Richard Nelson Bolles Flower Exercise
Map out your career change priorities using the Richard Nelson Bolles flower exercise from What Color Is Your Parachute.
6 time blocks, 90 minutes in total.
Time blocks
- Petal 1: Prioritize Transferable Skills: 20 min
Rank your favorite transferable skills by enjoyment and mastery - Petal 2: Map Fields of Knowledge: 15 min
List subjects and fields that genuinely fascinate you - Petal 3: Define Working Conditions: 15 min
Specify setting preferences like noise level, travel, and pace - Petal 4: Identify Preferred People: 15 min
Outline the traits and values of your ideal coworkers - Petal 5: Set Geography and Salary Targets: 10 min
Note target living locations and minimum acceptable pay - Petal 6: Define Values and Career Mission: 15 min
Articulate core moral principles and ultimate career purpose
About this routine
The Richard Nelson Bolles flower exercise is the central career self-assessment tool from the classic career manual What Color Is Your Parachute. Bolles created this visual diagram to help job seekers break down their career desires into seven distinct petals. By systematically inventorying your skills, knowledge, and preferences, you build a comprehensive profile of your ideal work environment before looking at open market job titles.
Unlike traditional job searches that start with available listings, this exercise begins with deep self-auditing. Each petal addresses a critical facet of professional satisfaction: transferable skills, subject interests, workplace conditions, people preferences, salary targets, geography, and personal purpose. Completing this exercise gives career changers a clear filter to evaluate potential roles.
Work through each petal in a single uninterrupted ninety minute focus session. You can use a daily routine timer to keep your reflection focused and avoid spending too much time on any single petal. Once completed, your finished flower synthesis provides a customized benchmark for evaluating new career opportunities.
Why this routine works
- Clarifies transferable skills separate from specific job titles
- Establishes objective criteria for evaluating prospective employers
- Prevents career changes based solely on salary or immediate availability
- Provides an actionable synthesis of personal values and workplace preferences
FAQ
What is the Richard Nelson Bolles flower exercise?
It is a visual self-assessment framework from What Color Is Your Parachute that maps seven core facets of your ideal career, including transferable skills, preferred working conditions, and purpose.
How long does the flower exercise take?
A focused initial draft takes ninety minutes across six core reflection blocks, though deep refining can take several sessions.
How does the flower exercise help with career change?
It defines what you want from a career before looking at open positions, helping you target roles that match your actual skills and values instead of fitting into arbitrary job descriptions.
Sources
More routines
Wondering which app to use? Compare the best morning routine apps.
Updated August 2026
Compiled from public sources and reviewed before publishing.