#14 - Knight Moves
Knight Moves | Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite | Reframe Your Career Change Story
Today’s newsletter is about thinking differently, reframing our job/career change stories and making smart moves.
Knight Moves: A Few Smart Moves to Banish Mid-Career Doldrums
When we are unhappy with our career, we often go into extremes: either grumble a lot, but give up doing anything about it, or throw caution to the wind and make a leap of faith into the unknown. ”Neither of these approaches work well, and in our new world where jobs are being lost and savings are quickly being used up, both stagnation and recklessness are especially dangerous. There is an image from the world of chess that sets out a better path for us to think about before we make any changes in our lives or careers. On a chessboard, the knight moves in a curious but very precise L-shape: travelling two squares in one direction, and then shifting at a right angle to travel one more square. And if any pieces are in the way it gets to hop over them. What this suggests is that a random jump going to a distant, entirely fresh domain might be tempting but is likely to fail. You probably won’t have the connections to get started, and even if you did, you probably would not have the skills to succeed. It is a step too far. Instead, a moderate shift — building on what you already have, and travelling only a little bit away from a straight line — is more likely to do well.” - David Bodanis for the Financial Times
Book Recommendation: Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite
A little book full of big ideas and telling images. Provocative and challenging. I love to browse it regularly, and every time a new page speaks to me, in a new way. I found a lot of inspiration in it this week, both for my work and writing. Check out my favourite pages
New Article: How to Avoid Negativity in Our Job/Career Change Story
If neediness is #1 interview killer, then negativity is a sure #2. How can we avoid negativity when we tell our job/career change story? By reframing it. Learn how it works.
Knight Moves, in Music
We started the newsletter with Knight Moves, let’s finish it with Knight Moves. A very special performance by Chilly Gonzales at my favourite musical event ever - Montreux Jazz Festival. Watch it here