We are entering the peak of hurricane season.  This is the time of year when my former colleagues at The Weather Channel, the most trusted news organization in the business, do their best work.

Live on the ground coverage of tropical hurricanes is what the network is most known for. Footage of Jim Cantore, Steph Abrams, and The Weather Channel’s other talented meteorologists standing amidst gale force winds to give us a sense of what it’s like to be in the middle of a hurricane permeate our culture.

The reason why they do it is not to sensationalize or exploit, but rather provide invaluable scientific insight into the awesome, frightening power of Mother Nature at her worst.  By going live to the scene, the network provides invaluable life-saving information to help communities at risk better prepare and convince the obstinate who ignore evacuation warnings to reconsider.

It’s easy to look at people who refuse to leave and question their sanity when watching coverage of these terrible hurricanes.  After all, what person in their right mind would refuse to leave a house in a flood zone when a Category 4 hurricane looms on the horizon?

While most of us would make the better, safer choice when facing a huge hurricane, there are times when we ignore the warning signs for other types of storms in life and suddenly find ourselves outmatched and potentially in over our heads.

It can be said that “the big one” hit the media business in 2023.  Mass layoffs at practically every major media company.  Tens of thousands of people have been impacted.  It’s clear from talking to friends and former colleagues who got tossed aside in the storm’s wake that many people weren’t sufficiently prepared.  In many cases their mindset was the same as those hold outs who refuse to evacuate a home that lies directly in a hurricanes path – it can’t happen to me.

But then it does happen, and you get blasted with super-sized helpings of shock, disbelief, fear, anger, and sadness.  Believe me, I know what it’s like to get caught flat footed in these situations.  Often the first thought is how can they do this to me after all I’ve done.  Rationally we may tell people that we understand the decision, but emotionally and psychologically it can be very difficult to accept. 

Usually in hindsight we reflect on the warning signs we missed.  They may not have been presented as clearly as a Jim Cantore hurricane prep package, but they were there.  We just chose not to see them.

Look, going through this kind of thing sucks, there’s no two ways about it.  But just like your home could be made stronger and sturdier, so can your career, especially if you embrace a few key lessons.

First, your network is just as important as your job. One can argue it’s more important in the long run.  Never stop nurturing it.  It’s easy to put aside basic networking activities when we are working.  But failing to take care of your network not only hurts you in your current job but slows down the entire search process.  It makes you dumber and less informed because you don’t have access to people who can expose you to new developments, opportunities, and people.  Networking needs to be something you think about every week.

Second, stop tying your career identity to your job.  The first thing you tell people about yourself, either on LinkedIn or your resume, should not be where you work or your current job title.  Unfortunately, this is exactly what most people do.  There’s no greater sign of someone who thinks about their career identity in terms of where they work. You are not the company you work for.  Rather, you want to tell people what combination of skills and traits sets you apart.  Tell people who you are, what makes you, you.  Jobs come and go, as we’ve seen.  The goal is for people to see value in you as a potential colleague and leader independent of where you currently work. 

The other way to build an identify outside of your employer is to find a side hustle or hobby that ties to your career aspirations or values in some way.  Write a blog, share insights you read in a report or learned at a conference on social media, post interesting videos – there are lots of options.  Make it something that can be discovered easily on your LinkedIn profile or through a Google search.  The key is for future employers to get a fuller picture of you and your interests.  Don’t let your current role or employer be the only way you are defined.

I learned another great way to prepare from the talented and wise executive coach, John McKee.  He said that once a year everyone should update their resume and go on a job interview.  Even if you couldn’t be happier in your current role, it’s a good exercise to keep your skills sharp.  Trust me, if you haven’t tried to sell yourself to an employer in years, it will take a while to shake off the cobwebs.  It would be a shame to miss a great opportunity because you failed to keep your skills sharp.

This is just a partial list, there are other things you can do.  None of what I suggest is groundbreaking or revolutionary.  You probably know the saying: just because something is simple doesn’t make it easy.  Yet so many of us still don’t do it.

My sense is the people who really need to think about this are the ones who survived the storm and are still employed.  In that situation it’s very easy to tell yourself that it can’t happen to me. But just like hurricanes come every year, there will be another wave.  It’s inevitable.  Unfortunately, there’s no Jim Cantore to give you advance warning when it comes, so it’s up to you.  The time to prepare is now.