“If one is unaware of his or her current position and lacks a destination, the chosen direction becomes inconsequential”. This analogy underscores the reality that many working adults find themselves in – jobs without clear career goals or long-term goals. What often happened is that people landed in their current role by chance rather than deliberate choice, leaving them without a good sense of where they are heading towards.
Individuals who ended up in jobs that deviate greatly from their initial expectations often experience dissatisfaction. They may struggle with a lack of motivation and resort to wishful thinking to improve their career path – yearning for promotions, transfers and new job opportunities. However, their aspirations remain unfulfilled as they fail to take substantial action.
After years of working, they may wake up one day to realize that time has passed them by, leaving them unfulfilled and weary. To achieve a meaningful professional life and attain contentment, a critical understanding of one’s current standing and ultimate goal is paramount.
For a strategic approach to achieve career growth, a four-step process is recommended:
1. Self Evaluation – Identifying Your Position
Begin by addressing the question “Where are you?” This requires introspection and soliciting feedback on various aspects, such as performance, preferences, strengths and weaknesses. Self-awareness is the cornerstone for effective career development. As Eleanor Norton aptly remarked, “Success is a matter of will and work. It also helps if you know who you are.” Profound knowledge of oneself is essential for identifying avenues of success within one’s career.
2. Setting Goals – Defining Your Destination
Pinning down where you intend to go is vital for defining your career aspirations. Even if you are satisfied with the status quo, continuous growth and personal development remains important. Set specific, measurable and realistic goals to serve as useful benchmarks for progress and motivation. By identifying your personal desires in the context of career advancement, you are establishing a clearer pathway for reaching your professional goals.
3. Planning – Charting Your Path
Effective planning involves identifying obstacles and developing strategies to overcome them. Challenges are an inevitable part of any journey towards growth and advancement, so embrace challenges with a positive attitude. Setting deadlines is a crucial element in goal achievement, as it provides a sense of urgency and also helps to promote a greater sense of accountability, thereby increasing your chances of success and driving you towards your career goals.
4. Implementation – Taking Action
A meticulous plan, no matter how well-constructed, lies on paper until we put it into action. Implementation is the key for transforming career aspirations into tangible outcomes. It is therefore crucial to take proactive steps to transform the plans into reality. Although the plan may not unfold exactly as we envisioned it, its pursuit will propels us toward personal and professional growth, infusing each workday with greater meaning and purpose
There are two ways to expedite your progress towards attaining your career goals, which are akin to installing turbochargers in our vehicles. The first involves comprehending the “why” behind your career goal statement. A clear understanding of the reasons driving your professional career, coupled with a resolute desire to achieve it, ignites a powerful focus and determination from within to push you climb harder up the career ladder.
The second turbocharger lies in the technique of visualization. An illustrative account recounts an American pilot’s five-and-a-half years of solitary confinement in Vietnam. He endured this ordeal by envisioning himself engaged in golf as a skilled player. Upon his release, he competed in a golf tournament and emerged victorious. This narrative underscores the potency of visualization in shaping outcomes. So if your professional aspiration is to be a sales director, visualize yourself in that position to influence your subconscious behavior, focus and energy, so as to bring yourself nearer to that envisioned reality.
After learning the strategic approach and two turbochargers to reach your long-term career goals, it is now time for you to carry out the execution. To bridge the gap between aspirations and accomplishments, you need proactive action. The journey from plan to reality hinges on translating knowledge into practice. So start working on your career growth today, and real success will be yours tomorrow.