Are you ready to jump - or will you wait to be pushed?
Charles McLachlan
CEO and Portfolio Executive development - MAKING YOUR FUTURE WORK with Freedom, Joy and more opportunities to offer Love to those around you.
It’s a scenario facing many of us at some point in our lives. We want to make a decision but something holds us back. Will caution or fear stop us making that move? - or will we jump and discover it was well worth the risk?
I remember an incident from my childhood when I jumped off the highest board in the swimming pool, only to land with an excruciating belly flop. What do I remember most? It wasn’t the pleasure of the free-fall or the encouragement of others around me. It was the satisfaction of knowing I did it, despite the fear - although it did hurt a bit when I landed. Since then I have always chosen to jump before I am pushed.
Will irrational fear hold you back?
Many of the senior professionals I meet have a similar growing level of discomfort about what is going on in their working lives. They know that there must be something better, but perhaps there is that niggle in the back of their minds about the metaphorical belly flop - or even if they can make the jump at all. It prevents them seeing the rewards beyond.
If you are one of those people imagining that jumping from a great height will inevitably end in disaster, then I would encourage you to go beyond the irrational fear. The reality is you’ve almost certainly jumped before - and made a success of it.
I am sure that you can find other parts of your life where you have chosen to step out into some kind of future, where that future was uncertain. Whether it was your first child, your marriage, that first job or that big promotion.
You’ve jumped before, you can again
So, go back and look at the successes you have had where you have stepped out of your comfort zone. Go back and remind yourself where that step, which might have felt brave, foolhardy or risky at the time, paid off.
As a successful experienced professional, you are used to logically assessing different options. Some may have appeared to be beyond your immediate capability but you took them. So, when it comes to your next career decision, why not re-live what you did, how you made that decision?
The pain associated with change can be crippling, but the cost and consequences of inaction can be far worse.
Who’s waiting to push you?
One option is to stay where you are. You don’t have to jump. But what if someone else is on that diving board behind you? Maybe they want their turn, they’ll push you anyway.
So, if you don’t assess the alternatives to staying where you are, you are risking being pushed by others. The decision to jump won’t have been made on your terms. It’s a scenario that won’t serve yourself or your family, or the people who care for you to the best.
Is your current situation as safe as you think?
I spent many years regularly meeting a colleague who I had worked in a business with in the mid-nineties. We had moved on to go our separate ways and he had this desire to be an entrepreneur. He had this desire to take control of his own destiny but each time I met him he was so wedded to the safety of his current situation that he reminded me of that classic frog.
You may know the story - the frog who is sitting in a puddle of water and slowly the water warms up and because the temperature is rising so gently, he never realises that he should have leapt out before he boils to death. Don’t be that frog!
Ready to leap?
So, is 2021 the year in which you are going to prepare to leap? The year in which you are going to create a new future for yourself? Or the year in which you are going to continue to settle for the status quo and not choose to explore the opportunities verses the costs of staying where you are?
If you are thinking about your career options, becoming a Portfolio Executive could provide you with a rewarding and stimulating future - and on your terms. If you like the sound of working with a group of people who have successfully made that jump (and landed successfully), then check out our Portfolio Executive programme.
I've enjoyed a long career in international business and a second career in training, education and assessment.
3 年Always better to make a decision, than to let one be made for you.
Helping you combat your Anxiety and Stress using Effective Modern Techniques including Coaching, Hypnotherapy/CBT/NLP
3 年Very information post. Thanks for sharing!
Helping Business Owners & Organizations Scale | Transformation & Turnaround Expert | Ex-McKinsey, Ex-Investment Banker, Entrepreneur
3 年Taking the leap is definitely a better option and there is a lot of confidence that comes from taking action rather than being pushed. I have experienced both and can definitely say that being pushed sucks!
Performance coach. I take successful men from burnout to balance.
3 年Great article Charles, wonderful share
User Acquisition Director for Lingokids helping families around the world raise amazing kids! Experience across ed-tech, healthcare, retail, ecommerce, publishing & automotive.
3 年What a great post - thanks for sharing Charles McLachlan