Over the years I’ve coached hundreds of people – maybe even a thousand – across many organisations and at different levels, from graduates just starting out through to CEOs considering retirement.
As you might expect, over time you start to see the same things emerge about what works and what doesn’t as people grow their career.
In their brilliant book, Change Anything, Patterson, Grenny, Maxfield, McMillan and Switzler have nailed it.
They point out the three essential strategies you need to grow your career.
Firstly, you need to know your stuff.
This is the lifelong learning challenge for all of us to keep up to date with what’s happening now and what might be happening next.
The crucial piece is to remember that as your career progresses the decisions you make will impact more and more people. You’ll be spending money, using resources and changing other people’s careers and livelihoods.
Know your stuff to make informed decisions.
Secondly, you want to focus on the right stuff.
I love my cars and a key part of any vehicle is to be able to transfer the power from the engine to the road. Without it you don’t have traction and you don’t go anywhere.
Focusing on the right stuff means doing the tasks that create the biggest value for your customers or stakeholders.
Thirdly, build a reputation for being helpful.
This is so simple and so few people do it well. Instead of helping yourself, help others and your enjoyment and engagement at work will grow and so will your career.
Take five minutes now to review your career against these strategies and plan for your week ahead:
- What do you need to know?
- What’s the best thing to focus on?
- Who can you help?
For information on how we can help you with personalised executive coaching, get in contact on 03 9545 4466 or email us at info@cfod.com.au .
Take care,
Mike Allen