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Hey everyone!!! 👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻 I hope you had an amazing weekend and an opportunity to recharge. Time seems to zip by, but I’m having fun learning and building. Hopefully, you can say the same. The name of the game is continuous improvement, and measuring how you’re doing against where you were at. Don’t look at how far you’ve got to go; you’ll get depressed and not bother trying. Instead, marvel at how far you’ve come. “Measure the gain, not the gap.”
I guarantee that if you’re trying, you’re moving forward quicker than you think! Have a great week, and keep moving forward. Tim 📋 Career Playbook: Strategic Plays To Help You Crush It At Work
The Super Bowl was last weekend, and it was an exciting game right up to the end. That is often not the case. If you watch a lot of American football, you’ve likely seen games end with the quarterback taking a knee for a few plays, running out the clock to end the game. It’s not the most dramatic and exciting way to finish a game, but it is a winning strategy employed by the top teams. I think you might adopt a similar strategy to bringing about career changes, too. Allow me to explain… In the world of football, the strategy of running down the clock by taking a knee might seem anti-climatic. Yet, this is a deliberate, intentional act that comes from discipline, foresight, execution, and culminating in a game well played. In the realm of career development, the path to long-term success is often misconceived as a series of dramatic shifts and bold leaps. This is almost always the opposite of how you build long-term career success. The essence of achieving and maintaining career success lies in the grind of producing great work, learning and developing yourself, positioning yourself strategically, and of having the grace and wisdom to know when the timing is right to ‘take a knee’, allowing the clock to wind down on one game so you can move mark the victory and move on to the next. Just as a football team meticulously plans its opening plays, so too should professionals approach the onset of a new role. Early in your role: The Offensive DriveJust as a football game kicks off with high energy, strategic plays, and an offensive push towards the goal, the early stages of your job are about building momentum. When you’re new in a role, it is the ideal time for you to acquire and hone your skills, to establish your reputation, and to deliver results. Think of this as your career’s offensive playbook. Much like a football team analyzing their opponents and executing well-practiced plays, you navigate through your industry landscape, learning, adapting, and advancing. In this phase, you are preparing the ground for your success. You’re willing to experiment, and able to drive hard as you’re full of energy. Much like a football team reassesses its strategy at halftime, making adjustments based on the first half’s performance to secure a win, so too must professionals pivot and adapt once they’ve established a foothold in their roles. Established in your role: Adjusting the Game PlanBy mid-game, a football team assesses its performance, adjusts its strategies, and determines if it is time to pull out a different playbook. Similarly, once you’ve established yourself in your role, your focus needs to shift. If you try to coast and stay in your comfort zone, you’re likely to lose. You can’t stay comfortable for long. Once you’re comfortable in your role, it is time for reflection and strategic realignment. It’s about assessing the progress towards your career goals, making necessary adjustments, and continuing to build on your early successes. This period isn’t about making dramatic shifts, but about strategic positioning—choosing projects, roles, and initiatives that align with your long-term vision. You have a better sense of what you’re good at, where your opportunities are, and what lights you up. Some strategic plays you might make could include;
Ending the current game: Running Down the ClockAs the game approaches its last moments, and victory is within grasp, a football team might opt to take a knee, running down the clock to secure their win. This strategy, while seemingly passive, is a testament to the team’s earlier efforts and strategic gameplay. In your career, reaching a stage where you can ‘take a knee’ symbolizes a shift from aggressive advancement to taking the win and setting yourself up for the next game. It isn’t about complacency or just coasting, but about having grace and wisdom; knowing it is time to accept the victory, celebrate, and move on to the next challenge. This could involve:
A Winning StrategyEmbracing the ‘taking a knee’ philosophy in your career does not mean shunning ambition or growth. Instead, it’s about understanding that sustained success is often a result of strategic planning, early efforts, and judicious choices. Many people dream of quitting their job, packing it all in to either try something else, or escape the rat race completely. That’s a big, flashy, life-altering play, much like throwing a long Hail Mary pass trying to score. It’s exciting. It’s quite dramatic and will attract attention. But it’s also high-risk. Fun fact: some analysis by sports statisticians over the years suggests the success rate of these plays is around 5-10%. They can’t be more precise because of differing definitions of what qualifies as a ‘true’ Hail Mary pass, but these big, flashy, exciting plays have a low success rate. That’s why they’re called Hail Marys; you’re praying something will work out. Given that terrible success rate, are you sure you want to use a similar approach to managing a career transition? I hope not. Instead, you’ve got to be strategic. Your career, much like a carefully played football game, requires strategy, patience, and the right moves at the right time. It’s about knowing when to push forward aggressively, and when it’s time to protect your gains. By adopting a strategic approach to your career development, you position yourself not just for success, but for a legacy that endures. Remember, in both football and careers, the most exciting plays may get the glory, but it’s the consistent, strategic efforts that win the game. Quotation that I have been ponderingA fantastic reminder from the poet Charles Bukowski: “I was waiting for something extraordinary to happen, but as the years wasted on, nothing ever did unless I caused it.”
Nothing in your life will change unless you do something to change it. Don’t let the years slip by, only to realize you’ve missed your shot at living an incredible life. Get building. Journal PromptWe all have strengths and weaknesses. Every strength also has a downside, particularly when it becomes magnified. For example, confidence can be a positive trait that enhances decision-making, allows you to take creative risks, and encourages leadership. But it can also lead to overestimation of one’s abilities, underestimation of risks, and potentially ignoring valuable feedback, leading to poor outcomes. Understanding the positive aspects of yourself, and being aware of how they can turn negative, is an important part of understanding what you want from your career and life and leads to this week’s journal prompt. What aspects of myself do I need to embrace?
Better understanding yourself is crucial to your success. Your Call To AdventureFeeling stuck in your current role and ready to transform the role work plays in your life? This is the adventure of a lifetime, and you are the hero of your own epic career tale. On every great journey, the hero has a trusted sidekick to keep them on track. Think of me as your sherpa, experienced in navigating the daunting path of career transformation. I’ve guided many others, helping them attain heights they hadn’t imagined possible for them. Are you ready for your heroic journey? I’m here, ready to help you ascend to new peaks. Let’s start this adventure together.
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📋 Career Playbook: Strategic Plays To Help You Crush It At Work
