The Best Time to Prepare for What's Next Is Before You Have To
Preparation creates options. But first, you have to recognize what those options might be.
Years ago, I worked in a Project Management Office (PMO). A lot of my job involved writing process documentation that nobody really followed. Unless, of course, something went wrong and someone needed something to blame.
I wanted to do something different.
Agile was gaining momentum, and I liked what I was seeing. Less emphasis on following a process for the sake of following a process. More emphasis on people, collaboration, and actually getting things done.
I started preparing.
I learned what I could, developed new skills, and looked for opportunities to put them to work. I wasn't in a rush. I had a job, and I had time to figure out what I wanted to do next.
Eventually, I moved into Agile coaching.
For years, it was great. I worked with some terrific people, helped organizations make meaningful improvements, and built a successful career doing something I believed in.
Then something funny happened.
I found myself writing process documentation that nobody really followed. Unless, of course, something went wrong and someone needed something to blame.
Well, that was familiar.
When Your Job Becomes Who You Are
I'm having a little fun with the process documentation, but it's got some truth to it.
Over the years, I watched Agile coaching change. What had attracted me to it in the first place was becoming less common. In some organizations, the focus shifted from helping teams improve to ensuring everyone followed the framework.
The market was changing, too.
Agile coaching opportunities were drying up. Organizations were cutting back, changing direction, or deciding they didn't need the same level of support.
I could see it happening.
The problem was that I'd spent years becoming an Agile coach. I had the certifications, the experience, the relationships, and a pretty good track record.
I was an Agile coach. That's what I did.
And without really realizing it, I'd started treating that as who I was.
I Was Asking the Wrong Question
As things changed, I started thinking about what I should do next.
Maybe I could find different Agile engagements. Maybe I needed to learn another framework. Maybe other organizations still needed what I offered.
Nothing wrong with those ideas.
But they all answered the same question.
How do I keep being an Agile coach?
It took me longer than I'd like to admit to ask a different question.
What do I actually help people do?
The answer was pretty simple.
I help people and organizations navigate change.
I'd been doing that long before I became an Agile coach. I'd done it as a developer, a technology leader, and in project and program management.
Agile was a way to do that work. It wasn't the reason I did it.
Once I realized that, I started seeing things differently.
The experience I'd built wasn't suddenly worthless because the Agile coaching market had changed. I knew how to help leaders make decisions, work with teams, solve problems, and help organizations deal with uncertainty.
Those skills weren't exclusive to Agile.
Today, I'm applying that experience in other areas, including responsible AI, leadership and professional development, helping organizations manage change, and no, I haven't abandoned agility.
Different problems. Different approaches.
Same purpose.
Here's the Part That Hasn't Been Easy
I'd love to tell you that once I figured all this out, everything fell into place.
It didn't.
I've spent a lot of time figuring out how to apply my experience in new ways. I've had to learn new things, develop services, find new audiences, and rethink how I talk about my work.
Some things have worked. Some haven't.
I've made mistakes. I've spent time and energy on things that went nowhere. I've had to change direction more than once.
And I'm still figuring some of it out.
Here's what bothers me about that.
When I moved from the PMO into Agile coaching, I had years to get ready. I could learn, experiment, and build experience before I made the move.
This time, I saw the market changing, but I still saw myself as an Agile coach. By the time I figured out that I needed to think bigger, the market had already moved.
The first time, I prepared for the transition. This time, I've been preparing while making the transition.
Believe me, there's a difference.
I'm not suggesting that preparing earlier would have made everything easy. No career move is guaranteed to work out the way you expect.
But I would have had more time to explore, test ideas, build relationships, and figure out what worked before I needed those things to pay off.
I don't regret my years in Agile coaching. Not for a second.
I just wish I'd spent more of those years thinking about what else I might do with everything I was learning.
You Don't Have to Wait for Something to Go Wrong
Most people are busy doing their jobs. They meet deadlines, solve problems, deal with customers, manage teams, and try to have a life outside of work.
When things are going well, thinking about what's next isn't exactly at the top of the list.
But things change.
It could be a layoff, a reorganization, or a technology change that affects your work.
A great opportunity could come along, and you realize you're not quite ready.
Maybe you just wake up one morning and realize you want something different.
Preparing for what's next doesn't mean you have to be unhappy with where you are.
It doesn't mean you need to quit your job, change careers, or reinvent yourself every few years.
Maybe you want a promotion. Maybe you want more responsibility. Maybe there's something you've always wanted to learn.
Maybe you just want to know what your options are.
That's reason enough.
Start With Three Questions
If there's one thing I'd encourage you to do, spend a little time thinking beyond your job today.
Here are three questions worth asking yourself.
What do I really help people accomplish? Forget your job title for a minute. What problems do you solve? What do people count on you for?
Where else could I use what I know? Think about your skills and experience. Could they be valuable in a different role, industry, or type of work?
What could I do now that might give me more options later? Maybe it's learning something new. Maybe it's meeting people outside your usual circle. Maybe it's taking on a project that stretches you a little.
You don't need to figure out the next ten years of your life.
You don't even need to know your next move.
You can start making sure you have some choices when the time comes.
I've experienced career change both ways. I've had the luxury of preparing for something I wanted to do, and I've had to scramble to adapt when the market changed around me.
I know which one I'd rather do.
The best time to prepare for what's next is before you have to.
Thinking About What's Next?
That's why we created Career Catalyst at Mindset180. It's a practical way to step back, figure out what you want, and build a plan to get there.
If you're not sure where to start, we've put together a free worksheet called Working Hard, but Getting Where?. It'll help you think about where you are, where you want to go, and what you can start doing about it.
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