My boss tells me often and emphatically, that she would not like to live in my head (and why I hold the head HR position where she is the CEO). It is for this reasoning that I am better than good at any task geared towards inventive problem solving and creative human resources. I think only on a proactive plane. This is why my reaction time is usually 10 steps ahead of most and why I can and have reinvented myself and career, many times over. I can anticipate what issues or problems may arise and change course to suit the need. What may appear to be an off-the-cuff action (adventuresome yet not reckless), is instead a methodical action with a splash of creative ingenuity. Although my career transitions were never planned, I was blessed with always landing better than where I began. Although taking a safe path may be easier or preferable, living on the edge of your comfort zone may sometimes take you where you are better suited. How do I plan for continuous transitions in my career and life? Here are some of the tools I use:
- Write goals to action (Create a Goals/Action Tracker with long and short-term goals).
- Set goals to action with timelines.
- Chart and Take Action (Chart your progress). Use like a blueprint charting successes and setbacks-note learnings, key people, groups, books, and organizations, as examples.
- Be authentic about “who you are” – “what you know”- “what you do” – being a fraud is exhausting!
Create comfort with process through examples, practice and knowing your added value (it is easier to live a process then to start a process when you are in need). In this way, you may be better prepared and practiced to face whatever comes your way.
