When you reflect on your career, what moments changed the course of your professional life? What led you to where you are today? And what did you learn from that?
Hindsight is a beautiful thing and I love reflecting on the good times as well as the challenges, so today I want to share 4 things that helped me:
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build a career I love – without the burnout,
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create exciting opportunities for myself along the way,
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find ‘my people’, and
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be able to wake up in the morning, thinking “I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be and it feels good”
I believe that when good things happen to me, I have a duty to help others create similar experiences for themselves and I really enjoy sharing things that will help you. So if you’re ready, read on…
1) Try a new adventure
Let’s kick off with the biggest move.
The world is full of opportunities, exciting jobs and amazing places. Yes, you might be close to family and friends and the things you love, but what if you had the chance to – at least temporarily – pack your bags and work somewhere else?
Moving to other countries shaped my life in more ways than I can count and while it brought obstacles like language, tax systems, bureaucracy, not knowing people, time zone differences, cultural and culinary adventures, above all it made me more independent and appreciative for what I had and what I gained in the new place.
Becoming a foreigner teaches you humility and lets you see the world with fresh eyes. It lets you discover new strengths.
I recommend you keep on top of pension plans etc in your ‘home country’ while you’re away, and I can promise you: the experiences you’ll make more than outweigh the potential hurdles you’ll encounter.
2) Learn to ‘manage up’
Become a great wingman or wingwoman for your manager and create exciting opportunities for your career development.
I’m not talking about being an a**kisser or bending over backwards to please your boss. Instead, become someone who understands:
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the priorities in your team,
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the pressures your manager is under,
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the complex interconnections between teams and departments,
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and what tasks you could take on that stretch you and help you learn while helping your boss.
Make yourself indispensable and a person they will trust. No need to manipulate. Be a good listener, be trustworthy, be a sounding board.
I’ve been fortunate to work closely with a number of managers and it was a great opportunity to learn not just about the business, but also about the demands placed on leaders, how they navigate their own careers and how they manage relationships internally and externally.
3) Strive for excellence
It is better to do a few things extremely well than to try and tackle ALL THE THINGS and do a poor job.
When you deliver work, whether analyses, a report, a new application or landing a customer, do your best to tick all the boxes. Doing excellent work helps you build a really strong reputation internally and builds trust with management.
Who would you rather give a new project to: the person who says yes to everything but delivers late and with errors, or the person who sets clear boundaries, creates high quality outputs, communicates well and delivers on time?
Striving for excellence means you have to say no to things, too, because you can’t do it all. That’s ok. Communicate with your manager to ensure you pick the right tasks and projects and say no to those that don’t need to be done by you or could be done at a later point.
My reputation as someone who delivers great work and thinks through how it will be used afterwards served me well. Anticipating people’s questions and needs played a big role in this.
4) Build genuine connections
Your network will go a long way in helping you shape your career. Build it with intention and with genuine interest in others.
Key pieces of advice I have when it comes to networking:
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When connecting to someone on LinkedIn who you don’t know personally yet, ALWAYS send a message with your connection request. Tell them why you want to connect and add a sentence about who you are.
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Don’t burn bridges. Even when a working relationship ends, stay polite and professional don’t post passive-aggressive comments online. Instead send a thank you note to the people who made a difference in your career, even if you’re no longer working together. You never know when your paths will cross again.
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Have a firm handshake. You will likely meet people in person, at least occasionally. When you do, give them a firm handshake (firm, not a knuckle-breaker), make eye contact and say hi. These first impressions matter.
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Listen to the person you’re talking to. Don’t look around constantly while you’re in a conversation. Stay with the person who is talking with you until you’re done. If you want to move on, that’s fine, but respect their attention during the conversation. Nothing is more frustrating at an event than feeling like the other person is constantly looking for someone more interesting to talk to.
These aren’t just pivotal moments, they’re also key behaviours that will shape your career for the long-term. This list of tips is also not exhaustive. There are plenty more I will share over time, but these four should be a good start if you want to shake things up and rethink the way you work.
***Announcement***
My coaching waitlist for sessions starting in September 2023 is now open.
If you’re interested in working with me to become unstuck, gain clarity in your career and figure out your next steps, fill in this form and we can schedule a call.
Have a great week!
Eva