Written by Horng Yuan | Photo by David Travis on Unsplash
Do you know that having a rewarding career depends very much on you owning and pursuing your own vision of professional success? It is very likely that you will end up trying to live up to the expectations of others or drifting from one job to another without any sense of purpose if you lack such vision.
Success can mean different things to different individuals. It could be getting promotion after promotion, receiving professional recognition and accolades, earning more money, learning new things and improving existing skills, or giving back to the society.
Let’s make it your vision to make your work life more satisfying and fulfilling, and build accomplishments that you can be proud of. The following checklist can help you devise a plan and put it into action.
Planning for Your Career Success
I know I blogged about this earlier here but I feel it is so important that I want to re-emphasise these points.
1. Identify your strengths
What are your talents and how can you apply them? What are you passionate about? Do you enjoy working with numbers? You can discover more about your strengths with online personalities and aptitude assessments such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and DiSC profile. You will also learn about the line of work and career that suit your personality.
2. Set realistic and specific goals
Listing down your long-term and short-term goals gives you a clearer career vision and direction. Goal-setting creates objectives, brings clarity, and generates motivation; it also allows you to review and evaluate your progress. You can read about the 5-steps to effective goal setting here.
3. Think ahead
Career planning is an ongoing process; it requires constant reflection, learning, and personal and career development. For progression to take place, review your job status regularly, and think about and evaluate your options, so you can decide if it is time to move on and make a change.
4. Write it down
You will be more likely to keep your strategy in mind when you put your career plan down on paper. It will help you keep track of your progress and ensure your plan does not get buried under daily chores and events. You can read about the benefits of writing things down here and here.
5. Address obstacles and challenges
Your career will be a journey filled with ups and downs. You may find additional resources necessary for the completion of your goals when you face challenges and obstacles. It is important for you to figure out what is holding you back and how you will overcome it. Finding solutions is a crucial part to your career success.
6. Consider personal branding
What do you stand for? What makes you uniquely you? You will be able to reach your audience effectively and market yourself well when you understand your personal brand. Create an online presence with platform like LInkedIn and start selling yourself; say briefly about yourself, showcase your unique strengths, keep it up-to-date, and work on your elevator pitch, advised Roberta C. Matuson in her book The Magnetic Leader.
Executing Your Career Plan
1. Manage your time
Time management is the ability to allocate your time and resources to accomplishing your goals and objectives; it is an important personal and managerial skill. As time and tide wait for no man, discipline is required of you to stay focused and complete the necessary tasks within the allocated time. So, block out space in your calendar for matters essential to your goals, and remove distractions or time wasters.
2. Expand your network
Successful people usually have a strong network where they share practical and moral support. Form such network and you can ask for help when you need it. To foster good relationships, always be generous in sharing information and giving referrals. Note again that LinkedIn is a great online platform for professional connections with people from different industries.
3. Increase your visibility
Look for opportunities to promote yourself. There are numerous ways to do so, such as volunteering yourself to represent your department at meetings and projects, asking for more responsible assignments, and finding ways to use and show your skills that are underutilised in your current position. You can also serve at the local chapter of your professional association, and publish your own industry blog.
4. Build your qualifications
There are many platforms and opportunities for affordable education, professional development, and certification courses, so make good use of them. They will add to your existing knowledge and skills. Practising lifelong learning is a trait of highly successful people.
5. Learn from others
Successful people never stop learning from others. You can benefit and learn faster from the success, failure, and experience of others. Consider this quote from Eleanor Roosevelt, “Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself”. Finding a mentor to input into your life will really help. You can also shadow a star employee at your company.
6. Take calculated risks
This is not about being rash; it is about being bold to move beyond your comfort zone, focusing on gradual growth. You will experience small victories and make occasional mistakes. Key to your growth and success is your ability to admit your mistakes, handle them with poise, learn from them, and not to be obsessed with them. Your capacity will not be stretched in your comfort zone, and opportunities for growth will be limited.
7. Negotiate work boundaries
Research and stay up to date with current salary data and trend; you will need them if you are anticipating a promotion, exploring a new line of work, or expecting a new offer. When you are well informed, you can discuss better with your employer matters related to benefits and the scope of your work during appraisal.
8. Stay positive
Why? Because you will be spending the next 40 years or more working and building your professional career. Staying positive is an attitude that will help you persevere and thrive. Always look on the bright side of things and learn how to laugh at yourself.
Conclusion
Pursue your own vision of professional success. Create a career that is in line with your goals and values, and this will allow you to do what you are passionate about without compromising your personal and professional life balance.
And the Coaches and Guest Faculty Members at Lead+ are committed to helping each member through these areas!
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