Yesterday saw the dramatic rescue of the Chilean Miners after 69 days stuck underground.
Over a 21 hour period, the so called Pheonix capsule miraculously lifted 33 miners from the depths of a dark mine and into the light and fresh air.
Whilst none of us could ever comprehend what it must be like to be stuck underground for more than two months, in our professional lives, most of us have been stuck in a rut or our very own black hole for much longer than 69 days.
Examples include being:
- Stuck in a job, career or organisation which you no longer enjoy
- Stuck in a career and lifestyle which no longer fits your personal circumstances
- Stuck in a long and difficult job search campaign
- Stuck after a dip in confidence
- Stuck at a major cross road in your career
Whilst none of the above dilemmas come close to being stuck down a mine shaft for 70 days, they all represent our own sense of being stuck in a deep dark hole with little sign of light.
But looking at how the Chilean Miners handled their own dilemma, there some key career lessons for us all:
Here are 4 lessons to get started with if you find yourself stuck:
1. Find a peer group
When you’re stuck in any kind of rut or hole, you need coping strategies to get through each day and keep you going.
One of the key ways of coping is to surround yourself with people going through the very same experience. People to lean on, people to learn from and people to keep you going on your really difficult days.
The Chilean Miners didn’t really have much work to do here because they were already with 32 other people going through the same process – which played a key part in helping them stay mentally resilient and (if the early medical reports are correct) avoid any serious long term psychological damage.
In much the same way, if you find yourself in a career hole right now, it’s important to surround yourself with people going through similar challenges. So connect with other people going through a redundancy process, a long job search, a career reinvention process or people starting a new business like you. Having such a peer group is essential to the speed and overall level of success you enjoy.
2. Find someone to inspire you
By all accounts, the miner dubbed ‘Super Mario’ (Mario Antonio Sepulveda Espinace) was a leader, entertainer and an inspiration who kept the spirits of his fellow miners going over the 69 days.
Having someone give you a lift or a shot of inspiration when needed is absolutely key when trying to deal with a difficult situation.
So if you’re trying to get out of a rut, go and find your very own Super Mario; be it one of peers, a friend, manager, coach or mentor.
3. Get your (imperfect) message out there quickly
For the first 16 days of being stuck underground, many people thought the 33 Chilean miners were dead. There had been no contact whatsoever and people couldn’t imagine how they could have survived.
But on day 17 the miners sent a scribbled note up through the rocks. A message which was the catalyst for the rescue operation we’ve seen over the last 48 hours.
Most people who are stuck in a career rut often fail to let others know about their dilemma soon enough.
They initially hold back from talking about their redundancy, they tell everyone their job is “fine” when actually it’s killing their self esteem and life away from work, they mask the struggles their going through whilst searching for a new job.
Or they spend far too long trying to perfect their message, their resume or their story before telling people. When what they should be doing is just getting some kind of message out to the people who know, like and trust them (i.e. clients, ex-colleagues, friends and family) – the very same people who are most likely to help them quickly.
Just like the miners, the help you need may not arrive immediately, but opening up the dialogue before you’re ‘ready’ is often a catalyst which speeds up the ‘rescue’ operation that ultimately results in your very own Pheonix arriving to help you out.
4. Have Faith
The Chilean Miners and their families truly believe their survival and rescue was an act if god – that their prayers had been answered and the Phoenix capsule had been sent down from the skies above.
Regardless of your views on religion, there is something to be said for the role played by faith and belief in your career success.
Whether you come at this from a religious, spiritual or scientific angle, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that having faith and a strong self belief that things will work out, plays a big part in helping you get out of a difficult situation.
Faith and self belief help you see the opportunities which others miss, help you overcome set-backs which others take as failure and ultimately help you make the shift or change which helps you move forward.
The Chilean miners look set to turn their trauma into an opportunity as the world’s media queue up to offer TV interviews, book deals and movie deals. Whilst the rescue from your very own black hole may not turn out to be quite so lucrative, it does show you that no matter how dark the hole you’re stuck in may seem, there is always some light at the end of the tunnel.
So what have I missed? Any other lessons that this story throws up? Feel free to share your thoughts below!
By Sital Ruparelia
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