Tag Archives: your career

How to turn your dishwasher into a snowplow

You turn your dishwasher into a snowplow with the same three steps that you rise to the next level in your career. Don’t worry, I will tell you how in a minute.

First, you need the right equipment.  Buy the hardware and get the training. Do you need a hammer or a computer?  Buy it. Get training. Training can be at college, at home or on the job.  You can read a book on entrepreneurship or on carpentry.  It doesn’t matter.  You need tools and skills.

Second, you need to start moving around in your future work environment.  Show people you are developing new skills.  If you are a carpenter, start helping to lay out the framing.  Start reading the blueprints.  If you want to be in sales, volunteer to go on sales calls with  the salespeople.  Engineers can volunteer to help in project reviews or requirements gathering.  Start working with the people who can help you get your career where you want it to go.

Third, make the move.  In your current company you may have to tell your boss to hire someone to replace you.  Tell him, “I’m doing so much now that I have to give something up.  Why don’t you hire someone for my old job? I’m worth more to you as an (insert new job).” If you have to quit, find a new job first.  It is almost always easier to find a new job when the hiring manager feels he is stealing a star player instead of hiring a quitter.

Summary: To turn your dishwasher into a snowplow: give him a shovel, show him where you want the snow moved to, and push him out into the snow. Those are the 3 steps I just shared.

Something to do today

Decide which of those three steps is next for you.  Get started on it.

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The cheating husband

The boomer brain drain has started

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. (Thomas Edison)

Depending on exactly where you set the line, the baby boomers started retiring around 2010.  They are also starting to have heart attacks at an increasing rate.  Someone has to take their place.

This is an incredible opportunity to advance like a rocket in your career.

Planning, thinking, dreaming, and creating is critical now.  Now is the time to prepare.

Someone is going to be changing the bedpans for the baby boomers.  Others are going to be taking their money and making them happy.  A whole bunch of people are going to take top management positions as the older executive workforce churns into retirement.

Now is the time to get that certification, MBA, college education or Vo-tech class out of the way.

Do you want to get lucky?  Prepare!  Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.

Something to do today

Take some time off and dream.  What do you want to be STARTING in 5 years?  Where do you want that start to lead you 5 years after that?  Write down what you need to do to prepare for what you will start in 5 years.

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Later:              Not 12 seconds, it is 5.7 seconds