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BY Brock Dudley
“The Dip” is a must-read for Transitioning JMOs
Great to be back! I’m here with another Book review. “The Dip” is an absolute must-read for transitioning JMOs: Seth Godin’s The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick). One day when I have kids, I also plan to give them a copy when they return to school for their second semester freshman year in college.
Recently, my colleagues sat down to discuss three ways to accelerate your career in your first year. You may remember Lauren from Episode 147. Lauren spends much of her time at Cameron-Brooks working with our client companies, so in that episode, she shared her experience with why companies hire military officers for high-potential leadership roles. However, another important area that she serves in at Cameron-Brooks is conducting “first-year check-ins” with officers who have launched their new business careers. In that conversation, Lauren explains the “upsides” and “watchouts” of some of the most common themes that tend to surface during these conversations. Her work and some of the conversations she has had with our alumni inspired me to read The Dip.
The Dip vs. The Cul-De-Sac
The book is a powerful guide to strategic quitting and perseverance. Godin challenges the conventional wisdom that quitting is inherently negative, arguing instead that successful people and organizations excel by recognizing when to push through the challenges of “the Dip” and when to quit unproductive endeavors. This book is as much about focus as it is about grit, offering actionable insights for leaders, and anyone striving for excellence in a competitive landscape.
I couldn’t think of a more applicable book for the Transitioning JMO. Why? Well, the transition can be hard. I’d argue that no matter how great “The Honeymoon” is, the newness of life outside of the military will wear off in time. One day, in your first year, you stop becoming the new guy and you’ll likely stop feeling “recruited”. You will now know how to do your job, and they will hand you the keys to the car. It’s your turn to go run with projects and add value. Now, it feels like I am making work sounds like an everyday menial task. It’s not. Work is important, and I believe we are called to work.
I am talking about facts. Almost every single JMO goes through this phase where they stop and ask themselves: “Did I make the right choice?”, “How am I supposed to know if I made the right choice?”, “How long will it take for me to get promoted?”, etc. I went through it already.
So, what is The Dip? It’s a temporary period of struggle and difficulty that represents the gap between starting something and mastering it. According to Godin, the Dip is where most people quit, but it’s also where the greatest rewards lie for those who persevere.
In contrast to the Dip, the Cul-de-Sac (French for “dead end”) represents a situation where no matter how much effort you put in, you will not see significant improvement or progress. Godin argues that one of the keys to success is recognizing the difference between a Dip, which is worth enduring, and a Cul-de-Sac, which requires strategic quitting.
Godin reframes quitting as a tool, not a failure. Quitting strategically means cutting losses in areas that don’t align with your long-term goals, freeing resources to invest in pursuits with higher potential for meaningful impact. But Godin stresses that success comes from being the best in the world—not necessarily the whole world but in your specific niche or market – which takes time. He encourages focusing efforts on areas where you can truly excel and it’s important to understand that the transition takes times. Your commitment will be tested by pure nature of the transition, but be discerning, embrace the dip, and know it’s coming!
This is why at Cameron-Brooks, we stress doing a broad career search. The broad search allows you to search across every industry and career field. It also allows you to evaluate extrinsic factors vs. intrinsic factors.
When the going gets tough, the intrinsic factors are what people stay for: The people, the culture, the team, the meaningful work they are doing, etc. When they encounter The Dip, they can look back and remind themselves why they came to their organization in the first place.
Key Applications for making a Career Change
1. Identify the Dip in Career Transitions & Commit. Godin’s message is clear: if your career change aligns with your long-term vision, the Dip is worth enduring because success lies on the other side of this temporary struggle. So, before committing, ask yourself: Does this new path align with my skills, passion, and long-term goals? Am I prepared for the temporary sacrifice needed to master this field?
2. Not every career change leads to success. Godin warns against investing time and effort into Cul-de-Sacs — dead-end situations where progress is impossible, no matter how hard you work. A career Cul-de-Sac might look like pursuing an industry in decline, taking a role that doesn’t utilize your strengths, or chasing a job purely for short-term rewards. This is one reason why we stress doing a broad career search and evaluating a ton of different options all at once! Lead with what you don’t know, not with what you know.
3. Making a major career change often means letting go of your current position, network, or even identity tied to your previous work. Let go of the old self and focus on the future self – The Burning of the Phoenix. Where can I redirect my efforts to maximize future success? Focus on Becoming the Best in Your New Niche but know that this takes time.
4. Career changers often experience self-doubt, financial strain, or slow progress when learning new skills or building a new network. Godin reminds readers that the Dip is designed to test commitment — and those who stick it out will emerge ahead of others who quit prematurely. Invest in your career, and stick it out if you know it’s not a Cul-de-sac. Recognize that temporary struggles (The Dip) are part of the transition. Avoid dead ends, or what seem to be dead ends, focus on becoming exceptional in your new role. Invest in yourself, in your career. Add value wherever you can and fall back on the intrinsic factors that led you there when you may be experiencing the mundane, day to day.
Conclusion
Hope you all enjoy the read! I’ll leave you with three parting recommendations to help you accelerate your career in the transition:
- Appreciate your ability to make a choice as to where you will work next and be mindful of the trade-offs with the choice.
- Be patient and be proactive. Know that you will likely encounter a learning curve but also have the courage and conviction to make important decisions early and often.
- Expect uncertainty. When you make the move to your new role, there will be an excitement that is undeniably exhilarating. After the “newness” wears off, uncertainty and doubt tend to creep in. Many say just know and appreciating this will help get them through those initial times of uncertainty.
Of course, if you are interested to see if Cameron-Brooks can help you reach your personal and professional goals, give me a call or shoot me an email. I’m glad to set up a quick meeting to explore the possibility of partnering with and being a guide of you on your journey. You call also learn more about Cameron-Brooks on our website, YouTube channel and LinkedIn.
Until next time, make it a great day!
Best of success,
Brock Dudley | (210) 874-1495 | Principal, Transition Coach
