It is true that your pre-reg year is when you really start learning and one of the most valuable lessons that I learned was on my very first day. It sounds simple and at the time I thought it was all about keeping me hydrated but I was told: ‘Never walk past a cup of tea with your name on because it won’t be there when you come back.’ Like all great ideas it is deceptively simple, after all it is only a cup of tea, but it becomes more profound the more you think about it. How often do we walk past an opportunity only to find that when we actually realise how good an opportunity it is that it has gone.
The real question is how do you recognise an opportunity and more importantly how can you prepare yourself to seize the moment and take that opportunity?
Recognise what an opportunity is
It might seem that many of the most successful people and ideas were a bolt from the blue or some form of divine inspiration but it takes hard work to create opportunities. There are some habits that you can get into which can help create those opportunities.
One of the most important habits that you can practice is curiosity. Curiosity is an eagerness to learn about something for no other reason than you do not already know about it. This learning can and should take two directions. You should encourage learning about something because it will help in your dream opportunity. For instance if you want to be a chef you might read cookery books and learn about how flavours combine or if your dream is to own a practice you might keep abreast of trends in advertising or how the business rates system is changing. Neither will have an immediate impact but when the opportunity does arise for you to follow your dream you will be prepared. The other direction is pure curiosity, learning for the sake of knowing. Let your imagination run free, learn about kite fighting in Pakistan (it was banned in 2007) or blind Mexican cave dwelling fish (they are resistant to the effects of insulin in their blood stream). You might find something that is useful and prevent you from reinventing the wheel but more importantly you will learn to think without boundaries and spot patterns and the opportunities, and the more you know the more you will want to know.
Network
The majority of opportunities that arise will be presented to you by someone you already know and by maintaining a network you open yourself up to these opportunities. It might be a case that a contact mentions in passing that they visiting the caravan and motorhome show this weekend, and that this is because they are planning to buy a motorhome when they retire. The opportunity there is that it allows you to open up the conversation about when they are planning to retire and that you can let them know that you would like to buy the practice. Fortunately in our profession it is easy to build a network. There are numerous CET and product information events and these are often targeted at particular groups, such as contact lenses practitioners or independent practice owners. The advantage of this is that you will meet people with similar interests and aspirations, no only will you learn but you will make those contacts.
However, the real secret of networking is not meeting people and collecting phone numbers but maintaining contact with those people once you have their details. This is easier than in the past with all the access that we have to social media which will allow you to maintain and nurture your network. An occasional email to ask if a colleague is going to a particular event and then arranging to meet for a coffee or leaving a positive comment on one of their a posts is all that it takes but it keeps you fresh in their mind.
The relationship needs to be positive in both directions and you have to offer something to receive. This might mean that you act as a mentor to a younger colleague. While initially this might not seem beneficial to your advancement being mentioned by a junior colleague as a respected advisor elevates your standing and is just the sort of casual conversation that can lead to that elusive opportunity being offered to you. It also illustrates the importance of valuing everyone equally regardless of his or her current situation.
Value missed opportunities
It is a inevitable that with hindsight we will realise that we have missed opportunities but this is something to embrace. Be reflective and analyse where the opportunity was, how it was presented, why it was a good opportunity and why you missed it. This persistence and analysis will help you to recognise the next opportunity when it is presented.
The heart of a lion
Comfort zones are good, we know what to expect and it provides safety and order but be courageous to step out from your comfort zone. It takes courage to do something new especially if what you are doing is already reasonably successful, it may be this very success is what is making you lazy and complacent. Take time to look at what you are doing now, your next great opportunity could simply be doing what you are already doing but doing it better or in a different way. More importantly the fact that you are looking for an opportunity shows that you recognise that you need to step out of your comfort zone. Do not be afraid of change, change and innovation are what have made your comfort zone comfortable and do not be afraid of failure, it is an opportunity.
Be quick, seize the moment, the thing about a cup of tea (or an opportunity) is that someone else is just as likely to take it as you are.
