Plant the tree before you need the shade

There’s an old saying:

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is today.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately.

Not because I’m particularly interested in gardening.

Because

Most people start thinking seriously about their career when they need something from it.

A new job.

A promotion.

More money.

A change.

A way out.

That’s understandable.

But it also creates a problem.

Because by the time you need an opportunity, you’re often trying to create one from scratch.

You update your resume.

You rewrite your LinkedIn profile.

You start applying.

You message recruiters.

You reach out to people you haven’t spoken to in three years.

You try to explain, very quickly, what you’re good at and what you want next.

And then you wait.

That is the career equivalent of planting the tree the day you need the shade.

The strongest career opportunities rarely appear out of nowhere.

They are usually the result of things that happened earlier:

Someone already knew what you were good at.

Someone had seen your thinking.

Someone had heard your name.

Someone had read something you wrote.

Someone had worked with you before.

Someone had been watching what you were doing.

So when an opportunity appeared, you were already on their mental shortlist.

That is Career Practice.

Not job hunting.

Not endlessly “building your personal brand.”

Not networking for the sake of networking.

It is the ongoing practice of making sure your career is creating opportunities before you need them.

1. POSITION

What do people know you for?

Could someone describe your particular value in one sentence?

Not your job title.

Not your entire career history.

The thing you want to be remembered for.

2. SIGNAL

Where can people see evidence of it?

Your experience matters.

But experience that nobody sees is difficult to act on.

Your LinkedIn profile, posts, articles, projects, talks, case studies and other published work can make your capability visible before someone has a reason to ask.

3. TARGET

Who would actually value what you do?

Not “What jobs are advertised?”

Who are the decision-makers, organisations and people who are likely to have the problems you are particularly good at solving?

4. RELATIONSHIPS

Who knows you already?

And who would benefit from knowing you?

The goal isn't to collect connections.

It is to build genuine, useful relationships over time.

Give first.

Stay interested.

Be useful.

Keep showing up.

Then, when something changes, you aren't starting from zero.

Instead of asking:

“What should I do to get my next job?”

Try asking:

“What am I doing today that could create an opportunity six months from now?”

That changes the game.

Because you stop treating your career as a series of applications.

And you start treating it as something you actively compound.

The tree takes time.

So does reputation.

So does trust.

So does being known for something.

So does becoming the person someone thinks of when the right opportunity appears.

You don't need to know exactly what your next opportunity will be.

You just need to make sure you're planting things now that can create options later.

Don't reset your career. Compound it.

See you next week,

Cheraine

Founder, Approached

P.S. If you’re currently looking for your next opportunity, don't worry that you haven't planted the tree yet. Start today. One clear position. One useful signal. One person to help. One relationship to nurture. That's Career Practice.