I was reading through the Deccan Herald yesterday and found an interesting article by Kit Eaton entitled, "Using Apps To Climb The Career Ladder." Basically, he was saying, "Today, besides headhunters etc., who are out there to help you find the right job, there are apps that will do the same thing." About Glassdoor, one of the apps that are available, he says, "Very user-friendly. You can put in a key word like an analyst or a math teacher, then tell them the geographical location that you want the job in. One of the nice things about this is that it allows you to see salary levels that are associated with your search. That data helps you to decide."
He also listed LinkedIn about which he said, "LinkedIn needs data and based on the data that you enter on your profile page, that's what will help you in finding the right job match. But the key to making LinkedIn work for you is to enter the right kind of data." Finally he said, "Between Glassdoor and LinkedIn, in terms of complexity, there was another app called CareerBuilder…. This was a free app working on both iOS and android systems. CareerBuilder has a neat design that makes browsing for jobs a very pleasant experience. You can upload your resumé to CareerBuilder and then apply directly through the app for a particular job."
How interesting that such an article should come around February, close to the end of the financial year. People are thinking: Should I stay or should I move on? Is this the right fit for me? Have I reached my potential here? All these questions are based on situations and circumstances. We look around us and see that things are not working, and we read into those circumstances.
I was reading Chuck Givens and he has an interesting account about circumstances. He was going to conduct a workshop 200 miles away from his home. He enjoyed taking the tight mountain curves in his sports car. On that particular day, however, his fan best broke and the car immediately began to overheat. He decided to press on in the hope of finding a gas station with a fan belt. But a few minutes later, his engine froze and the car sputtered to a halt. He faced a choice: should he call and cancel his workshop or should he try and get to his destination some other way.
So he decided to hitch hike and although there wasn't much traffic, within ten minutes, a car stopped. Not only did the driver deliver him to his exact destination, but also having nothing else to do, the driver decided to enroll in the workshop itself. At the end of the program he asked those in attendance, "Hey, is anybody heading my way?" Ten hands shot up and he got a ride home.
I thought that here was a person who looked at the circumstances but didn't read into the circumstances that it was time to pull out of the seminar. When that happens, we often think like that. Rather than get over the situations that are pressing in on our lives, we get buried in the problem and decide to pull out thinking that it is the right thing to do because the circumstances are against us.
Yet, a good take away from this story is that events control our life only if we give them that power. If we look at our own lives, our jobs, circumstances do play an important part in helping us to decide whether or not, they are indicators for us to press on or not. But the key is to understand whether it is just a diversionary tactic or is it really a pointer for us to take seriously. If we look at the circumstance and think that it is the time to move on and yet, if we don't move on, then instead of playing offense, we begin to play defense. We begin to dig ourselves into a hole and not want to do anything; just go through the motions. Not really very productive!
I remember the story of the turtle that fell into a pothole. He tried all ways but just couldn't get out. Then a rabbit came hopping along and offered assistance. But no matter what they tried, the turtle remained stuck in that muddy hole. "It's no use," the turtle said. "There's no hope for me." various other animal friends passed his way, but the turtle refused their help believing his destiny was sealed in that muddy hole. And he sighed and said, "It's hopeless!" He put his head into his shell and gave up.
All of a sudden he heard a rumble. Putting his head out of his shell, he spotted a tractor that was heading straight for the pothole in which he sat. Without another thought, he scrambled out of the hole; he crossed the road to safety, and went on to live another day. Later on, some of the other animals saw him and asked, "How did you get free? We thought you couldn't get out of the hole." The turtle replied, "Oh, I couldn't. Then I had to." Sometimes, we have to do something. We have to do something about the situations that are around us.
Jim Collins, in his book 'Good To Great', talks about Scott Paper, which was the leading company in paper-based consumer products in the late 60s. Then one day, Procter & Gamble decided that they wanted to diversify and so they got into the paper-based consumer business. Analysts write that Scott Paper just gave up. They were the leader, but the moment they knew that a giant like Procter & Gamble were coming in, they gave up. This once proud company began to look at its competition and say, "Here's how we stack up against the best." Then they sighed, "Oh well, at least there are people in the business worse than we are." Instead of figuring out how to get back on the offensive and win, Scott Paper just tried to protect what it had, conceding that the top end of the market would go to P&G.
On the other hand, Kimberley-Clark, whose CEO at that time was Darwin Smith, looked at Proctor & Gamble not as a liability but as an asset. Jim Collins says that at one internal gathering, Darwin Smith stood up and started his talk by saying, "Ok, guys. I want everyone to stand in a moment of silence." Everybody was stunned, wondering what Darwin was up to. Did somebody die? After a moment of confusion, they stood up and stared at their shoes in reverent silence. After an appropriate pause, Smith looked out at the group and said in a somber tone, "That was the moment of silence for Procter & Gamble." The place went bananas. Blair White, a director who witnessed the incident, said, "He had everyone wound up all up and down the company, right down to the plant floor. The message was, "We are going to take on Goliath."
Two different approaches to how we can look at circumstances that can sometimes overwhelm us, sometimes immobilize us. We talk about companies, but the same thing holds true in our personal lives as well. We wonder: Is it time to quit? Is it time to buckle down and move ahead, go into another gear altogether? How do we know?
Ronald Riggio wrote an article in Psychology Today entitled, "When Is The Right Time To Quit Your Job?" He says, "There are four key issues that you need to look at:
1. There is absolutely no possibility of promotion. There is no way to move forward in this particular situation.
2. You are in a toxic environment. There are different issues at stake. Maybe there are harassment issues, physical contact, verbal abuse, bullying and other stuff that is really toxic.
3. When your current job limits your personal growth and development. You feel stagnant in your current job either because the work is too easy or too low level and you have greater ambition. Then it's time to start looking for a position that will allow you to grow and develop.
4. When you have become too comfortable and complacent. Do a reality check. Are you staying in a job simply because it seems easier to stay put rather than try something new? Do you feel like you are in a rut but it seems too daunting to put yourself out on the job market?
These are signs that it's time to move on.
Mary Luttrel in a quote on perseverance says, "In times of hardship, the critical task of a leader is often reduced to the most basic level: to simply keep going."
I'm throwing out both sides to you this morning; I don't know where you are at this moment. Are you dealing with stuff like this? But I hope that what you heard today will, in some way, help you with the things that you are going through in your life. For me, I know that as I look at what God has for me, I remember this from our Holy Book. He says, "I am the Lord, your God, who teaches you what is best for you; and who directs you in the way that you should go." (Isaiah 48:17)
"When you are turning to your right hand or your left hand, a voice will be sounding in your ears saying, 'This is the way in which you are to go'." (Isaiah 30:21)
How wonderful to be able to lean on God's understanding, God's perspective. He always sees the big picture and He's only a prayer away from you and me.
Let me pray with you. Almighty God. I pray your blessing on each precious one on this call. Master, may they hear Your voice telling them which way to go, giving them wisdom and direction for the journey ahead. I pray your blessing on every one in the name of Jesus. Amen.
· Kit Eaton, "Using apps to climb the career ladder," Deccan Herald 17 Feb 2014.
· Apps: Glassdoor, LinkedIn & CareerBuilder.
· Ronald Riggio, "When is the time to quit your job?" Psychology Today.
· Scott Paper, Proctor & Gamble, Kimberley-Clark CEO Darwin E Smith. Taken from Jim Collins' "Good to Great."
· Perseverance quote by Mary Luttrel.
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