Three lessons for career growth
I am fortunate to work with top executives worldwide. I gain added insights from the hundreds of interviews with notable leaders. There are three common lessons to learn from and then implement for stellar career growth.
Lesson 1: Be challenged and seek diversity
It’s important to stay constantly challenged and ensuring you are outside of your comfort zone, complacency and stagnation and to implement actions for continuing improvements in your skills and competencies. In addition seek diversity in your dialogues, teams, relationships to minimize group think since diversity breeds innovation and growth.
Scan 90 days backward and measure, look 90 days forward and forecast. Do this each month and assess your situation. What new projects or ideas have you taken on where there is competency growth? Are you given opportunities but avoiding them due to the difficulties and challenges? Do you feel you are not ready and again practicing avoidance? Do you put off making hot-topic decisions? Eliminate avoidance, perfection and decision paralysis.
The key is to focus on stretch goals that are outside of your comfort zone.
Lesson 2: Business model canvass
Adapt the Business Model Canvas from Alexander Osterwalder and then update the canvas weekly to demonstrate progress. Convert your canvas into SMART career goals which are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time bound. The 9 areas of the canvas are: Key partners, Key activities, Key resources, Value proposition, Customer relationships, Customer segments, Channels, Cost structure, Revenue Streams. You want measurable improvement on all 9 areas.
Lesson 3: Using a self-SWOT analysis
A bi-weekly SWOT analysis can help your career.
A SWOT analysis ensures growth, differentiation, and competitiveness.
Strengths, Weakness is the SW part of (SW)OT. Opportunities and Threats are the OT part of SW(OT). Combining the business model canvas with a SWOT analysis gives you the tools for career growth.
How are you using your strengths? How are you eliminating or managing your weaknesses? How are you using your strengths to take advantage of external opportunities? How are you mitigating and managing external threats?
To help you further, here are two blogs on management tips:
Management Tips: Colin Powell’s Leadership Primer