1. Kick Start Your Career Growth

The beginning of the year is often when many of us take stock of where we’re at, career wise, and think about making moves towards a new job or promotion. 

It’s important to note here that growth is something that usually happens in baby steps, rather than leaps and bounds. For this reason, it can be easy to get side tracked with office politics and new projects. If you’ve been letting your career aspirations take a back seat, with a little bit of focus and self reflection you can get back on track fairly quickly.

If you’re looking to ramp things up and set yourself up for a successful 2021, here’s where I would start:

Take an honest look at your performance 
Are you doing your current role to the best of your ability?
Are you meeting your KPIs and deliverables?
Do you have a clear idea of what success looks like in your role?

If you’re not sure, take a look at your job description. It should outline all your roles and responsibilities.

Once you’re clear on whether or not you’re meeting the requirements of your role, your next step becomes more clear: if you’re nailing it, you can put your hand up for more responsibility or volunteer to help on projects in other departments. If you’re falling short, review your position description weekly so you know where you should be directing your attention.

Look ahead
What role are you aiming for, ultimately?
What are the logical steps someone would need to take in order to reach that goal? 
Do you need to up-skill or make a lateral move to become better qualified?

Map out a logical progression path. Research your dream role on job search platforms like Seek to get a feel for the type of experience and skills required. This will help you identify opportunities within our organisation when they come up. And when they do? Put your hand up.

Get support
I recommend that everyone have at least one friend in their workplace. They don’t have to be in the same department as you, but having someone who understands the dynamics of the company and the main players can be useful when you need help navigating tricky situations or knowing who to approach for help. 

It’s also a good idea to have a chat with your boss or direct manager about your career progression plan - bosses aren't mind readers, so if you want to be considered for promotion, work with them to reach that goal. If you show interest and initiative, you’ll be top of mind when it comes to assigning more responsibility or leading projects.

If you don't have a mentor, I suggest you get one. If you can't find one, consider getting a career coach (I may know a good one!).

I talked about these and other strategies in Episode One of The Lady Leadership Podcast - click here to listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/lady-leadership-with-sam-mcintyre/id1496538490