Setting yourself up for career success
The word ‘success’ has so many layers and meanings, because it means completely different things to each individual. Simultaneously, society sells us a very particular version of success and we can find ourselves striving for the things we think we should want and aspire to, opposed to the things that truly matter to us. There’s often a tension there and a sense of being 'less than' if we differentiate from societal, cultural or familial expectations.
Some of my 1:1 clients also resonate with feelings of guilt for wanting some of the traditional things associated with success and what that might say about them. It takes real courage to determine and acknowledge what is really important to you and to actively pursue what this means for each of us individually. One of the things I love most about coaching is throwing off these expectations and uncovering with clients what success really means for them in their personal and professional lives, so that we’re working towards the things that align with their values and who they are at their core.
You might be considering a career change and want to navigate that journey well to move closer to achieving your own sense of success. Perhaps you've already found a job you love and you really want to excel in and bring your best whilst also honouring your other commitments in life. Wherever you’re at, the following tips are for you to help you achieve your own sense of success.
Define your own sense of success & set clear goals
Firstly, you need to do some introspective and reflective work to determine what really matters to you in life. Knowing your values is key to this process as they determine all of our decisions, actions and behaviours. When we’re doing something that doesn’t align with our values, you get that sense that something’s off, it ‘just doesn’t feel quite right’.
It’s also really important to identify your life goals, so that your career aspirations aren’t considered in isolation but the decisions you make with regards to your professional life help you to achieve those things that are important to you in your personal life. If you want to be present for your kids, but your role involves lots of travel and long hours, there might be a tension there. If you have aspirations to generate a certain level of income that will provide financial security, that is going to impact the roles and opportunities you consider.
So, spend some time getting really clear on what your ideal future looks like and how this informs your approach to your working life. Consider how you want to show up in your work and what your ideal scenario would be. Find or create something visual that acts as a prompt to remind you regularly of this and can bring it into focus.
With this in mind, start to then set a specific goal of what you’d like to achieve and why this matters to you. Then break it down into achievable smaller milestone goals, so that you can gauge your progress and celebrate those successes.
If you’ve set the goal of applying for 5 new roles by the end of the year, what needs to happen first? Perhaps you need to tweak your CV, rework your LinkedIn profile or reach out to those in your network. If you want to demonstrate greater leadership within your existing role or become the go to person for a specific area of work, what are the projects or tasks you’re going to volunteer to take on?
2. Manage your state
Navigating your career can often feel overwhelming at times. When we spend so much of our lives working, the decisions we make in our professional life really impact our happiness and sense of health and well being. It’s when we’re particularly struggling that the need for clarity and confidence is more important than ever, yet our ability to think clearly and respond appropriately is diminished by stress.
That’s why it’s so important to manage your state to enable you to bring your best at those most stretching times. If you’re familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, you’ll know that we have to attend to our most basic needs before we’re able to achieve our full potential. Put simply, if you’re not getting enough sleep, rest, fresh air, exercise etc your ability to show up as you’d like is impacted.
It’s also when we’re at our most stressed that our ‘chimp brain’ is likely to kick in - that part of ourselves that is more emotionally driven and responds impulsively to difficult situations. By looking after ourselves and managing our state effectively through breathing exercises, meditation, anchoring or grounding techniques (or whatever works best for you), we can access our human brains that enable us to approach challenges in a thought through and considered way.
So, when analysis paralysis rears its ugly head and you feel completely stuck, not knowing what to do next or which direction to take, it’s at these very moments when effective state management makes the difference.
What are the daily habits you can build into your routine that could help you to set yourself up for success, so you can show up at your best?
3. Develop a learning habit & be willing to fail fast
Those considered to be most successful have learned to fail fast or often. Take regular action to try new things and push yourself out of your comfort zone. By testing new ideas quickly, you can assess what does and doesn’t work. By adopting a growth mindset opposed to a fixed mindset, you’re able to take on new challenges and harness the learning, which will in turn increase your abilities and promote your sense of achievement.
If you’re navigating a change of career, why not commit to ‘career path projects’ where you can dip your toes into the water and explore new avenues through low cost strategies. This might look like going for a coffee with someone in your network that does a job you find fascinating or spending a day shadowing a connection. If you’re wanting to progress in your career, identify any gaps or opportunities for upskilling and set yourself learning goals. Develop a habit for ongoing learning which might take different forms but could include reading books, listening to podcasts, expanding your network, attending events, taking on new projects, the list is endless.
I work with my clients to help them determine what success really means for them and support them to map out a personalised step by step action plan to ensure they’re on track for achieving their goals. If you're feeling stuck in your professional life right now and need help to identify what might come next, then do Book a Free Strategy Session.
We'll identify where you want to get to in your career, we'll dive into what's going on for you right now; what is and isn't working and we'll identify the challenges and obstacles that are preventing you from making more progress, so you can put in place a plan of action to move forwards.