All Roads…

I spoke with a couple of friends today who got to the same place from very different beginnings.  One has been self-employed for 30 years; the other has worked for a number of prominent companies for about as long.  Both are unhappy, both are concerned, both want to make changes in their lives.  And somehow both ended up with the same realization.In these two separate conversations we talked a lot about the life skills they’ve honed over time.  Both have common sense and great people skills. and they both “get” business.  They’re both senior executives.  Naturally they think a bit differently about approaches to certain common business problems but as I’ve written before there is generally more than one right answer and it’s always a good idea to find as many potential right answers to a problem as you can.  You’d hire either one of these two yet I’m not sure they’d want to work for you unless you pass their “sniff” test.  That’s another demonstration of their business smarts – you DON’T want everyone as a client nor do you want to work for anyone and everyone.

So I found it a bit disconcerting when each spoke about a fundamental need to make a change in their lives.  Both are smart enough to know they need to, albeit for very different reasons.  One guy knows he’s not going any farther at his company.  The other one fears that his company has gone as far as it can.  One guy is afraid of being pigeonholed in his business category and wants his broad range of skills to be recognized and utilized.  The other thinks he’s not focused enough.

So here is where they both ended up.

First, they know THEY are in control of the situation.  Neither feels like a victim.

Second, they know that bad times are GREAT times to think about things differently.  Yes, it’s easier personally to take risks in strong economic times but potential employers need answers and just might be willing to listen with a more open mind now although they might not be ready to hire today.

Third, they are BOTH taking personal inventory and using that list to take action.  They’re less focused on what they want to do and very focused on what they want to eliminate from consideration.  For me, any decision which whittles down the list is a good one.  Both know their next job might be their last since both are AARP ready.

Lastly, they’re both optimistic, motivated, and calm.

What advice would you give them?  What’s your take?