As a career coach, I’ve long been a proponent of helping people determine who they serve and the value they produce in their work. In fact, I think there are several fundamental questions that you need to answer to establish a vision for your career and life. Usually the answers point to more of the right brain activities in your life and work.

If you’re asking and answering useful questions to guide your career, great! Yet, I think that far too many people not only don’t pay attention to their careers but focus on the wrong things when they do.

Having just started reading The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century by Thomas Friedman, it occurs to me that people will increasingly need to consider a global context when making career decisions. So, in managing your career it is no longer sufficient to think about your technical ability, but to also consider the competencies that separate you from the masses of people who can manage the technical elements of your job – and do so more cost effectively than you.

As an example, Friedman focuses on the world of tax preparation, which is increasingly off-shored. In this connection he quotes L. Gary Boomer, CEO of Boomer Consulting, who says, “Those who get caught in the past and resist change will be forced deeper into commoditization. Those who can create value through leadership, relationships and creativity will transform the industry, as well as strengthen relationships with their existing clients.”

So, here’s the real question:

In running and managing your career are you caught in the past or are you on the leading edge of your profession and building value for your employer and clients?