Are you where you want to be in Life
Posted on September 30, 2018 by Sally Ann Bharat, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
A guide to taking your career to the next level
Success to every client is defined differently and so the coaching process will be different for each person. It could involve changing careers, making your dreams become a reality, negotiating different responsibilities in a current role, building your level of influence or making a larger-scale life change toward a new way of living. Whichever way, you need to ask the right questions and have the right strategies to move forward.
What do you want and how are you going to get there?
Do you know what you want in the next year, 5 years and 10 years in your career? If you don’t have a career development plan in place, create one. Include upward moves, lateral moves, and any additional skills, education or certifications you want to acquire. Having an idea of your future destination increases the chances of actually getting there.
What are you good at or what are your skills and your strengths?
What skills do you use in your current role? What other skills do you have? Which of these are transferrable to other roles or industries? How would you summarize what strengths you bring to leadership, managing others, or to working with a team? Ask colleagues and friends for feedback. Then – take a course, read a book, or hire a coach to start to improve your skills and add new ones.
Know your work values.
Values define what is most important to you. They are the basis by which you make decisions, and form the motivations behind your work. When your values are not aligned with the values of your organization/team, you feel frustrated. There may be cultural differences, differences in environmental philosophies, or work ethic issues. Whatever the case, aligning your core work values with your career is vitally important to long-term job success. What values are most important to you, and how can you prioritize those in your career?
Cultivate your leadership style.
A leadership style is less about your needs, and more about how well you succeed in your organization. Whether you are an experienced leader or just starting out in your career, having a recognizable leadership style will allow you to achieve maximum effectiveness at work. Get to know different leadership styles, and when they are used most effectively. Understand what style feels the most authentic to you, and actively work to stretch into the styles you find harder.
Develop your professional brand image.
Your professional brand is the outward image and style of who you are. It is reflected in how you communicate, act, and dress. It conveys a powerful message to those around you. If your professional brand isn’t on par with your colleagues, or doesn’t match the career you are moving into, take steps to change it. That could include a more professional style if you are moving upwards in a corporate career, or a more casual style if you are moving to a non-profit or education, for instance.
Cultivate your professional network.
Your professional network is the community that can give you access to information, contacts, and jobs. The key is to develop the network before you need it. Actively build a network of peers in your current field, and in any field you are considering for a lateral move. Linkedin is a great tool to make online connections. In addition, find professional associations and networking groups that align with your career interests.
Find a mentor.
A mentor is a person with more experience in business, or simply in life, who can advise you on career development as well as navigating new work challenges. Seek out a mentor who is a good fit with your career goals- someone who is at least 5-10 years ahead of you. A mentor who aligns with your work values and has had a similar career path would be ideal.
Take action.
The big picture of where your career is headed can be difficult to see clearly. The key to navigating any long-term goal is to break the goal down into small action steps with short time frames. What is one thing you can do this week to move your career-thinking forward a notch? Take an assessment, seek out new professional connections, or enroll in a course. Taking action will get you on the path towards successfully creating your ideal career path.
