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"Connections and Why They Matter"
Most of what happens in our life will spark a connection. Life connects with what has been found in books. Books connect with what happens in life. Use the connections to help you see more clearly. A love of reading and writing is what motivated the creation of this blog. Thank you for coming to the blog.
Sharpen the saw and polish your skills as suggested by Stephen R. Covey and study your industry. Take an inventory of all your soft and hard skills to understand what you have. Be sure and identify all the skills required for your job. Determine which of those skills have been allowed to get out of date and are less valuable now. Some of those will be a problem as your industry changes. It is likely time to update and add new skills that complement what you have.
In addition to your current skills studying the industry will teach you what new skills are also needed in your career focus that you may need to learn. Some research will be required. You can use the informational interview approach to know what you need.
Identify others in the industry doing this, make an appointment to meet with them, and ask what skills they see emerging as necessary in your work. While doing this, learn about their company and point of view and add them to your network of contacts. If something happens that you can see would be of interest, then let your new network contact know and be a resource for them. Networking isn’t just about finding a job. It is also about staying current and connected in your profession. Spend some time fine-tuning your Soft Skills:
There is nothing new about the ideas behind Stephen Covey’s 7th habit that he wrote about in his 1989 book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. His message was that we should disconnect from the outer world to take time and recharge our batteries.
From Lincoln’s comment that If he had six hours to chop down a tree, he would spend the first four hours sharpening the ax, anyone who has ever chopped down a tree knows, of course, that time spent sharpening the ax is well worth it and will save more time than it costs. Dull axes mean you don't chop but instead just pound and pound. Time spent pounding suggests that recharging one’s batteries and rethinking would be wise.
Whether or not you are out of work, your skills have become dated. A close examination of your skills would be timely and before you draw any conclusions, remember: You don't know what you don't see, so you need to study your industry. Find out what is new. Find out what the competition is doing. Never stop learning.