Podcast interview: Managing your career in unpredictable times

With all of the uncertainty and volatility we're facing at the moment, many people are wondering, "What should I do?" when it comes to navigating their careers.

• "Should I just be grateful that I have a job and stay where I am (even though I'm unhappy)?"

• "Is this a bad time to try to change careers or seek a promotion?"

• "My industry's been decimated and I, along with everyone I know, have been laid off.  Should I just take whatever I can get in terms of employment right now?"

In these questions and many more that I get on a regular basis, I hear people searching for answers, seeking the comfort of certainty in choosing which path will lead them to a brighter future.

But here's the (uncomfortable) truth: There is no single, "right" answer to any of these questions. 

And more likely than not, you simply won't be able to solve the puzzle through mental rumination alone.

You are, after all, a unique individual, facing a specific context, in unprecedented times.  There is no general blueprint you can follow that will guarantee you the results you seek.

Don't get me wrong - that's not to say that what you want is unattainable.  It's just an acknowledgment of the unpredictability of the situation.

So what can you do to figure out your way forward?

Starting by clarifying what you want is a great first step.

Then, there are frameworks from the realm of complexity science and systems theory we can turn to for support.

To identify a useful strategy to achieve your goal, complexity frameworks, such as Cynefin, advise us to make a distinction between those things that fall into the Predictable realm and those that fall into the Unpredictable realm.

• Predictable: the relationship between cause and effect can be known in advance (ie we can follow existing guidance to know what to do)

• Unpredictable: the relationship between cause and effect cannot be known in advance (ie we won't know what works until we've tried things)

In the predictable realm - for example, figuring out how to draft a CV or resume - we can follow recipes, blueprints, and the guidance of experts to know what to do.

In the unpredictable realm - for example, figuring out how to change careers during a pandemic and economic recession - it's simply not possible to know what will work until you take action.  You'll only be able to connect the dots in hindsight.  So here you're best served by identifying things you can try, experiments you can run and learn from, to see what gets you closer to your goal.

For more ideas on how to manage your career during these unpredictable times, I invite you to listen in to my recent interview on the Second Breaks podcast.