Making that career transition is like finding a rabbit hutch.
I was recently talking with my lovely neighbor. She had a friend over, a nice person I’ve met once or twice over the years.
As the three of us were talking, I happened to mention the bunny drama unfolding in my backyard: I had just rescued a very small baby bunny and was trying to introduce the wee thing to my backyard farmyard. My four giant rabbits were trying to kill it – it was like Watership Down back there.
My neighbor, her friend, and I finished our chat and went back to our weekends.
The very next day, my neighbor texts me. Her friend had just texted her about a beautiful rabbit hutch on the side of the road nearby. Within the hour, Baby Bunny is exploring her new deluxe, two-story mansion in our backyard. Close to the action, but safe from vicious rabbit politics.
If I hadn’t ambled across the street to talk to my nice neighbor; if her good friend hadn’t been visiting; if we hadn’t chatted; if I hadn’t told the baby bunny story; if the friend hadn’t run that Sunday morning errand; if the friend – who barely knows me, mind you – hadn’t taken the time to text my neighbor; if my neighbor hadn’t taken the time to text me – if all of those things hadn’t happened, Baby Bunny would still be running for her life in my backyard.
I tell the rabbit hutch story to my coaching clients making career decisions. You get yourself to the right place at the right time — you talk to lots of nice people, you put yourself out there, and you get yourself a new rabbit hutch.
Maximize Your Career in Your Current Organization
From a University of Washington Professional and Continuing Education webinar: Prospective clients sometimes ask me how I have the credibility to coach senior executives in industries I know nothing about. Challenging question, right? So I have a choice here: I can answer in a way that risks sounding defensive, talking about my experience and my degrees. I like to do something really unexpected instead.
I like to talk about knots.
