Should these tomatoes stay to ripen fully on the vine, or should they be picked right now?
Our career dilemmas can be quite similar. High performers, by nature, wrestle with the fundamental dilemmas of: what-if and is-now-the-right-time?
Do these sound familiar:
- Everyone knows me as an expert in X, but I want to do Y. (Remember, a tomato is a vegetable to some and a fruit to others.)
- I’m pretty content where I am right now. Should I explore new job opportunities to test my market value?
- Should I stay in my current role hoping for promotion this year, or do I take the new interesting offer I just got?
- Should I take the offer I have right now, or wait for something more perfect to come along?
- Can I take a leave of absence without stunting my career?
- Do I need to stay in this function/industry where I’m an expert, or can I be relevant in other areas where I have an interest in growing?
- I don’t want to change companies, but that seems the fastest way to progress my responsibilities and pay.
Your career is like a tomato. You have to pick the right time.