When heading into unfamiliar territory what do you do? Do you get busy doing a lot of research to prepare yourself? Or, are you a “let’s just wing it” kind of person? Unfamiliar territory could mean going traveling or starting a new career.

There seems to be people at two ends of the spectrum. Some over-prepare and others might not prepare at all. Each approach has its good points and bad points. If you over prepare then time slips by and it’s quite possible new variables or conditions come into play. This means that all that preparing may become only partially useful in the end. On the other hand, those who do not care to prepare and trust in their skills to work things through in the moment may find they bit off more than they can chew.

When driving today in unfamiliar territory I realized I needed to find some tools to get to my destination. To compound things there was a lot of construction, little or no signage on the highways and to top it all off it was foggy. I soon realized I didn’t have all the tools that I needed to find my way. Our career paths can be like that especially if we’ve been stuck in the same rut for awhile.

Today I needed an updated map because the roads had changed a lot since the map came out. The signage was poor so I might have used a GPS system or even a compass. I ended up buying a compass for the car and I also stopped a number of times asking others for directions to guide me or to help me confirm my path. It’s amazing what can we can learn by simply asking others for some guidance.

Relative to your career, what tools do you have in your inventory? How current are they in their effectiveness for today’s use? We think of road maps as gospel, well today I learned that my roadmap was not completely effective after only a few years of change. Entire neighbourhoods had popped up between my starting point and my destination and even the roadways had changed. Your career map is changing too.

Finding a current map is a metaphor for taking stock in your life. Taking stock by determining where exactly you are and where you are going to, at least for this leg of the journey. The compass is there to help you determine how close you are to your course and to help you make decisions for any course corrections.

With your career you are always going to run into changing conditions so why not expect the unexpected? What tools might you carry for this leg of the journey? I recall an event when traveling the Alaska Highway with my in-laws. The fifth-wheel we were pulling broke a spring at the axle, yes in the middle of no-where. Well because of my father-in-law’s preparedness by having a spare we replaced it and were back on the road in one hour. Others are not so lucky or is it that luck doesn’t have anything to do with it?

What tools do you have with you for the road of life? Which ones do you need to acquire or sharpen for a better career? Some people are driving around with no spare, what are you doing right now to ensure you get to your destination on time? So until next week, remember: “in only two days, tomorrow will be yesterday, lean into it!” As I offer insights, stories, tips and career information, please contact me to share your stories opinions and comments to Don Campbell.