Getting the job we love can happen if we’re flexible and learn how to adapt. So what are the first steps in pivoting towards our ideal career? Robert Dickie III reviews four career zones that we may find ourselves in life where we need to pivot: renewal, reinvention, revectoring, and repurposing.
The zone of renewal.
Robert says that when it comes to our careers, we should always be in a constant state of renewal.
“There are many people who say, ‘I’m in that zone of renewal, I love it! I love what I do every single day; I’m making some progress.’”
He offers a word of caution for those who are living in the zone of renewal.
“If you are complacent, if you take your eye off the ball, if you start to rest on your laurels and you don’t stay connected and understand what’s going on in the world around you, for example, how your industry is going to be impacted by technology and change…if you’re not adding new skills and if you’re not adding new abilities, it’s going to be very easy for the world to pass you by and for you to fall out of that zone of renewal and into one of the other zones.”
The zone of reinvention.
Robert points out that this is one of the toughest zones to get out of. He describes in essence what the zone of reinvention is.
“This is a place where someone, either they’ve been fired or they’ve been let go, and they have to completely reinvent themselves. It might be a person who’s in a job where they have low opportunity for advancement, it might be a dead end career and they’re not very passionate. They’re basically just going in, checking the clock, saying ‘I’m doing it for the paycheck but I can’t stand when I do.’”
“A Wall Street Journal article said 80% of people are going to work today and they hate either their job or their boss. Now that is a horrible way to live a life. Those people are in the zone of reinvention they need to reinvent themselves.”
The zone of revectoring.
If you’re having a hard time identifying with the zones of renewal or reinvention, Robert says you may be able to relate to the zone of revectoring.
“A person who needs to revector is someone who might be very passionate about their job, about what they’re doing or about the industry that they’re in, but for whatever reason they have very low opportunity. They just need to make a slight adjustment, like flying an airplane, just ever so slightly make an adjustment so that they can get into a zone where there’s more opportunity, but still do what they love.”
If making a small adjustment didn’t do the trick, you may need to repurpose your career altogether.
The zone of repurposing.
Robert says that repurposing is the exact opposite of revectoring. He describes how people have fallen into this zone, and offers a word of encouragement on how to repurpose their careers.
“This is an individual who has tons of opportunity, they’re in a great job, but they absolutely hate it and they’re not passionate about it.
“A lot of times, these are people who took jobs because their mom or their dad told them it would be a great opportunity; they’ve become doctors, they’ve become lawyers, they’re in a great profession they’re making a big salary, but they go to work every single day and say, ‘This is not how God made me, I’m not wired this way; I wanted to be an artist, I wanted to be a musician, I wanted to do something else.’ There’s a completely different track for people who find themselves in that spot in life where they need to repurpose.”
After identifying your current career zone, you can be on your way to finding a career you love, and be inspired to work well for the glory of God.
Robert Dickie III has served as a decorated Air Force Officer, the CEO of an international company, and as the leader of several non-profits. In July 2011 he became the President of Crown. This unique and bold career path has given Bob a first-hand look at the changing economy/job market we now find ourselves in. He is the author of several books including, .
Are you in the zone?
