IT Leadership Manual: Roadmap to Becoming a Trusted Business Partner

CHAPTER 3

Are You Ready to Make a Move?

Changing jobs is like changing racecars. It is all about comfort, confidence, and security. When you are driving a racecar, you want to focus on the track and what is happening around you. What you don't what to focus on is your car. Your old car was molded to your body: The seat fitted perfectly, the gearshift was in exactly the right place, the steering wheel was the right length for your arms, so you never had to think about the car. You knew every nuance, every sound, and how to feel the car on the track. Driving a racecar is very different from driving a car on the open road. In racing, it is all about the feel of the car as it connects with the track and the feel of your body inside the car. Changing cars has always been a rather traumatic experience for me. You have to start all over again. We spend endless hours making a new seat and molding it to my body, adjusting the pedals, adjusting the steering wheel, positioning the gearshift, and understanding the right height for my body inside the car. You don't just jump in the new car and go fast. It takes a lot of time building up to that level. You first have to overcome the insecurity of leaving your old car behind. It is like leaving an old friend; you abandon your comfort zone and the sense of security that arose from familiarity every time you buckled yourself into your car. In a new car, everything is different and I'm starting all over to build a brand-new relationship. Like racing, ...