Continental Shelf

Yesterday I mentioned that I have noticed a cycle in my career consisting of periods of intense, feverish learning and growth alternating with slower, less focused periods. I also mentioned that my latest period of rapid growth started with my layoff in May 2008. Corollary: that must mean I was in a slow-down period when I was laid off, and that is likely part of the reason I was indeed selected for layoff.

It’s true! I was at my previous job for nine years, and they were good ones; but for the last few years my growth had slowed down and projects had become less interesting. There all sorts of reasons for this, and maybe I’ll discuss them in detail in a future post. The key point I’m getting to, though, is that I knew this but I kept hoping things would change on their own: a new exciting project would come along, the economy would pick up (little did I know!), some change would happen in the company that would mean a new opening for me, etc.

I was not planning for my career, I was hoping my job would improve. I had had good years at that company, I was comfortable, I liked my co-workers and my clients, I didn’ want to leave. For reasons I’ll discuss another day, I didn’t really feel I could develop much more, but I didn’t wish to look elsewhere. I’m sure that the “what have you done for me lately” factor played a major role when the company had to lay off senior personnel to hire cheaper, just-graduated professionals. I was still their most versatile employee and I had met all my annual goals, including ones that were imposed, but I hadn’t done anything new.

When I was laid off, I immediately started absorbing information to optimize my job search; I’ve published some highlights of that information before. But as I have said elsewhere, I wanted to get more out of the effort than just a new desk from which to work. I had never before reflected on the difference between job search and career management.

When I found myself hitting a plateau, professionally, I should have started looking for the next challenge. In previous cycles, I floundered around until I found another job, I went back to school to do a master’s degree, etc. But this last time, I was too comfortable; I ended up diverting my energies to non-profit organizations, hobbies, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I learned a lot there which I have since applied in my career; but it was haphazard, unplanned, and it could have resulted in a stalled career.

There’s nothing wrong with getting growth in personal pursuits rather than in a day job. For example, I learned interpersonal, leadership, organizational, and even sales skills in these side pursuits. But I’m coming to realize that it still makes sense to look at the big picture and ask myself how it all fits together. Because sooner or later, the next dip in my job productivity and interest will arrive, and I can either have a plan ready to fill this new gap or I can drift along, waiting for opportunity to happen all by itself. Which one seems more efficient?

As I was mentioning yesterday, if my current upsurge in learning and growth follows previous patterns, I will find myself slowing down around mid-2011. That means that around that time, I will have mastered the skills necessary to do my current job, I will be getting quite comfortable, and I won’t feel as challenged. It will likely be a quite enjoyable position to be in, but one which offers the temptation of complacency.

So I’m trying to plan for the next challenge after that. Since the company I now work for is considerably larger and more clearly structured than my previous one, there are several different possible paths so I can reasonably hope to grow with the company (and I do!). However, if for some reason this doesn’t work out, I will already be tackling the next set of competences I need in order to keep my mind and my heart engaged.