Invest in Your Career!!

Carve Out Time for Career Planning!

This week, focus on your career. No matter that you aren't seeking a new position or are an entrepreneur. Don't put it off! Begin the week spending just 20 minutes to invest in your future!

Each day we work with diligence to remain relevant to our clients, customers and employers. Ultimately, our success is measured by how well we deliver results, build winning teams and align our values and behaviors with the organization’s culture. This consumes our working days and often creeps into our leisure and vacation time. In my coaching practice, I often see clients who have neglected their careers for years and become frustrated when they are either forced to seek new employment or their new business prospects have dried up.

An important habit to incorporate into one’s career life is an investment of just twenty minutes a week to focus on building and sustaining a career or business. The following three areas will ensure you are making adequate deposits to your career bank:

1. Network Amongst the Best: Seek opportunities to spend time with individuals who are successful in your chosen field or industry. These relationships can be forged through professional and trade association memberships, social media networks and one-on-one mentoring relationships.

2. Maintain Your Expert Status: Keep current on industry trends, know who’s who and why, have a point of view that is supported by relevant research and keen observations.

3. Visioning Exercise: It is energizing to press the pause button regularly to remind yourself where you’d like to be in 3, 5, or 10 years. It’s also an opportunity to review your recent activities and reflect on how what you have accomplished will help achieve the milestones you’ve set for yourself.

Just twenty minutes a week on one of these three areas will yield an immeasurable return on the investment of this time.

I will invest twenty minutes a week to build and sustain the career (business) I want.

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