As Monty Python recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, it is interesting to speculate about how these talented individuals might have spent their careers had they not had the good fortune to meet each and form the legendary Python comedy group.

The recent TV documentary chronicling the Python story provided an interesting perspective on career planning. Most of the pythons seem to have been shoe-horned into career tracks in high school through parental pressure. They were fortunate enough however, to realize that their passion lay elsewhere and had the talent, luck, and perseverance to carve their own path in life.

It is interesting to speculate how many doctors, lawyers and English teachers are out there every day putting in a hard day’s work when they would much rather be singing “I’m a lumberjack and I’m OK…”

• Don’t just lie down and die – If the environment changes then change with it. Be flexible enough so that you can grow with your job. Just think – as a Baby Boomer if you refused to accept the switch over to PCs you’d still be clicking away on a type writer!
• Don’t just ditch the job! This is not recommended in this economy. In addition to the poor timing, leaving your current organization because of your personal unwillingness to adapt will not bode well for securing that new job.
• Ask for help – If your job description changes don’t be afraid to ask for the tools and resources you need to adapt. If anything, your boss will see that you understand the need for the change and will hopefully appreciate your willingness to work on your skills.

The big tip here is to be flexible and open to change, and it’s not just about preserving your job. It’s about being open to improving yourself and, in turn, your organization. In most cases working in an organization is a reciprocal relationship – be savvy enough to let them see you are an asset worth taking care of.