Do you want to launch your career in a certain field or simply change from one job to another?
When you’re trying to decide on a career path, it can be tough to know where to start. Whether you want to continue with your current job or take the leap into a new role, this article will share my top 5 tips on how you can launch your career.
These 5 tips have been taken from my book - “42 Ways To Launch Your Career”
My Top 5 Tips To Launch Your Career
1. Overcome Fear By Action
This is where I found myself in early 2021. I was AFRAID. There were so many things I wanted to do - Talk, Teach, Coach, Write. And a large part of me was stuck in fear.
Do you relate to this?
Any new journey, embarking on a new step depends on overcoming our fear. FEAR is overcome by ACTION. If you’re afraid of change, you need to get over it by ACTING.
Act on the fear and you’ll find a way to get through it.
2. Be INCREDIBLE At What You Do
Here are some points that’ll help you.
Assume Everyday is Day 1
One thing that helps in being great at work is by assuming that everyday is DAY 1.
This is a mistake I did for a very long time - I started identifying with what I already knew and started becoming less and less curious. I also became less creative as a result. If you’re looking for a change or growth in 2022, assume that everyday is day 1.
I assure you it’s hard work, but it is very useful because you get into that zone of wanting to learn and be curious. You’re open to experimenting with new things rather than saying “I’m just going to continue doing what I’m doing”.
Growth doesn’t happen from that kind of mindset which is closer to what we would call a “Closed Mindset”. What helps is a “Growth Mindset” where you’re open to learning and picking up new things at work.
Offer Help Before Asking For It Yourself
Make emotional deposits everywhere. Assist others. Offer to help. Then, when you've done enough for everyone, you can probably start asking for favours.
Relationships are like bank accounts. If you want to withdraw some money from your account, you can do so after you have placed something in it! You can withdraw only after depositing. And emotions work in a very similar way. If you want to withdraw an emotion, if you want to get help and support from somebody, you got to have put in some deposits first.
So, if you’re planning to change your career or want to launch your second career - go ahead, make some deposits. Get some people to get something from you. Offer them something of yours and I can assure you things will start coming back to you later on!
Find more tips in my book "42 Ways To Launch Your Career"
3. Learn From Your Mistakes
Career mistakes - we’ve all made them. Here are some of mine and what I learned from my mistakes.
Over-Committing & Under-Delivering
- I don't do this anymore. Instead, I set reasonable expectations, and not let people down.
Resisting Change
- This can be dangerous, especially when we're living in a world where change is the only constant. Now I embrace new ideas from everyone.
Only Pointing Out Problems
- I learnt to evolve from just identifying problems to solving them.
Putting Boss Over Peers
- Now, I respect my peers, and manage the relationships like I would with my boss.
Living In The Future
- I learnt to be in the present, before getting lost in planning for the future. I don’t get into a worry cycle of considering worst case scenarios that will almost certainly never come to pass.
Avoiding Politics
- I learnt to accept that it's not a dirty word. I learnt to be aware of what's going on with people.
Putting Myself First
- I learnt that putting others first is better, it's simply dumb not to!
Never Pushing Back
- Earlier I never did this, but now I've found the courage to push back on systems/processes/rules that just don't work for me.
Being Complacent
- I learnt that comfort zones are bad for my growth, and I need to get out of them before they made me settle.
4. Focus More On The Outcome
My advice to you is when you’re projecting yourself in the future, think more about what you have to offer, what you bring to the table than what qualifications you have.
Education is important, not the certificate.
Do you agree?
Some of you might disagree. Sure, certificates are important in the first few years of your career, because that’s largely part of your identity as you have no experience to show. But if you’re a mid career professional, focus more on what impact you can make. For example, if you look at my LinkedIn profile or my website, I don’t talk about my degree until the very end. I have 3 Masters degrees, but that’s not the reason why people hire me as a trainer or a coach. I presume it’s got to do more with what I say, what I write and what value I bring to them.
Education shapes you, but education shouldn’t be large part of what you signal to the world. The signal to the world should be the impact you can make possible for people. Think about what outcome is possible by working with you? What future possibility can you make come true for someone?
We need a degree to find a job, but the point here is - What are you doing with it ?
Focus more on the outcome. Talk about what you bring to the table.
5. Be Consistent
This is a question I get asked a LOT. How are you consistent ?
This question comes because I’ve written on LinkedIn almost everyday for the past 1 year. And people ask me, how did you manage to do that?
I told them that I learnt consistency doesn't come from nothing. It takes work.
And here's what worked for me.
I'm Selfish
- I write for me first. It gives me joy. I do check for reactions. I want to know what others think, but I try not to let it affect me.
I'm Lazy
- I don't stress about finding 'great' ideas. I write whatever comes to me. And I write in the same structure, usually a few bullet points.
I'm Indisciplined
- I don't write everyday. I post everyday. And those are two very different things. I write whenever I can. Wherever I can.
I'm Not (THAT) Focused
- I’m focused on writing about career but not much beyond that. I write about anything to do with careers.
I Read More. I Write Less.
- For every word I write I probably read a hundred. The more I absorb, the more I can draw inspiration from.
I Sit Quietly For Long Periods
- Reflection creates clarity. And from clarity comes magic.