Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash
“Opportunity is a glimpse, a shimmer, a transient mirage, a stolen glance of some possible future. Some of us see opportunity everywhere, others see it just occasionally. Opportunity isn’t real until it is, and if it isn’t, we usually rename it and call it a mistake. Remember, Opportunity holds hands with Risk and they always travel together.” - Austin Meyermann
It is 2022, and opportunity is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. The difference between the two is you vs. me. What may be an opportunity for you, may not be an opportunity for me. The difference between 2022 and other years is that macro economic events are rearranging the filters in our brains that allow us to see opportunity.
Prosperity reduces the focus on risk.
When things are good, we don’t want to be bothered to think about the bad. Now, risk isn’t bad… it is risk, its own thing, and any opportunity always comes with some risk, but right now, it does feel like people are looking straight past risk to fawn over opportunity.
As a recruiter who talks to thousands of people each year about opportunity, I feel like I'm in a semi-unique position to observe trends with respect to how people are perceiving risk (at least in the context of career). The Great Resignation isn’t what it appears to be. People are leaving roles they know to explore what they think they might like to do. I am on the receiving end of the line as people share, “X would be interesting to try out” or “I’ve always been a people person, I think I would be good at Y.”
To give some context to these conversations, I would contrast them against discussions I had with people looking for opportunity during the last Great period… the Great Recession. During this time, I spoke with candidates who had impeccable resumes and who were laser focused on communicating their core value proposition with the hope of securing a decent job in an industry/role that they knew well. That was the opportunity then and it was driven by risk.
As you consider your next great opportunity, I encourage you to feel free to take a shot at something you have always wanted to try.
Life is short. But as hindsight is 20/20, consider how your personal narrative will be shaped in the event that it does not work out. Implicit to this point is taking the action of thinking through possible outcomes and knowing how each one will affect you and your career. As long as you have clarity on this, there is very little risk.
Everyone gets a free pass if you have a strong and logical employment history but then step out to do something new. Where you don’t get a free pass is if you have two or more roles that do not return the success you had hoped for… in which case, “you” are the common denominator and there will be questions about your decision making skills.
FOMO and YOLO are powerful, driving forces that corrupt our sensibility but also lead to some great stories! Keeping your eyes and ears for opportunity is just smart but be sure to schedule a lunch meeting with Risk before you pull the trigger on your next career. He may not be the most fun guy at the party but he has your back if you are willing to listen and heed his advice!
Written by: Austin Meyermann, Founder and President of Hunter Crown, LLC
Looking for your next great opportunity?
Have hiring and/or recruiting needs?