Creating a career plan, with long-term goals paves the road to success.
When my niece and her husband decided ride their bikes across America, they didn’t just hop on and start peddling. They plotted their journey and set a time frame for completion. Then they broke the journey into daily treks. A list of supplies was meticulously written and evaluated. Only absolute essentials made it to the backpacks. On day one, they flew from Indiana to Oregon, checking their bikes. Early the next morning they dipped their bike wheels into the Pacific Ocean and headed east. A network of family and friends cheered for them and eagerly awaited blog postings of their travels. Less than three months later, they dipped their bike wheels in the Atlantic ocean, beating their initial goal. It was the trip of a lifetime.
Planning your career path is the same.
What is your vision?
• For example, if you’re a CPA, what are your objectives? What do you want to do with your degree? Do you want to work for a small or mega corporation? Do you want to start you own firm?
• What are your priorities?
• Analyze. Before you create a road map, make sure you are on the right journey.
• If it’s time to make a change, take time to reflect, and determine what you want to do. After all, what is the point of reaching a goal that belongs to someone else?
• Write a mission statement that supports your vision. Aim high but also be realistic – impossible goals are self-defeating.
• Write out your goals. Putting them on paper makes them real.
Plot your journey.
• Set a “big picture” time frame and then break it down into “daily treks.” Where do you want to be in 6 months? One year? Five year? Ten?
• What supplies are essential for the journey? Do you need to brush up on specific skill sets? Do you need return to school or register for some online classes?
• What do you need to cast aside so it doesn’t weight down your backpack? Maybe you need to cut out a social activity to make time for that online class or use your lunch hour for networking so you can have evenings for your family.
• Build on your strengths and determine means to overcome your weaknesses.
Build a network of support.
• Network though social media, classes, and business and LinkedIn groups.
• Share your vision and garner support along the way. The saying “it’s not what you know, but who you know” became a cliché for a reason – it’s true.
• Celebrate with your support team when you reach a new goal.
• Be a giver – not just a taker. As you work to reach your goals, accept a helping hand, but extend one too. Help others in your network to reach their goals.
Make it happen.
• Don’t procrastinate. Dip your wheels in the ocean and start peddling.
• When you make mistakes, learn from them, and move on toward the goal. Evaluate the past, keep an eye on the future, but live in the present.
• Set measurable mini goals to help you reach the big goal. Be reasonable in your expectations. Push you boundaries, but don’t defeat yourself.
• Take specific steps every day. Empower yourself to reach the big goal by successfully obtaining the small ones long the way.
• Quantify what you have achieved. Reward the small steps.
Career planning will achieves its purpose when you follow the path you have planned and measure your progress. Contact Springborn Staffing and we will help you set goals and accomplish them. We’ll cheer you on when you dip your wheels in the ocean ahead of schedule.
