The first NFL Sunday of the regular season is tomorrow and I for one can’t wait. It’s also fascinating to follow the preseason storylines, you know what I’m talking about: the guys who look amazing in 2-a-days, reported to camp in the best shape of their life, and crushed it in pre-season games… against back-ups. The question is, how will that translate when it matters tomorrow?
You see, hope springs eternal when you dream of your Next Great Next. But the reality is being Super Bowl-ready is a strategy not a result. The same is true for your career dreams. To be ready for your Next Great Next is a strategy in of itself.
For example, do you have your network acting as your offensive line, opening gaping holes for you to “run through”?
We always see the QB huddled up on the field with his offense. Who’s your offense that you’d huddle up with when you’re looking to make a play? Do you have a group you can call upon, a “counsel” of advisors to circle up with to discuss the career-changing plays you’re considering – or to suggest ones you haven’t?
You’re the quarterback of you job search team. Just like in football, sometimes you need to go left; sometimes you need to go right. No matter what, you know you’d better be marching forward most of the time or you’re going to stall out.
To keep making progress when the competition is stacked against you takes attitude, mindset, accountability, skill, commitment, discipline, luck, creativity, imagination, teamwork, trust, humility, endurance, and timing by players and executives.
Trying to find the right job can be like trying get a football over the goal line and into the end zone for a touchdown during a goal-line stand. Having the right coach can help in both situations. The coach is skilled in taking all those beautiful words from the last paragraph and mixing them together into something that works together and achieves a goal (in football or a job in our world).
The recruiters I’ve spoken with this summer tell me that easily over 60% of candidates fumble the ball because they cannot effectively articulate their value. Almost no one is naturally good at articulating their value to strangers in a pressure situation… but they can learn. Here’s what you do:
- Step one: Evaluate your attitude and do an honest assessment of your mindset. Are you taking full accountability for where you are and for getting to where you want to be? Do you really know what you want next?
- Step two: Start working on articulating how the value you bring would solve problems.
- Step three: If you are like most people, you will need more help than you realize, but don’t sweat it! Even Tom Brady had Bill Belichick. Get some coaching.
So, what are you: Pre-season ready or Super Bowl ready?
