Inspired by the commencement of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, over the next few weeks OnTalent will publish a series of articles designed to engage and motivate you to take the time to review your career, your skills and challenge yourself to take YOU to the next level.
By going to the next level, we are not referring necessarily to applying for a promotion or a new position. We are inviting you to be the Champion of YOU; the Champion of YOUR career and YOUR life.
“Reflecting on the stories of our Olympians and Paralympians, learning from their journeys and their quest to be the best, are all very relevant to today’s career management and career advancement principles,” says Natasha Olsson-Seeto, CEO and Founder of OnTalent.
“Work is no longer seen as just a job. Nobody ever really wants just a job. In today’s world of business, this lens is too transactional. We know, people, no matter their age or stage of their career, are looking to make sense of their day to day work, looking for purpose, looking for engagement and seeking to make a contribution.”
In this first article, we will explore the importance of personal values and how these values are integral to the your decision-making processes that influence your career.
We will do this through the lens of the Olympic values that have shaped the continuing culture of the Olympic Movement and the standards expected in preparation for and at the time of competition, making the Olympics the absolute pinnacle of sporting excellence.
Long term Disney executive and grandson of the great visionary and humanitarian Walt Disney, Roy Edward Disney, once quoted, “When your values are clear to you, making decisions become easier.”
It is standard for organisations to define their values. And why, because values directly impact the culture of an organisation, how we behave at work, and what we do and do not tolerate.
Core values, go one step further and are defined as deeply ingrained principles that guide all of a company’s actions; they serve as its cultural cornerstones. For the Olympic Movement these core values are Excellence, Respect and Friendship.
Originally the values of Olympism as expressed in the Olympic Charter were to “encourage effort”, “preserve human dignity” and “develop harmony”.
Over time, they have evolved and are now expressed in more contemporary terms as:
Striving for excellence and encouraging people to be the best they can be.
Demonstrating respect in many different manners: respect towards yourself, the rules, your opponents, the environment, the public, etc.
Celebrating friendship, which is quite unique to the Olympic Games – an event that brings people together every few years. There is a deep sense of setting your rivalries aside.
There is more that unites us than divides us, as so well spoken by the IOC President Thomas Bach in his opening address of the games.
“Olympism aligns itself directly with OnTalent’s mission statement,” says Deborah Wilson, OnTalent’s Head of Strategy of Performance. “Using sport as a metaphor for business success, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles. We can say the same about the work we do in business and value we create.”
“We know through years of experience when working with our clients and identifying new talent, whose values and purpose align with that of the organisation, people not only operate, but they thrive.
We also know when working with individuals and teams within organisations supporting their learning and development, performance is improved when individuals align their personal values with their work, finding greater engagement and purpose.”
How would you define “Career Excellence”. Gallup talks about people reaching their “zone of career excellence”. Defined as a time when you are working, actively contributing, learning, motivated, engaged, recognised for high performance and the achievement of key performance indicators. You are confident and satisfied.
Importantly, “Career Excellence” will be different for everyone and can only be determined by you.
So, why are values so important to achieving career excellence?
The paradigms of the past have seen us mostly wait for someone in a leadership role to notice us, wait to be promoted or wait to be tapped on the shoulder for that next move.
Now whilst all of the above can be very flattering, there are many people, and perhaps you are one of them, who find themselves, despite being promoted or tapped on the shoulder, who are unsatisfied, not sure of where they are, questioning their career choices and their future.
To make a start to achieve your “zone of career excellence”, be inspired by Olympism and all the athletes competing right now in Paris.
Think about the years of dedication, commitment, failure, comebacks, success and continuous learning from experts, coaches and mentors, all of which has brought these athletes to demonstrate their career excellence.
Their set of values modelled in their behaviours. A key example, the comeback of Simone Biles, US gymnast and possibly the world’s greatest.
Take the time to define your core set of values. If you are familiar with “The HP Way”, what for you can never be compromised? How will you demonstrate your values? Is Respect an important value for you? Is Friendship?
We would advocate that your set of values need not be complicated to achieve career excellence. The most important thing to do is to define your values and live by your values. By doing this you will establish guiding principles so that you can navigate your career choices and the decisions that directly impact your career now and into the future.
Finally ask yourself, what is your definition of career excellence? What does it look like for you? What do you need to do to get there, and who do you need on your side as your support network.
“One of the many great comments I have heard since the commencement of the Games is about the importance of family, friends and coaches to every athlete. It demonstrates excellence is not something that can be achieved alone. We are greater together and finding your team of supporters in your career journey is essential to achieving success. No matter how you define that success,” says Deborah.
GET IN TOUCH
Like us, if you are inspired by the incredible success stories and journeys of our Olympians and Paralympians and seeking clarity about your career trajectory or an employer looking to ignite your teams’ potential, contact:
Libby Marshall
Head of Client Services 07 3805 5837 or 0400 394 903
https://www.linkedin.com/in/limarshall/
At OnTalent we specialise in executive recruitment services tailored to the Brisbane market. Contact us today on 07 3305 5800 to learn how we can help you identify and attract top executive talent to drive your organisation’s success.
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