that you’re in a game not worth winning? The consequences of bad decisions do not get better with age. What cheesecake are you eating?
Q&A: QUESTIONS AND ACTIONS Only those who are asleep make no mistakes. —INGVAR KAMPRAD, founder of IKEA, world’s largest furniture brand
T
ens of thousands of people, most of them less capable than you, leave their jobs every day. It’s
neither uncommon nor fatal. Here are a few exercises to help you realize just how natural job changes are and how simple the transition can be. 1. 2. 3.
First, a familiar reality check: Are you more likely to find what you want in your current job or somewhere else? If you were fired from your job today, what would you do to get things under financial control? Take a sick day and post your resume on the major job sites. Even if you have no immediate plans to leave your job, post your resume on sites such as www.monster.com and www.careerbuilder.com, using a pseudonym if you prefer. This will show you that there are options besides your current place of work. Call headhunters if your level makes such a step appropriate, and send a brief e-mail such as the one below to friends and non-work contacts. Dear All, I am considering making a career move and am interested in all opportunities that might come to mind. Nothing is too outrageous or out of left field. [If you know what you want or don’t want on some level, feel free to add, “I am particularly interested in …” or “I would like to avoid …”] Please let me know if anything comes to mind! Tim
4.
Call in sick or take a vacation day to complete all of these exercises during a normal 9–5 workday. This will simulate unemployment and lessen the fear factor of non-office limbo. In the world of action and negotiation, there is one principle that governs all others: The person who has more options has more power. Don’t wait until you need options to search for them. Take a sneak peek at the future now and it will make both action and being assertive easier. If you run or own a company, imagine that you have just been sued and must declare bankruptcy. The company is now insolvent and you must close up shop. This is something you must legally do, and there are no finances to entertain other options. How would you survive?
TOOLS AND TRICKS Considering Options and Pulling the Trigger