Seven Career coaching lessons for success in life and work

One of the main reasons people fail to achieve success in work and life is because they do not plan. To achieve success, you need to start from one point and move in a structured way to the end. The best careers happen because people have structured plans on what they are searching for at a particular moment in their life.

A small group of people – the visioners – do not need to be coached, but we- the ordinary people need guidance in planning and executing for success in our life and work. One of the things we can do is hire someone to help us understand that we need to structure our plan for future success. But the person we can hire won’t tell us something that we already do not know. Instead, they will lead us to the point where we will state that our plan is ready for executions.

Not anyone can afford or think will have the strength to turn to an external advisor for help. For those who want to try by themselves, to get the plan for future success ready, here are seven points to think of while structuring it:

Geography at first

Often, when we want to take the next step in our career or personal life, we will need to change something. The first question to ask ourselves is often missed in the process until it becomes a pain point. To plan the next steps, the person needs to conclude that they can or want to relocate to pursue different opportunities or stay connected to the place where they live and limit the options to the current geographic location.

Favorite skills

The second thing to think of is the skills. You can not start developing abilities if you do not know who are the ones that you want to focus on. The world around us is so complex that we have to choose what we want to focus on every day. To avoid mistakes like being generally familiar with everything but not having enough deep understanding in neither area, you need to choose. The best option is to select several competencies and skills you want to master, assess them and decide which of them to start with and which to develop later in your path toward success and growth.

Favorite working conditions

I have often seen people changing jobs and companies to find themselves in a similar situation to the one they have “escaped from.” To help your growth, you, as a person and professional, have to decide on compromises you do not want to make with the environment and those you can accept. These conditions will form part of the next career step for you. As part of the plan, there must be a place for working hours, continuity of the work week, flexibility in sthe start and the day, transportation to and from the workplace, salary and benefits you need, etc.  

Favorite values and goals

One overlooked element of good future success is the values and goals. We tempt to look when we choose a new place to develop for ameneties, but we often miss assessing the importance and opportunities for growth this unique place offers. The values are forming part of the place culture, people relationships, etc. They are easy to find on the new place website as leadership principles, core values, or similar names. In the personal aspect, people often tempt to overlook their values when choosing the next move in their lives, to understand that the new place they have chosen differs from their internal understandings and causes more stress to them.

The other overlooked element you need to assess is your goals and build a plan on what type of place, relationship and values will support your personal and professional growth goals. There is no reason to lower your standards. That will not lead to anything positive but will more likely cause you to lose time, investing in a “new opportunity” that di not add value to your development plan.

Favorite people environment – team or individual base work

After 2010 companies have started to promote remote work and shared responsibilities. Every person is different. To avoid making mistakes and feeling abandoned or left alone, you will need to choose what type of environment and role will suit you best. According to an HBR article from 2018, 34% of people prefer to work alone, while 51% prefer working with others. Social psychologists have studied this for more than sixty years. And for this large period percentages have not changed much. Be honest with yourself and declare straight what type of relationship you search for. Defining this element will help you to assess your future growth place quickly.

Salary and level of responsibility

One of the main reasons people leave their workplaces or search for new challenges is because they want higher salaries or higher responsibilities. In some companies, the level of duties is defined by titles and positions, while in others, it depends on the level of expertise you have or want to build. Here is your chance to know the market better. Define the level of responsibility you can take on without defining roles by name. Then you will need to determine the salary range you are adding to this level of commitment. And the last step is to compare both with the market level in the development and growth area you have chosen in the beginning. That can help you define the new way you will move on and help you make the reality check if your expectations are passing the environment and the region you have chosen so far. There are many ways to compare salary and level of responsibility as determinators for the next steps. Many sites post reviews, compare roles and positions, give opinions, etc. There are also cluster organizations structured by industry or some other elements that distribute research and proposals in the area you may be interested in. You will only need to find them and use them.  

Hobbies and interests 

I was in my twenties when a large company offered me a “great on paper job.” I was so excited about the opportunity that has forgotten to ask where will be the workplace, to find out that it was forty miles away from my home, neighborhood, and hobbies and sports I have practiced at this moment. The opportunity looked great at first but was demanding, and I have had to let go of all my hobbies and interest during the week and practice them only at the weekends. That made me think about the situation, and two days later, I have declined the offer with no regret.

Hobbies and interests keep us alive and allow us to invest in our well-being and future growth. We can give some of them for a while, but they will remind us of ourselves in time. So, before you move with the final plan for your future success, you will need to assess which of your hobbies and interests you can not give up and which you can transform or change for good. They are an essential part of your well-being and help you grow and live in harmony with yourself. And as much as you rely on them, the more productive, focused, and winning you will be. Add these into the account, and then you will have the full picture of the future success you plan, made by yourself for yourself.

IN CONCLUSION:

Understanding ourselves is a critical element of building future success and planning for growth instead of failure. To be successful in planning, everyone needs to first look at themselves and then assess the world’s opportunities. The chance is so good as it can meet your internal standards. If you do not feel good at compromising, then you will need to choose the next best option and pass on the current. A plan with all the points essential for a person will help you stay away from mistakes and invest your time in winning opportunities.