Plaxico Burress is facing the lock-up. Brett Favre is on the ropes. But Michael Vick is on the mend. What do they have in common? Ok, NFL fans. These guys know about looking for work. They also got the #1 biz advice. For shifting careers and reclaiming the dream. It’s being a free agent.

Chained to the job with golden handcuffs? Become an expert or consultant. Change the script. Start a business. Get your hustle on. By how you sell the sizzle. Not the steak. Turn heartache into an escape. Have a Resume that rocks. Elevator pitch that wows. Shows you’re the best in town.

Good at what you do? Be a master blaster at doing what you do. By how you serve-up purpose and passion on a plate. Success secrets for doing you. Such that others might dig you. How you serve is part skill and part nerve. Wing it or bring it. So that the marketplace can’t get enough of it.

Executives would get golden parachutes. To leave quietly. Companies would give gold watches. For working a lifetime. Them days are over. The workplace is more and more like pro sports. You gotta brand your expertise. Stream your income. Reinvent your game. Stay relevant. Increase scores.

Burress could get jail time for weapons possession. Looks like a setback. Favre not coming out of retirement, again. His career’s entering a new season. Vick getting a second look. He’s poised for a comeback. What didn’t CNN show? These real life examples of another day at the office.

Hip Tip: “A free agent knows when it’s time to move on or up to bigger & better things in the workplace, or new & improved things in the marketplace.”

Blog Talkback: What should Burress, Favre or Vick do to show they’ve got the right stuff?