Quick Tip – PMCS Works for Careers Too
🚀 Don’t wait for failure to occur – Issue #122
If you’ve spent time in the military, you know what PMCS is. If not, it’s an acronym for Preventative Maintenance Checks and Services.
These are the checks, services, and maintenance performed before, during, and after any use of all types of equipment. Essentially, you inspect to catch small issues before they become big problems later, and you perform regular maintenance to ensure everything stays healthy and functional.
You do not wait for a failure to occur.
For example, you don’t want your vehicle to break down at an unexpected moment. If a failure occurs on the battlefield, you might die.
So, you do everything you can to get ahead of the inevitable failures that will occur at some point. It’s never an “if.” It’s always “when.”
People should do the same for their careers, but most don’t.
They wait until they get passed over for a critical promotion. They wonder why their career growth seems to be slowing down and stalling. They panic when they lose their job and suddenly need to start interviewing.
None of this should come as a surprise. Some early signs and symptoms indicate that your career is on a path to failure. These indicators show up weeks, months, and sometimes even years in advance.
When a failure finally does occur, people naively believe that they can flip the switch from failure to success overnight. But, rapid recovery only happens in rare instances.
Most people discover that it takes several months to recover from a failure, get back on their feet, and achieve success.
Why risk it?
Why would you sit back and hope that your career is doing “ok”? Also, why would you wait and dream that something better will come along?
If you apply the philosophy of PMCS, you always stay ahead of potential issues. You will also be ready and receptive when a desirable opportunity presents itself.
Maintaining the health of your career is an ongoing commitment. Accelerating your career trajectory requires planning, execution, and time.
Healthy networking done the right way takes time.
Building a body of evidence that demonstrates your expertise and excellence takes time.
Updating your resume, portfolio, website, and LinkedIn takes time.
Planning and finding your next career move takes a lot of time.
Preparing for your job interviews requires considerable practice.
Dedicate a little time every week to “inspecting” the health of your career and performing routine maintenance to avoid failure. Continually invest in your ongoing personal development and career advancement.
“True long-term thinking is goal-less thinking. It’s not about any single accomplishment. It is about the cycle of endless refinement and continuous improvement. Ultimately, it is your commitment to the process that will determine your progress.” — James Clear
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