Think about it, if you are working for a business worth its
salt there is a good chance it has a vision and crucially a strategy BEFORE it
even starts on a yearly plan. So if you are serious about your career why
should you be any different? And when I say \u201cserious about your career\u201d I do
not mean work is the sole focus of your life or you are prepared to walk on
everyone\u2019s head. Being \u201cserious about your career\u201d means that you intend to have
a career that is purposeful and brings you satisfaction.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The topic of career strategy is particularly important for
women as many of us tend to view career development as follow:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
1\/ I work hard and get results<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
2\/ I get rewarded (ie wait to be told about my next
promotion)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll agree that is NOT a strategy.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
And I was no better, for several years – working on STRATEGIES
for goodness\u2019 sake – it never occurred to me to do the same for my career. Why?
No-one told me, the only narrative I perceived was \u201cdo well and then we\u2019ll
talk\u201d. Which is true to an extent but you should have a strategy to start with
nevertheless.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cYes, but Carine my company offers career planning\/talent management\/mentoring etc so I don\u2019t really need to worry about it myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/p>\n
You\u2019re totally right your organisation offers all of this however it is in place to achieve ITS strategy, which is absolutely fine but may not be entirely aligned with YOUR aspirations. I\u2019m passionate about the fact that it is your responsibility to ensure there is a good fit between what is proposed by your organisation and your career strategy.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
In that case, \u00a0how do I build a career strategy?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
First and foremost you need to be made aware a career strategy is important for your development. I know, baby steps!<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
By the same token you need to let go of all the hang ups you
may consciously or not attach to the very concept of \u201ccareer\u201d such as \u201cif I\u2019m
serious about my career\u2026<\/p>\n<\/p>\n\n
- I\u2019m the pushy-type, sleazy, dare I say it\u2026
ambitious!<\/li>\n- I won\u2019t be a good parent<\/li>\n
- I must put work first and sacrifice the rest of my
life<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/p>\nFamily, culture, education, gender, do ask yourself if you
feel any ambiguity about driving your career, be candid as no one is listening!<\/p>\n<\/p>\nOnce you got any hang up out of the way, set a broad vision, the northern star of your professional life.<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
It\u2019s ok if it\u2019s not extremely precise as it will evolve with you. It really should reflect your personal values and integrate with the aspirations you have for your life, whether to retire at 40 or be master of the universe, there is no wrong answer.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
You\u2019re ready to \u201cstrategize\u201d! Make sure you do it in a way that feels right for you.\u00a0<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
A client of mine has got an engineering background so we tapped into that to devise \u201ctools\u201d that helped her thinking and implementation process, it felt right for her.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Give yourself a good SWOT.<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve got qualifications but look beyond that: what are you particularly good at? What lights you up? What is a challenge that you need to overcome to achieve your goal? Who\/What could really support you? Get some feedback if you\u2019re unsure on certain aspects.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
You should end up with one or more \u201croutes\u201d or strategies<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
you could follow to achieve your career vision. Choose the one that is the most appropriate at this point in time, keep the others as they could be useful at a later stage.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Get planning! Overlay your strategy with your organisation talent strategy<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
to see what should be your next move in your current organisation and\/or what training opportunities are available. I won\u2019t go into the detail of goal planning and you can refer to this article<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
If that motivates you, put some key milestones you want to achieve and be flexible with them. Please no bucket list, it so noughties!<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
2 final points:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
If your strategy work shows that you\u2019ll be ready to leap within 12-18 months, speak up NOW.<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
Start the conversation to ensure your organisation is aligned so you can get prepared. If the organisation\u2019s view differs from yours it\u2019s an opportunity to clarify what their expectations are and for you to act accordingly. And remember that \u201cbetter\u201d is the enemy of \u201cgood\u201d, the quest for perfection will stop you from ever making the leap.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
It is your career, your strategy, you\u2019ve got to do it alone. That is such an \u201cold world\u201d paradigm.<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
The effortless, natural, self-made man, this myth has impacted our vision of what professional success looks like and should entail for decades and is not true! Ask any successful business if their strategy was devised by one person alone, of course not. You are perfectly entitled to use a sounding board, ask for advice or get challenged to clarify your plan. You just need to give yourself permission to be supported<\/strong> (that\u2019s a whooole topic in itself) and it also shows a mature and wise approach to your professional development, I shall spare you the examples of the CEOs and their coaches, right?!<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
I hope that you now see the importance of having a career strategy and also the fact that it does not have to be a complicated affair. I invite you to take some time before you finalise your annual objectives to reflect and draft your career strategy as it will do wonder for your professional development and, more importantly your satisfactio<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Think about it, if you are working for a business worth itssalt there is a good chance it has a vision and crucially a strategy BEFORE iteven starts on a yearly plan. So if you are serious about your career whyshould you be any different? And when I say \u201cserious about your career\u201d I donot […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3589,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"\n
Think about it, if you are working for a business worth its\nsalt there is a good chance it has a vision and crucially a strategy BEFORE it\neven starts on a yearly plan. So if you are serious about your career why\nshould you be any different? And when I say \u201cserious about your career\u201d I do\nnot mean work is the sole focus of your life or you are prepared to walk on\neveryone\u2019s head. Being \u201cserious about your career\u201d means that you intend to have\na career that is purposeful and brings you satisfaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The topic of career strategy is particularly important for\nwomen as many of us tend to view career development as follow:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1\/ I work hard and get results<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2\/ I get rewarded (ie wait to be told about my next\npromotion)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019ll agree that is NOT a strategy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amazingly many senior and successful women realised they could aim for the big job only once someone told them - 65% according to the Korn Ferry study of women CEO<\/a>.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
And I was no better, for several years - working on STRATEGIES\nfor goodness\u2019 sake - it never occurred to me to do the same for my career. Why?\nNo-one told me, the only narrative I perceived was \u201cdo well and then we\u2019ll\ntalk\u201d. Which is true to an extent but you should have a strategy to start with\nnevertheless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, but Carine my company offers career planning\/talent management\/mentoring etc so I don\u2019t really need to worry about it myself.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re totally right your organisation offers all of this however it is in place to achieve ITS strategy, which is absolutely fine but may not be entirely aligned with YOUR aspirations. I\u2019m passionate about the fact that it is your responsibility to ensure there is a good fit between what is proposed by your organisation and your career strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In that case, how do I build a career strategy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First and foremost you need to be made aware a career strategy is important for your development. I know, baby steps! <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
By the same token you need to let go of all the hang ups you\nmay consciously or not attach to the very concept of \u201ccareer\u201d such as \u201cif I\u2019m\nserious about my career\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- I\u2019m the pushy-type, sleazy, dare I say it\u2026\nambitious!<\/li>
- I won\u2019t be a good parent<\/li>
- I must put work first and sacrifice the rest of my\nlife<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Family, culture, education, gender, do ask yourself if you\nfeel any ambiguity about driving your career, be candid as no one is listening!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once you got any hang up out of the way, set a broad vision, the northern star of your professional life. <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s ok if it\u2019s not extremely precise as it will evolve with you. It really should reflect your personal values and integrate with the aspirations you have for your life, whether to retire at 40 or be master of the universe, there is no wrong answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re ready to \u201cstrategize\u201d! Make sure you do it in a way that feels right for you. <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
A client of mine has got an engineering background so we tapped into that to devise \u201ctools\u201d that helped her thinking and implementation process, it felt right for her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give yourself a good SWOT. <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019ve got qualifications but look beyond that: what are you particularly good at? What lights you up? What is a challenge that you need to overcome to achieve your goal? Who\/What could really support you? Get some feedback if you\u2019re unsure on certain aspects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You should end up with one or more \u201croutes\u201d or strategies <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
you could follow to achieve your career vision. Choose the one that is the most appropriate at this point in time, keep the others as they could be useful at a later stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Get planning! Overlay your strategy with your organisation talent strategy <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
to see what should be your next move in your current organisation and\/or what training opportunities are available. I won\u2019t go into the detail of goal planning and you can refer to this article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If that motivates you, put some key milestones you want to achieve and be flexible with them. Please no bucket list, it so noughties!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2 final points:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If your strategy work shows that you\u2019ll be ready to leap within 12-18 months, speak up NOW. <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Start the conversation to ensure your organisation is aligned so you can get prepared. If the organisation\u2019s view differs from yours it\u2019s an opportunity to clarify what their expectations are and for you to act accordingly. And remember that \u201cbetter\u201d is the enemy of \u201cgood\u201d, the quest for perfection will stop you from ever making the leap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is your career, your strategy, you\u2019ve got to do it alone. That is such an \u201cold world\u201d paradigm. <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
The effortless, natural, self-made man, this myth has impacted our vision of what professional success looks like and should entail for decades and is not true! Ask any successful business if their strategy was devised by one person alone, of course not. You are perfectly entitled to use a sounding board, ask for advice or get challenged to clarify your plan. You just need to give yourself permission to be supported<\/strong> (that\u2019s a whooole topic in itself) and it also shows a mature and wise approach to your professional development, I shall spare you the examples of the CEOs and their coaches, right?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I hope that you now see the importance of having a career strategy and also the fact that it does not have to be a complicated affair. I invite you to take some time before you finalise your annual objectives to reflect and draft your career strategy as it will do wonder for your professional development and, more importantly your satisfaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nIf a career strategy is something you\u2019d like support with I offer a special rate on strategy sessions and coaching packages in January, do not hesitate to contact me <\/strong>carine@carinesanjuan.com<\/strong><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n