What to Do Next: Taking Your Best Step When Life Is Uncertain

by Jeff Henderson

Overview

If you want to change your career and circumstances but aren't sure how, this practical guide from business leader Jeff Henderson will help you reevaluate your purpose and determine your next best step.

Navigating what's next in life—whether in your career, personal life, or relationships—often brings a level of uncertainty and anxiety and presents more questions than answers. Entrepreneur, speaker, and pastor Jeff Henderson has experienced this firsthand—first when he left his marketing position at Chick-fil-A to start a church and nonprofit, and then again when he left that nonprofit in the middle of a global pandemic to . . . well, he didn't know. He just knew he needed to make a move.

This insightful book outlines the process he used to determine the next best step for him and how you, too, can pursue more meaning and purpose in your life and work. Sharing personal stories and best practices he's learned along the way, he eloquently and practically guides you through the minefield of knowing what's next by helping you:

• Take the Career Risk Calculator and discover if you're ready for change
• Plan for change—both the changes you want and the changes you can't see coming
• Cultivate "optimal options" in your life that will guide you to better decision-making when the time comes
• Identify what to do and what not to do when making decisions about what's next
• Exchange fear, confusion, and hopelessness for confidence, freedom, and purpose

The next chapter of your life starts today, with one simple step. And you'll know how to take that step because you know What to Do Next.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310366072
Publisher:	Zondervan
Publication date:	08/23/2022
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	262,897
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 7.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Jeff Henderson is an entrepreneur, speaker, pastor, and business leader. For seventeen years, he has led three of North Point Ministries' multisite locations in Atlanta, Georgia—Buckhead Church and two Gwinnett Church locations. He also helped launch North Point Online, which now reaches over 200,000 people.

His bestselling book, Know What You're FOR, launched a movement in nonprofits around the world and has become a focal point for many businesses. As the founder of the FOR Company, Jeff's aim is to help organizations build a good name where purpose and profit grow together.

Jeff was recently named by Forbes Magazine as one of twenty speakers you shouldn't miss. Prior to working as a pastor, Jeff started his career in marketing with the Atlanta Braves, Callaway Gardens, Lake Lanier Islands, and Chick-fil-A, Inc., where he led the company's regional and beverage marketing strategies.

Table of Contents

Prologue 1

1 Knowing When to Leave 9

2 Is It Time to Make a Change? 29

3 The Waiting Room 55

4 Finishing Well 95

5 The Path to Your Dream Job 111

6 The Money Wall 127

7 When You Don't Know What to Do 139

8 Letting Go 151

9 When the Dream Dies 167

10 What Next Feels Like 187

11 It's Time 203

Epilogue: I'll Let You Decide 213

Acknowledgments 217

Notes 221

Editorial Reviews

06/13/2022

Marketing consultant and former pastor Henderson (Know What You’re For) presents a ho-hum guide to plotting career changes. Henderson draws on his time in corporate marketing and the clergy to share lessons on “managing risk, discovering the strongest version of you, and how to build a life you enjoy” when contemplating a new career. Henderson illustrates his advice with anecdotes about how he left a lucrative marketing position at Chic-fil-A to launch a video church, and later walked away from the lead pastor role at Gwinnet Church in Atlanta to start a marketing consultancy. Providing sensible if predictable strategies for coping with the risk of leaving one’s job, the author advises readers to have a financial cushion in case the opportunity doesn’t work out and to maintain good relationships with one’s coworkers so that one can return to one’s former employer if needed. His recommendations for starting anew also trend toward the commonsensical and include networking, finding a successful figure to emulate, and converting “negative thought patterns into positive ones.” Other suggestions come across as out-of-touch and impractical, such as when he encourages readers to develop a “personal advisory board” made up of experienced professionals who will meet with the reader once every several weeks in exchange for a free meal. This will leave readers wanting. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

'My raving endorsement of Jeff Henderson's book may be biased. It came to me at precisely the moment I needed it. So to maintain integrity, I can only recommend What to Do Next to the person who wants to leave well, gain radical self-awareness, deepen wisdom, and feel incredibly confident in the direction they choose to go next. If you're not looking for any of that, don't bother reading this.'

Joseph King Barkley

'In an era when millions of people are facing a seemingly infinite set of career options and rethinking their futures, Jeff Henderson arrives with a thoughtful, highly practical, and generous book. If you're looking for actionable strategies and wise counsel, pull up a chair and let Jeff coach you.'

bestselling author of At Your Best and founder of Carey Nieuwhof

'We all face pivotal moments that change everything and leave us feeling scared, stuck, and, most of all, wondering what to do next. In the last two years, millions of people have been feeling exactly that. That's why Jeff Henderson's book is coming at the perfect time. He gives you the steps you're looking for to be able to move forward and the encouragement you need to take them.'

#1 national bestselling author and speaker Christy Wright

'If you're trying to figure out what to do next, Jeff Henderson thoughtfully guides you to make meaningful decisions in the midst of uncertainty. In this thought-provoking and practical read, you'll gain the confidence to identify your next steps—even if your next steps don't feel so obvious right now.'

CEO of the Coaching and Positive Psychology Instit Valorie Burton

'The Great Resignation has resulted in millions of people wondering what's next for them. It's one of the reasons I'm excited about Jeff Henderson's book. His practical and winsome approach will have you highlighting, laughing, and enjoying the story. All the while, he'll help you take important steps toward figuring out what's next for you.'

New York Times bestselling author Michael Hyatt

'The reason What to Do Next is such a life-changing book is that the author hasn't simply researched the topic of career change; he has successfully navigated it multiple times. Jeff Henderson has written a personal and practical guide for everyone who cares about their future. If you don't think you need to read this book, just open it up. You will change your mind. What to Do Next will be one of those timeless classics you keep as reference for the next time you wonder, Is it time to take a leap?'

founder and CEO of Orange Reggie Joiner

'Authentic. Helpful. Freeing. If all of our invitations to take a step of faith made sense and were easy, I doubt we would ever be super dependent on God. I love how this book empowers readers to not let the overwhelming nature of fear about the future keep them from the immediacy of obedience today. What to Do Next is a must-read resource for anyone looking for clarity, empowerment, and vision for what's ahead.'

cofounder of Passion Conferences and Passion City Shelley Giglio

'As a fellow restless traveler who took a career leap of faith in my fifties, I found comfort in Jeff Henderson's journey. Whether you're contemplating a life change or just seeking validation for the direction you've taken, take a deep breath and read Jeff's book. I'm grateful he shared my story as an example of how to find your calling and follow it. Change is hard. But Jeff Henderson helps make it easier.'

Stephanie Stuckey

'What you are about to read is a powerful reminder that what's next is worth it. Jeff Henderson has a unique way of capturing things crisply and openly and letting us into his world—a world full of wisdom and heart, honesty and insights. There is no one I trust and respect more than Jeff. I'm so glad he took the time to pen this timely book. What a gift, just like the guy who wrote it.'

cofounder of Jackson Spalding marketing agency Glen Jackson

'Jeff Henderson is one of the most trusted voices in my life. His wisdom and honesty, which are on display in What to Do Next, guide you not only to the next right decision, but also give permission to hope and grieve and trust and try. This is the guidebook for what's next.'

New York Times bestselling author of That Sounds F Annie F. Downs

Reading this book is like having a million-dollar coach in your corner helping you navigate your next move confidently. Sangram Vajre, cofounder of Terminus and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of MOVE

What to Do Next is a compelling guide to making the next right decision for your future. Jeff Henderson lays out helpful principles and thought-provoking insights that will help any professional make a good transition well their next season. I wish I'd had this book when I was making my last big professional transition! Gerald Fadayomi, author and lead pastor, Home Church Roswell

From the Publisher