Let a “Crisis” Become Your Catalyst for Success

From No More Mondays author Dan Miller

If you feel your career is on shaky ground, remember you are always in control of your attitude. How you respond to a career crisis can either put you on the path to new and greater success or send you on the “journey of the broke.” We asked business expert and entrepreneur coach Dan Miller for some tips on turning a crisis into an opportunity to create a career you love.

If someone is faced with being laid off, what are a couple ways she can recover quickly and get money flowing in again?

• Be crystal clear on your “transferable areas of competence.” If you can’t describe what it is you do well, no one will be excited about having you on their team.
• Maintain optimism. Being laid off can seem like a personal slam, but it’s critical that you remain positive on your ability to contribute. Low self-esteem and discouragement are highly transparent. Don’t let them sabotage the path you are on.
• “Expect” more success, not less. An unwelcome change can propel you to a higher level of success.
• What seems like a disaster may actually “wake up” some long-forgotten childhood dreams that can guide you into the most fulfilling and profitable season of your life.

Share your thoughts on what the economic crisis means in terms of being a time of opportunity.

Our current economic crisis will force a cleansing of poorly run enterprises. There is an old saying: “In a tornado, even a turkey can fly!” This is a quotation from venture capitalist Eugene Kleiner, who understood that when the economy is strong, even bad companies can look good. His principle seems to have application as we look at the current economy and workplace.
We know the job and business market have taken a beating in the last two months. In the five years prior to that it seemed any investment was sure to go up, any house would appreciate in value, even questionable products could be pushed through with flashy marketing, and “just doing your job” could still get you a paycheck. Now it’s pretty clear we are in the downward turn of a cycle — or perhaps it should be called a cleansing, a purging or a healthy realignment. Wall Street is admitting that many of the “investments” they sold us were nothing but smoke and mirrors. Houses do not automatically just appreciate in value. Interest-only mortgages are a really bad proposition. Starbucks cannot just keep adding new locations without careful planning.
But we also know that great people prove themselves in tough times, not easy ones. Butterflies don’t fall out of trees; they first struggle relentlessly to push out of the cocoon. Great people survive adversity by returning to integrity, character and hard work.
In No More Mondays, I outline the five characteristics we see in highly successful people:

• Passion
• Determination
• Talent
• Self-Discipline
• Faith

Those characteristics will allow you to survive this cycle, and to thrive in the next five years. This is a time to clearly identify your strongest areas of competence. “Turkeys” will fall back to the ground, but YOU are not one of them — you can find those unique opportunities and soar even in tough times. And remember, this is a cycle. If you focus on the “downturn” you will be discouraged. Focus on the “cycle” and prepare now to take full advantage of the inevitable upswing.
A tornado is a temporary and artificial environment. Don’t depend on one to create artificial success either.

Additional Reading

• How are Your New Year’s Resolutions Holding Up?
• The Key to Happiness: Gratitude
• Hybrid Entrepreneurship: The Best of Both Worlds