Are You Taking Your Career For Granted?

Next week, I will be giving a presentation at the annual CSCMP Conference. The presentation is titled: “The Value of a Community.” Last week I got a reminder (not that I needed it) about why this may be one of the most important talks I have ever given. While travelling, I called the office and learned that John had called and left his cell phone number. I immediately returned his call and learned why he had called - John had lost his job the previous week.

I have known John for over twenty years. He is a capable, competent logistics professional who has, to the best of my knowledge, done an admirable job wherever he has worked. But his company has been hit hard by the depression… ooops, I mean (what the folks in Washington are calling) this recession. So a couple of months ago they fired John’s boss, a very qualified VP, and now it was John’s turn before the firing squad.

Since this scenario is being played out with depressing regularity, I know what to say when I get these calls. John will be sending me his resume. And I will distribute that resume (as I have with numerous other resumes) in my network. I will do what I can to help John land on his feet.

But this Blog posting isn’t really about John. Lots of people are losing their jobs and many, many more live with the fear that they could be the next to go. This posting is for you the reader of this publication. Every year I meet hundreds of very capable and competent logistics and supply chain professionals. I also interact with other leaders of industry associations, educators, and members of the media who also meet with lots of logistics and supply chain professionals. These leaders share my assessment that a substantial majority of logistics and supply chain professionals are taking their jobs/careers for granted and are in denial about this fact.

So next week we will be covering this topic at my Session at CSCMP. Just in case you’re not attending the annual CSCMP Conference here are some of the points we will cover.

When I ask people if they are taking their career for granted, they usually respond: “No, not me. I definitely do not take my career for granted!” Everyone wants to believe that they are serious about and doing the best job they can in pursuing their careers. That is why I like to ask them the following questions.

How many hours do you invest or spend (on an annual basis) in pursuing continuing education that enhance or improve your skills or expertise?

How many industry associations do you belong to and actively support? (For example, for transportation, logistics or supply chain professionals there are the NIT League, CSCMP, NASSTRAC, TIA, AST&L, WERC, ISM, APICS, ATA, to name just a few.) How many industry meetings have you been to in the past three years?

How many transportation and logistics publications do you read on a weekly or monthly basis?

Excluding sales people who solicit your business, how big is your network of other professionals?

How many mentors can you call on for input/direction about your career?

There are several other questions that we could ask, but this is a pretty good start. How did you do in answering them?

So instead of debating the “are you taking your career for granted” question, here is some information for you to consider. Based on a sampling of industry leaders and the leading educators in the field,If you: 

Invest less than three hundred hours per year in continuing education activities,

Belong to fewer than two industry associations, and/or have attended fewer than two industry meetings in the past three years,

Don’t bother to regularly read industry periodicals, and

Have fewer than twenty-five professionals in your network, and fewer than two mentors 
 

            …You’re taking your career for granted.

The good news is that you can stop taking your career for granted by being proactive with some baby steps to build your career. For starters, you can read my previous Blog on The Sustainable Career, attend a CSCMP Roundtable in your area, or listen to a Webinar that is presented by this magazine, or groups such as NITL or NASSTRAC. And finally, you can pick up the phone, or e-mail someone you respect and ask them for some mentoring. Personally, I really enjoy the mentoring relationships I have in place.

Now for some final thoughts. First, if you have been taking your career for granted, don’t make excuses about why things aren’t the way you would like them to be. Second, be honest with yourself and accept responsibility for your career. It’s not your boss’, spouse’s, or friend’s fault that your career is stuck in a rut; you put it there. So work to get your career out of the rut and back on to the highway.

P.S. If you have read this Blog, can you post your comments and let me know if you have found it useful?

TranzAct Technologies, Inc.