7 Career Questions for Success in 2008!
Happy New Year 2008
Before you place an order for the first month of Nutrisystem’s food, buy a new treadmill, or join the health club, take a few minutes and give your career a New Year’s diagnostic. The new year is great time to update your career plan for success and these seven questions are the best way to get your post-New-Year’s-Day juices flowing.
Question #1: How good are my 2008 job objectives?
If you’re like most of us, you’ll be updating your annual or quarterly job objectives with your boss within the next few weeks. Rather than simply dragging out the old ones and giving them a tune up, take a few moments to think about what you might do differently to make 2008 your career breakthrough year. Specifically, think about new areas of responsibility you can rope into your job scope, major initiatives in adjacent departments that you can volunteer to represent on behalf of your department, or a new system or procedure you can implement to make everyone’s life easier. Once you’ve zeroed in on your breakthrough objective, start selling it to your boss and coworkers immediately. Make it synonymous with your name by the end of January – then you’ll have no choice but to pull it off.
Question #2: Is my January 2nd Action List worthy?
Unless you make a point to do things differently, you’ll drift into the “same old, same old” by lunchtime today. It will be easy to do since almost everyone in the office will be doing the same thing. But the winners and leaders in your organization will march through the door this morning looking to shake things up in 2008. Look around and take notice of who is taking charge of 2008, then make sure your action plan links into the objectives they’ve laid out for the year. Chances are you can drop half of those 2007 leftover action items in exchange for something bold in 2008.
Question #3: How will you make a big splash at kick-off meetings?
Everyone holds major planning sessions for the new year in January. If you’re not already on the agenda, get on it. If you are on the agenda, seize the opportunity. It’s one of the few times of the year that you can stand up in front of your boss, coworkers and often even a broader audience and show them your stuff. Don’t just go through the motions; use these meetings as a platform to launch a more successful career.
Question #4: Is there an adversary out there I can neutralize?
Everyone has someone in the office they bump heads with. Most of the time they’re just an annoyance, but if an opportunity for promotion emerges in 2008, they can suddenly become your biggest obstacle to landing that key job you’ve always dreamed about. Take a minute and survey your work group and make a list of people who might undermine your next promotion. Then start softening them up; buy them a coffee, say something nice about a project they’re working on at the next staff meeting, or just stop by their desk and chat every now and then. Your goal is not to win them over; you simply want to get your name removed from their enemies list.
Question #5: How can you improve your personal career network?
How strong is your relationship with all the winners and future leaders in your organization? If one of them left tomorrow to take a key job in a hot company would he give you a call to join him? Did the power base shift in 2007? How well are you aligned with the top dogs for 2008? These are the people who will be making the best speeches at kick-off meetings. Take notes, think about your job responsibilities and come up with ideas for synergy with these key players. Then get on their agenda and tell them what your plans are. They will appreciate your initiative and you will earn a spot on their radar screen for the future.
Question #6: How can you boost your career equity before summer vacation?
When your summer vacation comes around you can find yourself in one of two positions: You can be scrambling to wrap things up so you can sneak out of town, or you can find yourself enjoying the accolades of your boss and coworkers for a project well done. Be the latter. Create a plan now that consummates a week or two before your summer vacation. Envision how much more relaxing your vacation will be if it comes on the back of a major accomplishment. Use that vision as motivation for the first half of 2008.
Question #7: Is 2008 the year to move to greener pastures?
If you found yourself asking this question frequently in 2007, it’s unlikely to go away in 2008. Is your boss a career asset or impediment? Can you see your next promotion? Is your boss going anywhere soon? Have you exhausted all transfer options with your current employer? If so, it’s probably time to move and the first quarter is often the best time for job openings. Budgets have been set and headcount increases have been approved. People who are hiring want to get their new team in place early in the year. If you find yourself in this situation, January is the time to act. Update your resume, start calling close allies in other companies and figure out what’s out there,
2008 will come and go. You have a career today and God willing, you’ll have a career on January 1, 2009. There is only one person who can make your career better this year – it’s you. Make you plan today for a great 2008.
Dave
