As the year closes, we tend to reflect on the successes and failures, and what we desire to do differently to improve our condition in life. Most of us, however, reserve this for our personal life: relationships, finances, spirituality.
But what about our professional life? Do you ever stop to reflect on your year, outside of the traditional performance review?
Are you reaching the professional goals you have set?
Are you satisfied with your performance?
Is there room for growth?
This is the year to do it, it is time we all reviewed our professional development, and make and keep resolutions for the upcoming year.
Here are a few suggestions to get you started:
Maintain your CV – many times years pass and we do not update our CVs, then when the time comes we have no idea what transpired in the time since the last update.
In 2017, continually update your CV, as soon as you have completed a course, some form of developmental training or received a new qualification.
It is also important to always have access to your CV, as you do not know when a networking or business opportunity will arise. Therefore, you should save your CV in the cloud, on your flash drive or on your tablet for times such as those. That way, it will never slip your mind to forward the information to the contact at some later time.
Network – let 2017 be your year to attend more events and build the necessary contacts required for your professional growth. Many of us groan at the thought of yet another meeting or networking session, without seeing the true benefits these types of sessions offer.
The ability to network with key people in your industry is an invaluable opportunity. It helps to keep you abreast of current trends and keeps you in the line of sight of persons who can enhance your career or assist you in meeting your career goals. Further, professional contacts are useful should you need assistance.
Get a mentor – in Barbados, we are not known to have a big mentoring culture. However, one of the major things you will hear many successful CEOs state is that being mentored by industry leaders was integral in realising their success.
Learning unique “tricks of the trade” from persons who have lived it, or made mistakes initially and then overcame them, allows you to move faster towards your career goals. The key to this, however, is aligning yourself with the right persons, and realising that there is always something to learn, whether you have been in the field one year or ten.
Read more – I attended a session with Tim Sanders a while ago and one of the interesting findings was that one of the key traits of successful leaders is that they read. A lot! Not Sports Illustrated or Essence magazines, but self-development books, research and generally keep abreast of market trends. This gives them leverage and allows them to base their business and career decisions on facts, as opposed to gut feelings.
Don’t get comfortable – one of the key problems I have noticed is many people get comfortable, they are earning a good salary, the work is challenging, but not difficult or we have achieved our goals. However, it is at this point that we begin to stagnate and become our own worst enemy. There is always something new to learn and try.
Always keep your creative juices flowing? Ask yourself what next. And this doesn’t mean moving jobs or company, but more so my next project. What do I want my team to improve? This will keep your work and your mind fresh, and stop you from settling into a routine and becoming the person who shoots down all change.
Retool – this is the new cliché of the professional world, however, there is some wisdom to it. Directly linked to refusing to get comfortable is remaining informed of trends and developments in other areas. One can be fully informed about your own industry, but unaware of the trends in satellite industries. Also, by spreading around knowledge, you may find a new field of interest to explore.
Make this your year for the necessary improvements which will enable you to realize your career goals. Don’t be afraid to take risks, and try new things. Remember the tips in this article and ring in 2017 with renewed resolve and vigour.