The Big Career Development Chat...

Getting started

Having that Career Chat is vital for  growth, and it starts with you.  You need to instigate that conversation with your line Manager.  Working with a Coach can help you prepare and think about how you can curate your future.

Where you are now & where you want to be?

The first step is to see where you are aligned with the Organisation's Vision and Mission.  Think about where you are now and where you would like to be.  This may not even be within the Organisation, however until you do the self reflection exercise you will not know where you want to be.

Energising or Draining?

The Coach will ask you to think about projects you have recently worked on that have been energising or draining.  From this exercise explore what made you excited and what was demotivating.  There might be many elements involved, the people, the level of challenge, the resources and the opportunities the project opened up.  It is important to be self aware of your own interpersonal skills, how good were your own communication skills? To conduct a thorough skills audit it will not be just what you did, it will have a higher effectiveness rating bias on how you did it. 

When preparing this self reflection, think about where you want it to go.  The authors of "Squiggly Career" Sarah Ellis and Helen Tupper, say that now it is not about the career ladder but it is about embracing the "Squiggle".  When considering the future do not limit yourself to the organisational standard trajectory, explore with your Coach more tangental connections.

Identifying your core values

When you look to the future you must also pause and think about what you value, and what are your dreams.  There are many ways to explore your core values, there is a great link on Brené Brown's website, the Dare to Lead values exercise. Another exercise which makes you think about where your interest lie is called Career Anchors.  Just google Schein's Career Anchors Test and you will be able to do this for free.  Chatting with your Coach to see where the values and anchors are landing long term is a real good investment of your time.

When you starting to think about what you value in life, you should also ask the question "What does success mean to me?" Talk to your partner or family and most importantly your Coach.

"Name it"

Once you feel ready to meet your Line Manager and you have done all reflection and have a document or slide deck with your thoughts captured, set up the meeting.  Be very clear what the meeting is "name it", say something similar to this "I would really value your input on my Career direction, can I sit down with you?" Once you have met it is a good idea to have regular check-ins and always name them as the Career Development meeting so that you don't get side tracked into talking about day to day business.

At the meeting express your gratitude and share your insights.  Good to show how some of your development is linked to the overall vision of the company. 

The Plan

Next steps is to identify opportunities available whether they be skills development, experience in certain areas or an awareness in your interpersonal skills.  Your line Manager will give you guidance of how to steer organisational processes and be a Cheerleader!  Be sure to evaluate the options and be realistic with your time and energy. 

Present a week after the meeting your development plan and again thank the line Manager for their time and input.

All of this can be aided by the help and support of a Coach who is your accountability partner and will help you curate the best future for YOU.  Please do get in touch bev@nuggetsoflearning.co.uk