Recently, flipping through my yellowed, dog-eared copy of Stephen Covey’s 1989 book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, I re-discovered some wisdom for facing challenges that can guide us as we live and work through this crisis.
Find your circle of influence
Covey’s guidance is to focus on what we can control – what Covey calls our Circle of Influence.
Stuff you can control falls in the circle of influence. Stuff you cannot control falls outside that circle into a bigger Circle of Concern.
You can acknowledge your bigger Circle of Concern, but spend your precious time and energy on the stuff you can control.
Influence your career direction
You can’t control the virus, re-opening plans or the job market, so decrease the time and energy you spend worrying about them.
Instead, funnel your energy toward a key thing within your Circle of Influence – choose who you want to be and set your own professional path.
Use this time of disruption to solidify your current path or to find a new one. Whether you are currently employed or looking for a job, this preparation can open doors and get you ready for whatever comes next.
Stop and think
Busy with daily life, people often never stop to think about what they really want for their professional future.
Once, a mid-career coaching client admitted that he woke up one day and barely recognized himself. After college, he had accepted his highest paying job offer and had then gotten promoted multiple times over the years.
By external standards, he was a successful corporate executive. By his own standards, he was trapped in a job doing work that he never really wanted to do.
He could have avoided that situation earlier in his career by stopping and really thinking about where he wanted his career to go.
This pandemic started a perfect storm that has disrupted many careers. It also created a unique window for considering all of your options.
Questions about your career direction
Where do you want your career to go?
Use your extra time to visualize the future you want. Ask yourself some tough questions and think about the job you want for your next step.
- Are you happy with your current job but want advancement?
- Do you want to do something similar or try something different?
- Are you willing to switch industries?
- Should the next job for you be a step up or going in a new direction?
- Do you want to enhance your current skill set or do you need a new one?
Your answers to these questions will determine the right actions for you.
Build expertise with a certification
One approach for enhancing your standing in your current industry is to get a certification.
Most industries (such as technology, construction, retail) and functions (Finance, HR, Project Management, Sales) have certifications.
Now is a great time to study and prepare for them through online training modules and tests.
Some companies have internal online universities that provide these certification classes to you for no cost.
If there is a cost, check with HR to see if your current employer will pay for the certification through a tuition reimbursement program. You can also ask for funding by explaining to your manager how the certification will support the company by helping you do more advanced tasks, work faster and improve quality.
Since certifications move with you from job to job, you are building skills for the future. And they look great on a resume!
Skill up in valuable areas
If you don’t want to do a full certification, hone a specific skill. Pick a skill that would set you apart from other employees.
Think about some of the superstars in your company (also known as high potentials). What do they do that no one else can? Those skills could differentiate you as well.
Sources for free and low cost training
Start your search for training at EdX. Founded by Harvard and MIT, EdX partners with hundreds of other universities and programs to provide a variety of learning opportunities. Ranging from micro-classes to full online degrees, EdX has something for everyone.
If you only want free courses, Edx.org also acts as a hub for Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) at Mooc.org which have the perfect price tag of FREE.
Other courses can be found at sites like LinkedIn Learning, Khan Academy and coding bootcamps.
You could also do some bite-sized learning by watching TED.com talks or downloading a management e-book from your local library.
Explore the entrepreneurial path
If you have ever considered being an entrepreneur, now is a great time to give it serious consideration. If possible, give yourself some breathing room by keeping your current job or finding a side hustle while exploring this interest.
Plan out what type of business you would like to start, how it would work, what capital is needed and the projected revenue. Reach out to people who are already running a similar business. Learn about their path and ask for advice.
Use your personal contacts, Linked In and alumni network from your college to find entrepreneurs to consult.
Start telling everyone you encounter about your professional interests. I once connected to a business opportunity by meeting the client’s sister at a neighborhood potluck. You never know who knows who in this world.
Becoming an entrepreneur requires determination, resilience and patience. To assess your own readiness for becoming an entrepreneur, download this free 88 question survey from Dorie Clark that guides you through some self-discovery to see if it is right for you.
Be curious and explore
If you try all of this and are still struggling to clarify your professional goals, take a break and have some creative fun.
Using your brain in a different way might spark professional inspiration.
A study in The Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology indicates that job creativity and performance at work improves if you have a creative hobby. The creative hobby supports mastery, control and relaxation which spills over into work.
This could be a double win by boosting your creativity at work and helping you plan out your professional future. You might even find a passion that turns into a life-long hobby.
Finding resources for creativity
Search You Tube for free tutorials on a wealth of creative topics such as playing guitar, speaking French, oil painting, crafting and ballroom dancing. Baking bread, sourdough starters and cooking essentials are other popular topics right now!
Reading can also provide an escape and a reminder of the strength of the human spirit. To catch up on the classics, Project Gutenberg offers free downloads of classic books by authors like Austen, Dickens, Twain, and Shakespeare.
Instead of worrying about the pandemic, focus your energy on preparing for your future. Set professional goals, enhance your profile with new skills and explore creativity. When the world gets back to work, you’ll be ready!
