To worry is natural. In fact, it is allegedly an evolutionary advantage that helped our earlier selves anticipate possible threats by imagining them and preparing for them. For example, “could a cave bear wander into the cave tonight, and if so, what would I do?” [See Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence for more information on the evolution of worry.] Taken in appropriate doses, worry continues to be a potentially constructive force for navigating potential risks and intelligently preventing them.
Worry has a near-cousin, though, called anxiety.
It hangs over people at times and causes them to become depressed and fearful and therefore to miss opportunities that the less anxious can easily grasp. So, it is important to weigh the factors that cause worry and make sure they are not being blown out of proportion.
For example, many years ago when I was in the amusement park industry, I would occasionally be challenged on the safety record of that industry. One of the many arguments we had to offer at the time was comparing the risk of death on an amusement ride to the risk of being hit by a car or being in an airplane accident. Yes, the risk from amusement rides was and presumably still is orders of magnitude lower.
So, it is with the coronavirus. Of course, the current pandemic is serious. People will be ill. People will die. All we can do is adopt intelligent preventative measures such as those promoted by the CDC. However, the risk appears to be orders of magnitude less than the risk from smoking, heart disease, alcohol, car accident, etc. Let us keep things in proportion.
Should you put off making major changes in your life due to the current turbulence? Well, why not evaluate that risk with an independent group of experts who will help you decide?
First, we have developed a wonderful tool, the Marketability Assessment. The assessment helps you evaluate your relative marketability before you invest time in your career search. The program looks at your overall marketing plan and your public image. We also review your resume, phone manner and performance in a video interview—something becoming ever more common also because of the Covid-19 virus. The output will give you third-party confirmation of which aspects of your campaign may already be solid. You also learn those that really need work. Our team of experts has worked with literally thousands of executives over the years. And can provide this feedback quickly and painlessly.
Second, the Clarity Program© helps our clients envision a better and more balanced life that suits their personalities, desires, and future vision. Then we help the client identify in detail the steps he or she will need to go through to achieve this better life. The program serves as our Targeting component and can be executed as a stand-alone or dovetail seamlessly into a full service career change program.
Or, consider if you will, what it would be like to have a team of six professionals working on your career change program with you (a clarity coach, career consultant, researcher, writer, negotiation coach, and client concierge) guiding you, pulling you, pushing you… to achieve that dream job and an attractive compensation package. That is our Full Service Program.
Our clients probably say it better than we do, though.
Here is an excerpt from an interview with a past client:
In hiring The Barrett Group, Carol knew that, throughout the process, regardless of outcome, she was giving it her best shot, something that can bring with it a sort peace of mind. And, as one can reasonably expect, Carol had what she believed would be a better job for her.
“I had been a chief information officer. The operations officer role was something I had never really been in before. It was new and exciting, and I looked forward to it.” And, finally, like many Barrett clients, she of course had a better salary, better perks, and a better title, as well as one other outcome. “You know, I received a sign-on bonus that more than covered The Barrett Group’s fees.”
Carol K., past client
So, by all means, feel free to worry. But why not put your worry to work and invest that worrisome energy in improving your lot in life? Hedge your bets by investing with the expert in the career management field with 30 years of success to prove it: The Barrett Group. Then you will have much less to worry about.
Peter Irish
CEO
The Barrett Group
