Career Continuity Plan

Maybe it’s just the way my brain connects the dots after so many years in the business, but I see such a strong correlation between the way executives (and CFOs specifically) run their companies and the way those same executives should be running their careers.

In an article entitled “Dealing with Disruption,” Fred O’Connor says this …

… It may cost resources and dollars to do the right thing and spend the dollars and make the investments up front. It’s an insurance policy that you’ve just got to pay.

Is there any question that losing your job constitutes a significant disruption in your life … and the lives of everyone who depends on you? In your career, making the investment up front is insuring that you are the one in control of your career. You are …

— doing the kinds of things that allow you to be proactive rather than reactive, long before you ‘need’ a job;

— leveraging your very powerful passive positioning; and

— consistently and constantly working your Career Continuity Plan.

I pulled this quote from a different article, the “Executive’s Role in Project Success,” that came through Twitter this morning …

Executives cannot delegate accountability. They are the ones that can ultimately set direction, ensure that it is being followed, and commit resources to achieve it. They can delegate the actions and in doing so accept the consequences if their vision is not followed. [emphasis added]

Are you accountable for your career, or are you giving that power to someone else?