path. Together, they demonstrate that no one is immune from doubts about their past career decisions or from yearning for something better.
Continually researching and improving its processes, Rockport is wholly dedicated to helping and encouraging people to create lives for themselves they love. For more than 30 years, Rockport Institute has been proud to make management decisions led by remaining true to our commitment to making a difference in our clients’ lives with the highest level of service, excellence and integrity.