Is it time for change?
The end of the year is always a time for reflection, and planning for what we want for the following year. And what a year 2020 has been and probably is causing a lot of people to consider making some changes for 2021,
Tips for taking stock of your career and preparing for change
- Sleep on it. Literally. Take some time to refresh and in the background ask yourself some questions about next steps.
- Assess your highs, mids and lows for the year. If you have the time and inclination jot them down with some detail and focus on your contribution and what that meant for the overall outcome. Aim for a balanced view.
- Determine what career goals you would like to set for the coming year. Perhaps it’s a new role, some stretch targets, to get a mentor or coach to help guide you through the change process, complete some courseware, embark on a secondment. Be clear about what your goals are, and what your plan is to achieve them.
- If you found yourself grappling with some big issues this year but feel you lack distance and perspective to really unpick them – start writing it down. Get it all out. Then look for the recurring themes. Look at what you wanted to achieve. Look at what the people around you were trying to achieve and how that affects you. Then, look at this as a whole and see what the real issues were. Much like when one partner says you are always at work. You’re never here. They are really saying they miss you and want to spend more time with you. Look for the underlying theme.
- Coaching can also help you with this process in identifying the themes around your professional life and then work with you on changes you decide to make.
