I just finished reading Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers, The Story of Success. In this fascinating book, Gladwell links how people spend their time to the success they experience and examines how some of the most famous business icons got to where they are today. He shows how hard work, culture, environment, timing, and luck all contribute to success and gives people food for thought on how to leverage these forces to potentially create a more meaningful destiny for themselves. 

And what a great book to read as we close out 2008 and head into 2009! Instead of making the same empty New Year’s resolutions everyone is guilty of making every year on December 31, why not work towards a plan for 2009 that aligns hard work, improved timing, and even some “premeditated” luck to help facilitate your 2009 goals?

A sound career management strategy rests on the same principles of success discussed in Gladwell’s book. Hard work, timing, environment, and luck all factor into career choices, industry choices, company choices, professional development, transfers, lateral moves, and promotions. So what are you going to do in 2009 to better manage your career destiny? Here are a few things to think about as you navigate your 2009 career course. 

Examine Your Industry

In Outliers, Gladwell discusses the opportunities Bill Gates and Steve Jobs had to learn computer science during the industry’s infancy. This advantage helped propel the success they experienced later on.  What is the current state of your industry? Is it in turmoil, shrinking, or growing? Has the trend been towards, outsourcing, offshoring, or consolidating? If your industry is experiencing extreme volatility, what are the problems of that industry and how can you position yourself as a problem solver to react to these industry issues rather than be the victim of them? 

Examine Your Job Function

Gladwell describes how Joe Flom, partner of the mega law firm Skadden, Arps Slate, Meagher, and Flom made a name for himself by taking on litigation and “proxy fights” that none of the “white shoe” law firms would touch. He became an expert in these areas years before the Federal regulations were relaxed and these skills were in high demand. Do you have the skills to compete in today’s market or do you need to update or expand those skills? Could your technology skills use a tune-up or do you need a refresher course in a particular area to still be considered a subject matter expert? Is your job function losing value in today’s economy? Can your skills be transferred to another industry or profession or should you be considering a career change?

Dust off Your Resume

Gladwell writes about The Beatles and their 1964 British Invasion of the American Music scene. Prior to coming to the U.S., The Beatles had spent several years together, perfecting their band and had already performed 1,200 times which is more than many bands perform during their entire career! They already had an impressive resume. What if an amazing opportunity presented itself to you tomorrow? Would you be ready to compete for the position? Would your resume be in “marathon shape” complete with compelling stories of your successes and value-add? Perhaps you are as practiced as The Beatles were in 1964…do you have a resume to prove it?

Build Your Network

Throughout Gladwell’s book, he discusses the importance of community and reminds us that no one makes it alone. He gives several examples of people with equal intelligence whose lives turn out very differently and he attributes these differences to the support the person received from their community. Most people find their next job through people they know. But in many cases, they got to know those people well enough to become top of mind for potential opportunities by cultivating meaningful and authentic relationships over several years. People often complain that networking is a lot of work for a payoff that they can’t immediately cash in on. Effective networking does require planning, consistency, dedication, and persistence but it can have tremendous long-term benefits. Don’t undervalue the power of a strong network.

All economic indicators suggest that 2009 will be a particularly challenging year. But with challenge comes opportunity. Take charge of your career in 2009 and make a plan to influence your destiny rather than surrender to these challenging times. And best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2009!