A trip takes time and usually some planning. However, in our world of instant gratification today, we may find that this journey is taking too long and difficult, so we just get out of trouble. This happens very often when looking for work. The person is highly motivated at first to work to find a new position … but only for a time. What they don’t realize is that job hunting, like life, is a series of paths one takes and patience is important to finally reach your ultimate goal. They may also not take into account other factors that can change the trajectory of the path they thought was the best. So it can be seen more like an attempt to maneuver through a jungle rather than a more manageable ride.

Here is another way of looking at this. When taking a more difficult hike, one must look down hard and concentrate on the trail. Otherwise, they may trip over a branch or stub their toe. They may also find insects or animals that they may not be very happy to see. The same goes for one’s career. Spending time defining what you want in your next position and your career is essential. Unfortunately, many people focus on money and other benefits like health care, but don’t delve into the different duties and responsibilities that can make them successful / accomplished or not. Nor do they identify the problems they may encounter along the way. For example, you may excel at a certain task, but you don’t like to do it, so you put things off; This can affect the “general perception” of you by your superiors and co-workers.

A great tool to help with this is a mind map. It is a technique in which you write a thought in a circle and then draw lines with ideas related to it. Therefore, you may have written “leader” in the circle and the ramifications could be emotional intelligence, employee relations, negotiations, training, hiring, strategic planning, motivation, and so on. By using mind maps, you can generate ideas and concepts simply but also effectively.

Another problem is that you may not really know where this journey will take you. Does anyone really know? I once took a position that I thought would expand my skills, but in the end it didn’t because my boss was lazy. Another role I had was far more beneficial than I ever dreamed possible due to the company’s emphasis on training and development. The point is that you have to define a route, but you also have to determine some child routes in case things don’t work out the way you thought. In other words, anticipate the unexpected. The older leaders always have a second map in their pocket in case the first one takes them to the lake when they want to go up the mountain. Always consider a Plan B. This is not being negative but more proactive. You might be pleasantly surprised to see a rainbow when you were expecting rain, so you never know.