3 ways to survive the downturn

Work is slowing for many independent professionals. Companies and other organizations don't have the resources to hire Bizniks—or at least don't think they do. (We might argue that they can't afford not to...) I am often asked for advice on starting a practice by many people entering organization development. And, there is one piece of advice I think it especially important. It's critical when you're starting up and don't have enough clients, and it applies just as well in an economic downturn. That advice? Keep busy. Why? Because as you work less, you forget what you know. You lose your edge. It gets harder to pitch yourself, your confidence drops, and you may even begin to doubt you have what it takes to succeed. An external market condition can start to eat away at your sense of expertise and confidence, which causes you to lose potential gigs. You pull back more and further exacerbating the problem. It all becomes a vicious downward cycle. In a word, work begets work. By keeping ourselves active in our work, we are better prepared to jump on an opportunity and win it. We transmit confidence and readiness, which reduces client anxiety and increasing the chances we'll get the nod. Frankly, busy people are more attractive to clients than idle folks. Here are three ways to keep active and ready to work when it comes: Do pro bono work. The top piece of advice I give people who talk to me is find a non-profit client and do a project for them for free.  Now, I don't mean to volunteer for some kind of open-ended, ill-defined project. I mean that you still do good contracting: identify and agree on a scope of work, what the client will do and what you'll do, deliverables and timelines, a promise of a testimonial or referrals, and even intangibles, like use of an office space or the copy machine. The only difference between a paying and pro bono client is that no money changes hands. An added benefit of pro bono work is that your work gets broader exposure, which might lead to paying work (but don't count on that). Skill up. Hit the books, go to a workshop or conference (if you can afford it), take webinars, or research stuff. Keep sharpening that saw. Every time you encounter new material, you connect it with what you already know. Your brain develops new connections. You get both smarter and sharper. Keeping up that exposure to new ideas and approaches helps keep you crisp and ready to catch the next client or gig.   Tag along. Early in my career, I'd ask senior practitioners in my field if I could watch them. They almost always said yes. I learned a lot from watching them at work, and they often asked me for my ideas and feedback. Find colleagues that are willing to let you watch them work or will allow you to work alongside them. This isn't necessarily for pay. Your colleague will appreciate the perspective and effort, which will help him or her deliver a better product to the client. And, you get the pay off of being reminded that you can still add value, that you still "got the goods." Malcolm Gladwell's latest book, Outliers, suggests that we have to practice something for 10,000 hours to become an expert. Most of us aren't there yet. Even when paid work slows, we should seek out opportunities to continue to practice our work and add hours toward that 10,000. Why not come out of the slowdown better than we came in?   2008-11-26T18:51:21Z

2008-11-27T04:24:00Z

-14.8636

229 2346

true

20909

3-ways-to-survive-the-downturn

2008-11-27T04:23:54Z

As the economy sputters, it's critical for Bizniks to stay active and ready to respond to opportunities. If "work begets work," how do you keep busy when the paid work slows down?

3 ways to survive the downturn

2009-02-24T09:47:26Z