Props to my friend JC Glick for inspiring this post. His recent comment “.. strategy is lived, not laminated…” rang a bell for me.
Far too often individuals and organizations let their strategies become little more than laminated, bound volumes relegated to obscure shelves; never to be seen again; never to be brought to life.
In business, strategy without action is a waste. Wasted time, attention, energy and money invested in something that will never add real value.
Similarly, career transition success requires strategy…and action.
Transition strategy and planning are necessary. Without them your transition journey may well look like a ship adrift at sea. Things are moving but without any defined direction and at the whim of uncontrollable, unpredictable forces.
Learning the transition tools, techniques, practices and processes is required. Transition is a whole new world, and navigating it without some idea of how things work can be a frustrating at the least and a bit dangerous at worst.
But strategy, plans, and learning alone are not enough.
To succeed in career transition you must bring these to life; to put them in action!
– Identify who you are, what you bring to the party, and how you define success.
– Prepare and share your personal pitch, then get out and network with people. Tell your story in a way that lands well on listeners ears.
– Keep your eyes/ears open for opportunities; engage with them; explore/exploit them until they either prove to be non-fits or produce an attractive job offer.
– Conduct personal after action reviews (AARs) to improve what isn’t working and leverage what is working.
– Iterate, improve, and keep moving forward!
Not sure how to make this happen? Want to learn more? VCJ is here to help. Give us a shout!
