A friend of mine once told me that he needed to “stay in his lane” many years ago. In the meantime I have heard that saying quite a lot. And I think it’s terrible!
Staying in your own lane might keep your manager happy but are you really going to grow long-term if you keep doing the same thing for the next 40 years? And how are you going to found that company or join that startup if you don’t explore left and right? Read books, listen to podcasts, volunteer, do what ever it takes to become knowledgeable in a new field – changing lanes has to start somewhere.
If for example, you are in Enterprise Software and that is your thing – then keep at it. If the same job day after day makes you happy, then go for it. Doing something that brings you joy is super important. But the vast majority of us will have many career moves taking multiple sidesteps (which is a good thing) in our lives. See The 100 Year Life if you don’t believe me (a must read).
Transformation is tough and learning a new skill or entering a new industry always comes with difficulties, but don’t be afraid to bump the guy in the lane next to you.
Changing lanes in life is not only a must, but should be an extremely fulfilling activity which creates new opportunities down the road (pun intended 😉).
Like Albert said “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results”.
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