Tough Times – Opportunists?

You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you. ~Walt Disney

The events of this week – or few weeks for that matter – has been a wake up and take notice call for many.

Over the past few weeks, we have witnessed Washington at its worst, an addition to the staggering debt, a plummeting stock market and now a downgrade of the credit respected since the beginning of time, the credit of the United States in the world market. I am not trying to and will not be political – be you a Democrat, Republican, Conservative, Liberal or what have you, you have taken notice.

So what does this have to do with issues of your career and work life which is the focus of this blog.

Everything.

You need to be prepared. Really prepared.

We do not know where this is all going, but at some point in the very near future, it will affect you, me and our livelihood. There is no escaping from what the experts say and the talking heads chatter about. The past week it was 24/7 news from what I hear and people have become rightly scared. I had the experience of being in Europe the past two weeks and trying to catch what was happening through the media. In Europe, news is of an international basis – the woes of the US were just one of the many tough stories last week. While our markets were slumping big time, so were the European and Asian markets. It was sure nice to be back on US soil Friday and to be with our family again (but we did have a hell of a great trip – more on this to come and some critical management lessons I learned from the “masters”).

Like a Boy Scout, always be prepared.

Again, I do not want to scare anyone. But I do want each one of my readers to not just sit on the sidelines and wait to see how this play out. Three years ago the same thing happened, and iwe know what happened. The economist say this situation is worst – with the potential double-dip recession and world market problems. And we all know what happened after with the massive job loses that werenever recovered.

Have a plan – enact it. Don’t have a career plan – do it – NOW!

If and when credit tightens up again, jobs will go away. As consumer confidence drops as it has recently, purchasing stops – jobs go away. As we hunker down as a nation and change our living habits yet again – this results in job losses. To take a wait-and-see attitude is dangerous – very dangerous. Crank up your networking, dust off your career plan (and resume to say the least) and start engaging in the market. Figure out what you want to do next (a professional can help if needed) and start to work to that plan. Consider declaring your own independence and be in total control – evaluate if your own business is right for you or get help doing so. Just take action – be in control.

This quote tells it all …

Career management is not job hunting. Job hunting happens when one does not manage their career (B. Ball, a well-know career authority).

When the going gets tough, be an opportunist

I have to end on a positive. While there are tough waves to navigate, there will be many opportunities l for those who are opportunists. Companies – likely smaller companies – will be looking to find better talent – you may be the one. More businesses are launched in tough economic times than any other time. The key – don’t get sucked into the negative – be positive and look for opportunities always.

I am – always do – always looking for better ways to do what I love and expand my scope. Your feedback and ideas are always valued – I really mean that.

And thank you for reading this. – Dan