Follow the Fall Line in Charting Your Career Path

We all know people who make career decisions based on what they perceive it takes to get ahead. This conventional wisdom says they should approach their career paths in terms such as supply and demand of jobs, career compensation levels or opportunities for advancement.

What could possibly go wrong with handicapping your future based on this economic model of career planning? Nothing--assuming you are willing to accept that this model leaves you wide open to fickle winds of change that are beyond your control.

Most of us don’t like feeling as though we are on the receiving end of a bad circumstance. When this occurs, it is easy to feel victimized or cheated out of your dreams because of decisions made by pesky “controllers” such as bosses, economic downturns, technological advances, market trends or demographic shifts.

Given the unpredictable nature of change, it may be time to consider a less rational and more intuitive model for charting your career.

Successful Navigation Techniques

A basic principle of downhill skiing is the value of navigating the invisible line that aligns the force of gravity with the terrain. This is called the fall line. If you traverse it in a zig-zag manner you can achieve a controlled descent to the safety of the valley below.

The concept of gaining measured control is echoed in other analogies including: cutting along the grain, going with the flow of the water’s current, or sailing downwind. Although diverse in nature, these refrains share a common thread. Each suggests the benefit of cooperating with the way the world functions on any given day. This strategy allows for less battle fatigue, more measured control and improved outcomes.

The reverse of this wisdom is also common in our language. When aspirations seem too daunting we may use metaphors such as swimming upstream or fighting against the wind.

Childlike Wisdom

As children, we see the world naturally, unbiased and unfettered by a desire to handicap the future. We proudly share our ambitions of becoming someone who is a hero to us; whether that person is an athlete, astronaut, plumber, doctor, firefighter or teacher. In return, we are often told about the impracticality of our dreams. Over time, our natural inclinations and passions can become defined by a confined and virtual reality that was created by people deemed more practical and rational than us. The usual market-based career model skews us to ignore our natural gifts or confine them to a hobby rather than to release them in a vocation. Veering away from our gifts leaves us open to the winds of change; whereas following them helps a satisfying career take root and flourish.

Our Gifts are Natural Gains

When you next are asked to advise people on their career choices—whatever their age or past discouragements—encourage them to develop their God-given talents and pursue life with a spirited passion. You will be ensuring that all of us encounter more people who have followed their own fall lines, negotiating their way down their personal slope showing smiles of satisfaction and mastery.

"The path of progress has never taken a straight line." Kelly Miller

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Please Don't Blame the Pitcher

While sitting in the stands of a major league baseball game, I noticed some uncanny similarities between what was taking place on the field and how we manage the swings, misses and foul balls that occur in our careers.

Much like the batter, we are bound to face fastballs that seem to materialize out of nowhere—unexpected job loss, corporate takeovers, economic downturns—just to name a few. So what is a batter to do?

These observations may help:

1. It is difficult to advance without taking a swing. Odds are high that if we stand in place hoping for four walks or a wild pitch, we are going to end up back on the bench. The same result holds true if we wait for the actions of others to help us advance our careers. Even those who never make it into the big leagues are clearly better off for taking proactive steps, as anyone who aspires will be quick to affirm.

2. Casting blame is unproductive. Calling out the hurler over the difficulty of the pitches does about as much good as castigating those behind the plate who call the strikes and balls. The umpires, those third parties who measure our performance, are no more at fault for the course of our careers than are the challenging pitches that come our way. It is far more productive to study outside influences and adjust accordingly.

3. Focus on fundamentals. Good batters are students of the game. They build with focus on their strengths and core fundamentals. Top hitters are disciplined in executing. Regardless of the career, applying discipline to fundamental skills will generate healthy pride. In the end, it is the self-aware players who complete their careers with well-deserved satisfaction, no matter their final batting averages.

4. Hold to a high standard. There will always be players who seek shortcuts, who cross ethical lines to enhance their records, who skirt the rules. The true pros are those stars who embrace their professions as meaning much more than just playing a game. These stars hold themselves to a higher standard; whether they find that their accomplishments are applauded or are little noted as routine expectations.

Whatever the game, whatever the challenges thrown our way, we are always free to choose how we play the game. The ability to advance our results is held firmly in our own hands.

And if you happen to be the one on the pitching mound or the person managing the team, always admire the pluck and confidence of those holding the bat who aspire to advance with verve.

“I don’t see pitches down the middle anymore. Not even in batting practice.”

Hank Aaron

Image courtesy of hin255 at freedigitalphotos.net

Don't Catch The "Wishing Syndrome" When Managing Your Career

“When you wish upon a star

Makes no difference who you are

Anything your heart desires

Will come to you.”

Most of us wish that the lyrics from Walt Disney’s film Pinocchio would mirror our personal realities; but as we mature we come to realize that simply “wishing on a star” is a futile exercise.

By its very nature, making a wish places responsibility for making it come true in someone else's hands; thus depending upon others to fulfill our wishes can stack the deck against achieving our aspirations and celebrating desired outcomes.

Whether you have just graduated from school or are well into your career, your wishes express desires to strive for, but converting them into your intended reality requires considerable proactive actions.

Let’s examine the validity of some common wishes and action steps that may bring them to fruition.

There is a difference between:

• Wishing for a job (or a better one) and taking control of a career strategy 
• Wishing for increased profits and managing a solid business strategy 
• Wishing for increased income/results and executing a successful revenue generation plan 
• Wishing for financial security and advancing a well-positioned investment portfolio
• Wishing for positive change and implementing a game-changing initiative

The Wishing Syndrome

In the executive search and selection profession, we often observe a debilitating “wishing syndrome” among some people aspiring to make a positive career advancement. This syndrome can present itself in varying ways.

For instance, one phase of magical thinking in career management occurs when job seekers announce to friends and recruiting professionals their wishes for entering into a new role. These seekers view a simple declaration as definitive progress. Yet, delegating assignments to valued colleagues can leave them hoping for the best, but lacking in assurance of the final outcomes.

There lies the rub. Surely, friends and colleagues want to be of help, but just how often do the stars align, revealing dream jobs that they can pass along to their favorite seekers? And recruiters commonly struggle to make a very precise match between a seeker’s circumstances and a client organization’s particular unique specifications. In the end, seekers’ wishes often stir up polite replies more than advancing them toward definitive career progress.

Another symptom of this wishing syndrome is “wheel spinning.” Employment seekers can get caught up in stages of earnest review, unproductive rumination, conscientious reflection or dogged research only to have their intended career progress hit a blank wall for lack of planned action.

The Antidote

Responsibility for a career plan rests with the career seekers, although this doesn’t mean they must go it alone in advancing their process. For instance, a seeker’s initiatives can be supported with an assessment by a business psychologist. This type of professional serves as a neutral, yet honest advocate for development of the most prudent path a seeker ought to pursue. The results flowing from an assessment are commonly pivotal in orienting both prospective employers and a savvy seeker to their individual talents and unique characteristics and to the seeker’s healthiest career path.

Much as organizations target acquisitions of products that best match long-term growth strategies, effective seekers precisely target organizations and the roles which best complement their personal career trajectories. This focus telegraphs their intentions, stimulates relevant referrals and assures their supportive allies that they are focused and well-prepared in advancing their career plans rather than simply wishing upon a star.

*Image courtesy of bulldogza at FreeDigitalPhotos.net