All Hands on Deck: Or Turning Headwinds into Opportunities

Last night, I was catching up with an old friend who gave me my first real job in “Promo.” Inevitably, our conversation turned to the industry, our careers, and the next 10 years. Where is everything headed? Where are WE headed? And most importantly, how do we deal with these massive headwinds hitting us in the face?

Then a metaphor came to mind. A few years ago, I took up sailing. I was awful at it. One weekend, while out on open water, the weather suddenly changed. The gentle breeze at my back turned into massive headwinds. The sail was billowing, the boat was stalled, and I felt completely out of control.

Then I tacked slightly, and everything changed. This simple adjustment turned those headwinds into accelerators, propelling me forward.

Here’s the metaphor: Everyone thinks tailwinds are ideal. I disagree. Sure, they are easier—you do less work and ride the wind. However, they can also be unstable. If the wind changes direction and you aren’t paying attention, you could end up overboard.

Have you fallen overboard? So have all of us at some point. Looking to tack? Here's how to "shift your wind."

1. Angle Your Approach
What makes you innately YOU? Find it. You are more than the product you create. Take stock of the work you've done, find the common themes, and understand how to repackage yourself. Identify the growing areas of our industry (yes, they do exist), explore the areas that excite you, and align your skills accordingly.

2. Diversify Yourself
Don’t have all the skills needed? No problem. Build them. Don’t look for the same role that is contracting. You’ll be in the exact same place in 5 years—and 5 years older. Identify your gap based on your curiosity (point 1) and fill it. Learn new technologies, take up side projects, or explore different aspects of your industry. You’ve done this countless times over the course of your career. It’s time to do it again.

3. Leverage Your Network
Find those people in your network who are the experts in what you want to do and reach out. Not for a job—for advice. This does NOT mean cold-calling. No one likes a cold-call, neither you nor the person you’re calling. However, reaching out to get opinions on where the industry is headed or what trends they’re seeing can be a great ice breaker. And if you’re on the receiving side? Please, take the call. No one is THAT busy.

So, what’s the point of all this? Headwinds will make you stronger. It’s not about reversing direction to get the wind at your back. It only takes a slight adjustment of your sails to catch the wind again and get you back on course.