As Joan Rivers used to say: “Can we talk?”
A few weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal noted that there is an increasing number of people whose careers are in “transition.” That is a polite way of saying they are either unhappy with their job or have to look for a new one.
Over the years, I have met and given several talks to thousands of C-Level executives and other supply chain professionals. Many of these talks deal with logistics and supply chain issues. But I have also given several career oriented talks such as “Invest in You Inc.” or “You Need Some Career Insurance.”
Recently, I have been giving a presentation that is getting a bit of attention. In “Getting Fired For Dummies! Five Strategies to Torpedo Your Career” I've addressed the fact that most normal people don’t ever want to get fired, but sometimes they overlook what is happening and are surprised when they get the news about their career transition.
There is a story behind creating this presentation. In March, I received a call from a great customer, Karen. She called to invite me to give a keynote address at her industry association’s annual meeting in October. I accepted. The association wanted to promote the event, so Karen asked: “What will you be speaking about?”
At the time, I felt a bit discouraged since I had recently talked with a friend who surprised me with the news that his career was now in transition. He knew that his company was struggling, but he never believed he’d be among those included in his company’s RIF (Reduction in Force) program. In today’s market, I believe almost everybody’s job is potentially at risk more than usual, and wanted to share some advice.
In the presentation, I laid out traps to avoid if you want to protect your job and career.
One trap arose from the conversation with my friend that was eerily similar to conversations I have had with others who were experiencing a career transition. When people are either not happy with a job, or just want to “explore” their options or alternatives, they may unknowingly start to do things that can result in them being fired. While it may sound obvious, it's important to not "let your foot off the gas" in your current role, especially with heightened challenges in the logistics market.
Another trap that could place your job at risk is to ignore the need for continuing education and knowing about the issues and trends happening in the transportation market that could affect your company. When logistics professionals tell me they don’t have time for continuing education or studying the market, I often remind them: Time isn’t the issue - it's about priorities.
While I was concerned how this message would be received, I have now given it numerous times at various annual industry association meetings, and it is resonating with the audience.
Since staying abreast of what is happening in the transportation industry, and enabling your company to be proactive is very important for your career, TranzAct is committed to keeping you informed by providing resources and the latest developments in the industry. We encourage you to share our weekly Two Minute Warnings, our monthly Freight Market Updates, our timely webinars, and other resources with people in your company. These resources will help you plan ahead and not be surprised.
In next week’s Two Minute Warning, we will discuss some critical issues we learned about at this week’s CSCMP Edge 2025 conference and the National Industrial Transportation League’s Summit. There are really big things happening that could affect your company’s costs and profitability. Companies that ignore these types of events and issues may find themselves continually operating in firefighting mode. Having to continually fight fires is not good for your career.
And if you're looking for support rather than resources, we're here to help. We can provide a Rapid Assessment that evaluates your entire logistics operations or focuses on a certain area to move your team from being reactive to prepared.
To learn more, give me a call at 630-833-0890 Ext 190, send me an email or schedule a meeting.
BY MIKE REGAN, CO-FOUNDER OF TRANZACT
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