Time is one of those intangible things that holds a great deal of value in our hustle bustle over scheduled, over programmed world. The amazing thing is how incredibly efficient we become when we are pressed for time. I will even admit that I slice and dice my work days by the minute. But I’ve witnessed an interesting phenomenon with people in transition. After working over 20 years with professionals in job transition I see almost universally how they seem to lose track of time or maybe more accurately they lose the sense of urgency they had when they were working and had the structure of a day that demands being highly efficient. I regularly get told by clients that they are surprised how whole days become consumed by tasks that took only minutes when they were tacked onto the work day. They talk about how time flies when they are off and how quickly weeks turn into months while in transition. When I get asked to network with someone in transition or have an informal conversation over a cup of coffee, I’m amazed how often those meetings run longer than planned as people leisurely tell their story and by comparison my meetings whether formal or informal with people working hardly ever run long.
When good friend of mine Marcia Ballinger wrote a book “The 20 Minute Networking Meeting” she also addressed this suggesting that time is a gift and dominating someone else’s time is inappropriate in a professional setting. So my question and challenge to those in transition is “have you lost track of time?” The best impression you can leave with someone is that you are organized, on point and act with a the same sense of purpose and urgency that you have while working.
