Prepare for a Possible Career Gap

  Career Development  

Contingencies--you plan for them. Risks--you assess them and mitigate them...for your project, that is. What about possible risks to your career? What if the scope of your job shrinks with no warning? Weather it is reduced hours, fewer projects, loss of a client or loss of a job, how prepared are you for that kind of negative scope creep? Have you updated your resume or portfolio lately? Do you even know where to find the most recent version? How outdated is it?

I attended an Afterburner Seminar recently in which the Flawless Execution Model employed by fighter pilots is applied to business situations. They showed a video re-enactment of a commercial flight during which the crew were so task-saturated and so fixed upon a technical detail that they didn't believe the altimeter when it indicated they were only a few feet above ground level. They crashed.

What about you? Are you so task-saturated and so project-focused that you are unprepared for the eventuality of your project, client or job going south? Whether you would search for a new job, or search for new clients as a project management consultant, being prepared can be critical to your success.

After the seminar, I asked presenter and fighter pilot Michael Kenny what tips he might offer gantthead readers on the topic of preparing for a possible job loss. He suggested we apply the six …

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