READY, STEADY, GO

So the festive decorations are all down and put away for another year, the fridge has now only the last remnants of holiday feasting and early morning journeys to work have painfully resumed after days of comfortable lie-ins.

Yes in the first full week of January the realities of the New Year are striking home. A time to resume all those important projects that went into hibernation over the holiday period, a time to re-energise yourself for the challenges of the year ahead and maybe, just maybe, an opportunity to reappraise where you are headed with your job and career. 

In our experience in coaching individuals, this is the time of year when many people make some bold promises and big commitments to themselves about changing jobs or even attempting a complete career change. Sadly however what we also observe is that all too often there is a very rapid dilution of these fine intents as individuals become absorbed and swamped with all the competing back at work demands that a new year presents. 

So how to protect against this dilution and loss of momentum in the early weeks of this New Year so you have some chance of your career resolutions becoming a reality? 

Well these seem to be the six main habits that differentiate between those who succeed in turning their New Year wishes into positive outcomes and those who consistently fail in this task. 

• Focus - ask yourself what is it you really, really want next (and what not) from your career. Your clarity of purpose and focus will be critical to your success. Write down your purpose and then test the reality of your own aspirations and underlying assumptions. Are they genuinely realistic and achievable or alternatively are you being too limiting or constraining? 

• Allocate Time - make you and your career transition a project in its own right by allocating a set amount of time per day and per week to the task of exploring new opportunities and applying for new roles. Turn your generalised thoughts and ideas into a concrete and specific personal project plan and frequently revisit and update this plan.

• Engage & Involve Others - yes do go into overdrive with your networking activities but do it with purpose. Specifically prioritise and revisit people in your network who know you and might open doors for you in pursuing your new career pathway. Also seek out advice and coaching so you can test your plans with trusted individuals or specialists who can help you become more competent and confident in the search ahead.

• Act Now & Act Quickly - nothing generates momentum like acting early and having some initial success. Even though your early actions might be only small steps, take them swiftly so that you feel the benefit of progress.

• Incentivise Yourself - promise yourself some rewards or treats when you hit key milestones in your plan. Excite and motivate yourself by thinking beyond the apparent drudgery of the career transition process and focusing on the end goal of ultimately achieving a new and challenging job role. 

Very best wishes with your career journey in 2019. If we at Brosna Career Consulting can help in your travels then please do not hesitate to contact us at tim@brosna-consulting.com for a confidential discussion.