I'm in transition myself at the moment.

Like it or not, this experience is integral to our career development, especially in times of rapid economic change, like now. It is driven by a few simple imperatives, such as the need to find another way to pay the rent and the need to figure out what to do with the rest of your life (or at least the next few years). These imperatives have a way of inducing a process of change and growth that any sane person would otherwise try to avoid.

As I work through this process, I like to think out loud. I figure things out as I hear myself talk and listen to what others say in return. This method works well for me, but I know it can be a burden on others. They have to hear me processing the same stuff over and over again.

One test of any relationship is how well your spouse or partner can handle this noise and know when to respond and when to remain silent. My wife has been mostly silent. She has plenty of issues of her own to think about, but she has shared a few choice bits of advice with me. In a nutshell, she said, "Reinvent yourself and be agile."

I was stunned to hear this. The implications of it are twofold. The first is that she actually listened to me over the years as I rambled on about how business needs to reinvent itself and be more agile. For that I love her all the more. The second implication is that I'll have to take my own advice. I'm not sure I'm thrilled about that.