Stop, look, listen: How to make your next move the right one
At some point in your career, you’re likely to find yourself in a period of transition – whether that’s redundancy, waiting for promotion, or simply
When you look at your career you may have an objective or a goal. You know you want to get from where you are now to the next level but you are not sure how to actually get there. You need a plan.
You not only want to achieve your goal but you want to accelerate your plan to achieve it sooner.
To accelerate your career, you need a plan to get noticed by either your current company, other companies, or head-hunters.
Getting noticed will increase the number of opportunities that will be presented to you giving you the choices that will accelerate your career.
The 10 ways to accelerate your career are:
1. Be aware of your personal brand
An impression will be made from every conversation, activity, and communication you have with a colleague, leader, competitor, or customer. It is this impression that will create your reputation in the market. If you are not sure of what your personal brand is, take the time to create one.
2. Be the best you can be
Everyday try your hardest. It is not about working long hours; it’s about being productive in the hours you work. Your effort and focus will be noticed.
3. Be effective
Clarify what skills are needed to do your job well and refine them. Being effective in your methodology is as important as the outcomes you achieve.
4. Measure your success
Understand the methodology that underpins you doing your job well and monitor how you do that on a weekly basis. Measuring your success keeps you focused on the right activities.
5. Focus on outcomes
Focus on the outcomes that you are being measured on, not just looking busy. It is the outcomes that deliver results and it is the results that make you successful.
6. Ask for feedback
Feedback is important to learn and improve. Without feedback you cannot grow to your full potential. Proactively ask for feedback from team members, peers, leaders, and customers.
7. Listen
Attentively listen to people. By listening you learn and become more effective. Listening is also a strong indicator of your communication style and abilities.
8. Learn
Constantly read, watch, and learn. Courses, social media, newspapers, books, customers, colleagues, all have insight that will add value to your knowledge.
9. Focus on your career goal
Remind yourself of why you want to accelerate your career and where you are accelerating it to. This clarity keeps you focused and committed to the right activities.
10. Network
Build relationships with colleagues from in all positions of the company, from reception staff to the CEO. Engage with your customers regularly. Make the effort to have a meaningful conversation on a regular basis to build strong networks.
Accelerating your career is not a one-off action. It is something to incorporate every day.
Hunton Executive can help you accelerate your executive career.
For more information on how you can accelerate your career contact Hunton Executive for our Executive Career Consulting and Coaching or sign up to the Executive Career Guidance online course.
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