There is a significant body of organizational research devoted to the study of delay or inaction when it comes to making business decisions. Have some fun with this! Go to Google right now and type in “the cost of delay” and you’ll get oh…about 9.1MM hits! Why? There is tremendous opportunity lost in all (well almost all) endeavors when you sit around and wait. It certainly seems there is plenty empirical support for this theory.
Recently the entire country was engulfed in a debate over “the cost of doing nothing” as it relates to healthcare reform. The simple question is - Why have we not talking about this concept as it relates to career management? We should be. Professional brand marketing is not magic. It’s hard work and there is no better time than now to start practicing productive behaviors.
Many professionals don’t particularly enjoy going out to do the meet and greet stuff that puts them in direct contact with other professionals. You know what we’re talking about, right? We hear, “I have had such a busy week and I have been traveling. I just can’t bear the thought of going to another event.” Other commonplace viewpoints from professionals are that there is some mystic reservoir of time from which to draw or they are “okay right now” because they “have a good job”. This is scary stuff and even worse you can’t see the damage that is being done until it’s a little too late.
Career management is an every day job for a lifetime. It’s not just networking either. We have to take a fastidious approach to managing our professional brand. And what if we don’t have good technique? We get a coach. The best in the world do it and we should too. Remember when mom or dad would tell us that practice makes perfect? Do you recall a trainer or coach saying, this isn’t a sprint were running here, it’s a marathon? How about the tried and true – Success is a journey not a destination? We could do quotes all day here! Bottom-line? Practice or Peril!
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