Is the right career move coming at the wrong time? Dan and Alison answer your questions with the help of Daniel Pink, the author of When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. In front of a live audience, they talk through what to do when you’re poised for a better role but have to wait six months, you want your company to seize an immediate market opportunity, or you’re trying to correct a mistimed job move.
From Alison and Dan’s reading list:
HBR: When to Stick with Something — and When to Quit by André Spicer — “Perseverance has received lots of support in recent years from a variety of schools of research. One is from psychologists studying grit. They have found the capacity to stick to a task — particular when faced with difficulties – is a crucial factor in explaining the success of everyone from kids in the national spelling bee to recruits at West Point to Ivy league undergraduates.”
Book: When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel Pink — “After standing watch hour after hour without a break, our mental guards grow tired. They sneak out back for a smoke or a pee break. And when they’re gone, interlopers—sloppy logic, dangerous stereotypes, irrelevant information—slip by. Alertness and energy levels, which climb in the morning and reach their apex around noon, tend to plummet during the afternoons.”
HBR: Should New Grads Take Any Job or Wait for the Right One? by Jodi Glickman — “Evaluate opportunities, not based on whether they are “right” or “perfect” for your long-term goals but based on whether you’ll gain something now that will be useful later. Specifically, think about three criteria: will the job you’re considering offer experience, credibility, or income?”
HBR: When to Take Initiative at Work, and When Not To by Sharon K. Parker and Ying (Lena) Wang — “Consider which initiatives are worth driving, and before taking one on, ask: Do I have enough personal interest and professional expertise to lead it? Do I have the time and resources to execute it? Allow some initiatives to be led by others.”