January, again …

Another January is here. You can tell without even knowing the date. Just take look around your local gym and the people there … you don’t recognize any of them and they all look nervous!

Or, take a look at the grocery store and the lack of healthy food or plethora of alcohol available. Shouldn’t January be our “life roadmap” for every month? It’s good to want to lose weight, eat healthy and set goals.

Most people use January to reflect on their careers, too. They should be asking themselves these questions:

• Am I getting the most out of my career?
• Does my organization value me?
• Am I compensated appropriately?
• What is my 5-year or 10-year plan for my career?
• Is my current organization supporting that plan?
• Does the organization have the resources to help me bring value to my clients?

It is my belief that you cannot answer these questions without knowing what other organizations think about you, how they value you, or if your clients would be better served in another platform.

This is You, Inc. You are your own company.

Why does an organization do market research prior to launching a product (really, a company never stops market research)? They want to know where to sell it, how to sell it and how much to sell it for. I don’t know any organizations that launch and say we want to make as little money as possible in the smallest markets available.

You should be no different.

Money is a byproduct of everything else lining up. If you are in a platform that makes you happy, that values you, that supports your ideas and helps you better care for your clients, you will be taken care of financially.

Given my professional life as a legal recruiter, I spend a lot of time speaking with attorneys. Too often I hear “I’m not interested” or “I’m too busy” to invest 5 minutes to hear what’s happening in the market. This is your market research. That call could truly change your life — this is why I do what I do.

Invest as much time in your career as you do getting healthy. The cost of not doing your research is too great — both emotionally and financially.

Nate Bogdanovich is the executive vice president at PS Companies. He can be reached at [email protected].