If you’re ready to take charge of your career and stop letting management determine your destiny, there are 4 essential things you’ll need to set you up for success. And if you’re like me, you want to skip all the fluff and get straight to the meat so let’s hop right on in.
1. Clarity
How can you pursue and ask for what you want if you’re not clear on what that is? … You can’t! So it’s important that you’re clear on 1) how you define success, 2) what motivates and inspires you and 3) what’s your long-term vision. If you’re going to take charge of your career, you better be sure you know what you would like to accomplish when it’s all said and done and the key elements that need to be true along the way to keep you motivated and fulfilled.
2. Strategy
Once you’re clear on your vision, you need to determine the right building blocks that will help you achieve that vision. What are the right experiences, roles and networks you need to bring your vision to life? This will help guide what you pursue and ask for in your career discussions.
IMPORTANT: Make sure you have a strategy that allows you to enjoy the journey along the way. Rather than lead with things you feel like you “have to do” or “should do”, lead with things you truly want to do. And know that just because Suzy did XYZ to reach her vision that’s similar to yours, that may not be the right path for you. Two people can have the same vision but have completely different strategies on how they want to get there. Trying to follow someone else’s path is often how people end up unfulfilled.
3. A Plan
Every strategy must have a strong execution plan otherwise your strategy remains just words on paper. You need clear action steps that bring your strategy to life and help you achieve your vision. So what specific steps will you take to get the experiences you need, to land the roles you’re interested in and to build the right networks? Focus on setting bite-sized action steps to help prevent you from becoming overwhelmed.
4. Confidence
This might very well be one of the most important pieces you need to take charge of your career. If you’re not willing to open your mouth to ask for what you want and implement your plan, you won’t get any results. And self-doubt, fear and imposter syndrome often prevent many of us from getting the results we want. So make sure you’re clear on your self-limiting beliefs and put tools in place to overcome them. Two tools I find helpful in boosting confidence are affirmations and creating a list of all my accomplishments.
Ok. So now you’re equipped with the 4 things you need to take charge of your career, but before you go, I want to make sure you’re aware of 3 traps you should avoid when doing the work.
1. Overthinking
High-achievers like us can often psyche ourselves out and get caught up in analysis paralysis. We spin our wheels with a thousand thoughts flying through our head as we try to get clarity and figure out our best next step. This often results in mental exhaustion and we opt for doing nothing. If you’ve ever said, “I’m going to take a break and come back to this later” but didn’t or you’ve said, “Maybe I’m just not ready yet.” because you couldn’t figure out the right next steps, you’ve likely suffered from overthinking.
To help me avoid this trap I’ve created an Overcome Overthinking Checklist and I’m sharing it with you for free. Click here to access it.
2. Not asking the right questions
Digging deep to understand what we truly want isn’t something most people do on a regular basis. Thus it often can be a struggle to figure out the right line of questions to ask ourselves to get the epiphanies that lead to clarity. If you’re not strong at doing deep reflective work, I highly recommend getting a coach that can help you.
3. Blindspots
When you’re ingrained in a situation it’s hard to be able to see it with fresh eyes and it’s easier to miss common themes. For instance, think about the saying “Hindsight is 20/20.” Things are always clearer when you’re out of the situation vs when you’re in it. Another example to bring this to life – imagine being stuck in quicksand. If you’re lucky, you may be able to dig yourself out, but it’ll be a lot harder and take longer than if someone came along and helped pull you out, right? So if you want to get results faster and easier than going it alone, I’d recommend getting a coach.
Lastly, different people have different styles so I wouldn’t recommend just getting any coach. You should get a coach that’s a good fit for your personality and your needs. If you’re interested in exploring if I’m the right coach for you, book a discovery call so we can chat. You can access my calendar here.
Now it’s time to do the work! Take this information and put it into practice so you can take charge of your career in a fulfilling way rather than just going through the motions.
