Is your career at risk?

"Always stay calm" sounds like good advice. In theory. But if you're in Africa, and you see a tiger coming out of a bush and staring at you like as if you were his meal for the evening, panicking would be a good idea. PANIC can give wings to your feet as you try to run away like an Olympian sprinter.

Same with career management. Most people take it easy, too easy! And that's why they won't have a career soon.

Here's a number that should scare anyone: 3,000,000,000.

This is the number of new workers entering the global workforce. They come from China, India, the former USSR and other places. They are smart, they are hungry, they are educated and skilled -- and most importantly, they want YOUR job.

And we're not talking about call center jobs. That's old news. We're talking about engineering jobs, knowledge-intensive jobs like accounting, tutoring, coaching, medical analysis, etc.

Thomas Friedman has written extensively about this threat (it's an opportunity for Indian and Chinese workers, but a threat to us North Americans) in his best-seller The World is Flat. Anyone who cares about their career and wants to have a future in the new economy, should read the book.

Above is a diagram that can help you to evaluate your strategic positioning within your company.

I will write more about it, but if you want to read a great book on how to prepare for competing professionally in the new economy, the book A Whole New Mind by Dan Pink (www.danpink.com) is a great read. I highly recommend it.