When the show is over, say thank you, pack your gear and move on to the next venue.

“Take particular care in picking out your building materials. Eventually there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you’ll be found out. The inspection will be thorough and rigorous. You won’t get by with a thing. If your work passes inspection, fine; if it doesn’t, your part of the building will be torn out and started over. But you won’t be torn out; you’ll survive—but just barely.”  1 Corinthians 3:12-15 (The Message)

Who owns your career?  Have you ever thought about it?

As I completed my formal education and began my non-student working life, I thought the company where I worked had a plan for me.  That is, I thought they would observe my good work and bring me a series of interesting opportunities at increasing levels of responsibility and reward.  It wasn’t a bad thought.  After all, when I joined the company, I entered a training program and worked on a series of projects that provided me with exposure and insight into how the company really worked.

From there, I received my first assignment, and from there, I was recruited into a fascinating research and development project.  That led to a product development role, which led to a product management job with great responsibility and autonomy.  It seemed every few years the company came up with some new challenge and I grabbed it with both hands.

I should probably point out that although I was flexible, I had determined to work in the three principal disciplines of my industry — make stuff, sell stuff, and count the money.  Once I had learned these three, I could figure it out from there.

Along the way I learned what I enjoyed and where I added the greatest value.  I also learned that not every lesson  — and not every job — is fun or pleasant.  Above the specifics of the job, however, I made it a point to value people.  The most important lesson, though, was to take ownership of my career.

This required a change of mindset, as up to that point, I was content to see what opportunities the company would bring my way.  Now, older and more experienced, there were not as many opportunities that made economic sense or fit my strengths.  I had to weigh my options more carefully, but I had to be the one assessing my opportunities and pursuing the ones that made sense.

So now let me paint a word picture for you:  In addition to my career, I’m also a musician.  Professional musicians usually work by booking an engagement in advance, traveling to the gig, performing, getting paid, and moving on to the next performance.  No one doubts that a musician owns his career, but you should own yours, too.

Here’s how I view it: The company is the stage where I’m performing now.  I’ve had a good run so far, and the audience — my boss , my colleagues, my suppliers and my customers — have been appreciative.  Eventually, though, the show will end.  When it’s over, a pro will say thank you, pack his gear and move on to the next venue.

Ben Stein said one should always approach his work like a contract employee — if you’re not producing value, you’re not going to remain employed.  Musicians have the same challenge: we create value by drawing a crowd and keeping them entertained. If you want to be a rock star in your work life, own your career the way a musician does.

So how about you? How do you generate value and deliver results in your work?  Add your comments below.