My friend, Amy, told me of a recent experience. She had been working in a fairly high-responsibility position for about 5 years at the same company when she started to get strange vibes. It was difficult to put her finger on it because everything was going so well: The company was doing great, its stock price at record highs, everyone was making good money, getting promoted and generally being treated well. The workforce seemed motivated and happy, as did management. Still, something was not right. So, rather than ignore her feelings, Amy decided to put out feelers to get a read on the employment picture.

After a couple of months of looking, Amy had lined up something new and settled into the idea that she'd be leaving the company. She gave her notice and two weeks later she left. The following month, the news broke that the company had been sold. Headquarters were going to be relocated to another city resulting in significant layoffs including her former boss. Top management was out, new management was taking over. Amy was stunned. At the same time, she breathed a sigh of relief as well as marveled at her prescience.