Each issue features a quick tool for improving your productivity and effectiveness. This time it's Plan B: be ready to make a change.

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Plan B

These are challenging times for many people. Even if your career is in a great place, you most likely know someone whose job has been impacted by the economic downturn.

There may be signs of recovery, but who knows how long it will take or what the future holds. And, even in good times, things at work can change quickly. A merger, reorganization, or even a new boss can make a great job not as great.

Change is constant and often without much warning. That's why we all need Plan B.

Plan B includes the steps you will take right away if Plan A starts to fall apart. It's your contingency plan for maintaining your career momentum. Being forced to find work quickly can be frightening and stressful, but if you've done some planning ahead of time you will feel more confident and in control of the situation.

Plan B may even be your dream job. Haven't you heard people say that a job loss or business setback was the best thing that could have happened? Have you ever thought about what you would do if you weren't doing this job? Or, do you sometimes wonder if you're in the right place? Or do you think about what you will do for your second (or third) career?

Most people question their career choice at some time. Plan B is about paying more attention to these thoughts now so that you will be prepared for a future career change. The best time to make Plan B is when you don't need it.

And Plan B isn't only something you'll implement in the future; you can be working it right now. Networking (building mutually beneficial relationships) is a good example. It seems like everyone is connecting on line right now, but that's not enough. Relationships are built through conversation, sharing ideas, and helping one another. Making successful connections for others is very rewarding and creates advocates for you. Return calls from headhunters even if you're not interested so that you stay on their lists and so that you can introduce others to job opportunities you hear of. Participate in professional groups and be involved in your community. Also stay on top of your field and devote time to developing your skills. And keep your resume up to date; it's so much easier to update on a regular basis than to try to remember accomplishments from more than a year ago. Click on this link to receive our free guide: Accelerate Your Career with a Great Resume.

Prepare a written Plan B. You can create a very good draft just by completing these statements:

If I didn't have to be concerned about money, I would probably do this…
These things are most important to me in my life..
These things are most important to me in work….
The work I really enjoy most is...
The work I enjoy least is…
If my current work ended tomorrow, I would be most concerned about...
And, I would feel...
My goals would be…
The first steps I would take toward my goals would be these...
I know I could turn to these 20 people who are strong advocates and who would provide advice, support, and referrals...
I would most likely find rewarding work within (timeframe)...
The next things I will do to manage my Plan B are…

Once you have your draft, organize it into Goals and Actions and review it every 4 to 6 weeks to keep it current. It really won't take a lot of time and it's a good investment in your future. Will you commit to doing this? If you don't take even one small action right now, you're likely to forget about it. It won't take long to start this exercise so stop right now and spend just a few minutes on it or to at least schedule time on your calendar to work on it within the next week. Plan B will increase your readiness to land on your feet when you need to and, who knows, it may just open up some brand new possibilities for your future.

For more information about Catherine O'Donnell and Associates, please see www.catherineodonnellandassociates.com.