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FACTSHEET |CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Develop a career-life plan | 1 The Chartered Institute of Marketing

Develop a career-life plan

In spite of all today’s labour-saving technology, many of us seem to be busier than ever! How can youmanage your life better and get the balance right between work and play? The answer starts inestablishing your priorities in life and developing a career and life plan. Is it time for you to take theinitiative for your life and career?If so, these seven ideas will help you to develop a greater awareness of what you need and want outof life, so that your career fits into the life you want, rather than fitting your life into your career.

Idea 1: Define YOUR vision of success

Are you successful? Do you want to be successful? What is success? And how do we recognise success?

She must be successful she drives a Porsche. He really must have made it - all of his suitsare Hugo Boss. They must be successful they live in a big detached house and take three holidays ayear. Are these YOUR ideas of success? The dictionary defines success as ‘The favourable outcome of something which one has attempted’.But what does success mean to you? A big salary increase? A promotion? A fast car? When did youlast sit down and write your definition of ‘a successful life’? Have you ever done it? I believe there areas many definitions as there are people reading this article. And the definition doesn’t have to be drivenby money. The 15 months that I spent working as a volunteer teacher with the charity, VoluntaryServices Overseas in Papua New Guinea, count as one of the most successful chapters in my life, inspite of the fact that I was paid only a subsistence-level income.So what are YOUR criteria for a successful life? What is YOUR life-vision? Write down the words thatcome into your head and developyourdefinition of success.

Idea 2: Write a life plan

Where do you want to get to in your life? What do you want to achieve? What is YOUR Life Plan? Whatdo you want to do with the rest of your life?

Most people are too busy with the day-to-day aspects of their lives to establish a strategic directionand to set life-goals. The idea of a strategic life plan may sound a bit pompous but how many of uswould choose to work for an organisation that doesn’t have a long-term business plan?We should apply the same principles to ourselves and as a starting point write down 5-10 ‘life goals’for the next five year period. These are the actions, which can turn your vision into reality.

Idea 3: A positive mental attitude

People often have problems in making career plans and developing goals because they imposebarriers on themselves. They say things like ‘I could never achieve this’, ‘That opportunity is not

FACTSHEET |CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Develop a career-life plan | 2 The Chartered Institute of Marketing

available to me’, ‘This isn’t feasible’, etc. How many times have you heard (or asked!) the question ‘Isthe glass half-full or half-empty?’ and felt good about the positive ‘Half-full’ answer that you’ve given.Well, I’d like you to take your thoughts to a new level. Because unless you live your life in a vacuum,the glass is ALWAYSfull. Sometimes water, sometimes air, sometimes both. ‘The glass’ is in yourhands. The responsibility for making the most of the contents is, to a very large extent, yours. If youadopt the mindset that you CAN make the most of what you’ve got, then you’re halfway to success.Many successful sports people develop mental pictures of themselves crossing the winning line first orscoring that winning goal.Convince yourself, that you are in charge of your own destiny. Believe that you can achieve the successyou want, picture yourself achieving it, and you’re halfway there!

Idea 4: Prepare to fail

Don’t be afraid of failure. Treat it as a learning opportunity. If you persevere you CAN succeed. Hereare some famous ‘failures’ that were never going to make it: Coca-Cola sold only 400 bottles in theirfirst year in business. Henry Ford went bust twice before his business successes. In their first year of trading Gillette sold only 51 safety razors and 168 blades! H J Heinz (of beanz fame) went bankrupt,learned the lessons, and did better next time.Luciano Pavarotti was told that he should follow in his family’s footsteps and remain a baker, as hewould never succeed as a singer. Apparently, John Lennon’s Auntie Mimi used to tell him daily that hewould never get rich strumming that guitar! Eric Morecambe’s mum received a letter from his teachersaying ‘..... I hate to say this, but your Eric will never get anywhere in life’. A recent BBC poll voted EricMorecambe the funniest person ever. The list is endless: learn from your mistakes, persevere and don’t be discouraged by naysayers

Idea 5: Prepare to change

Career and life planning is a personal change management process. And of course we’ve all heard itsaid in the past that ‘people don’t like change’ haven’t we? Well I disagree. People LIKE change! If people didn’t like change then why do we look forward to going on holiday, buying new clothes, gettinga new car! People like change if it answers the WIFM question in a positive way! What’s in it for me?Charles Darwin tells us that ‘The most successful species are the ones which adapt best to thechanging environment. The most successful individuals are the ones with the greatest competitiveadvantage over the others.’ He could have been writing a career and life-planning book for the21st century! So how do you make the most of change? By keeping an open mind, having a positiveattitude to change, and identifying what’s in it for you.

Idea 6: Re-invent yourself

You may need to challenge your paradigm of your self-image and what you can achieve. In businessparadigm paralysis can cause missed opportunities. Swiss watch manufacturers dismissed theconcept of the quartz watch, even though they had invented the technology … and suffered theconsequences. Apparently 42 companies rejected Chester Carlson’s new photographic process in1930. One company saw the opportunity - the Xerox Corporation and produced the first photocopier.Inertia or fear sometimes stops people from challenging their personal paradigm. You have not beengenetically encoded to be a group product manager, an account manager, a creative director … you

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Develop a Career Life Plan

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Category:	Business/Law > Marketing
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Upload Date:	05/05/2009
Copyright:	Attribution Non-commercial
Tags:	development marketing career development marketing career (fewer)