17 jobs over five careers in a lifetime.

This is the new norm according to a 2017 report released by the Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) that was published in The Sydney Morning Herald. Now more so than ever, workers across the globe are being challenged to take control of their own careers – none more so than professionals and executives.

“You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself.” Jim Rohn

This may come across as blunt but it has to be said: no one is responsible for your career besides you. It’s a bit similar to our health in many ways. If someone was constantly putting toxins into their body willingly, at a certain point, they need to take personal responsibility for the consequences they may face down the track (or perhaps, sooner than they may even realise).

The reality is, you can sit in as many weekly catch-ups with your manager and participate in as many Performance Reviews as is standard at your organisation…you can tell your boss and colleagues that you feel content with your role, that you’re happy to take on every challenge that comes your way, that you’re not feeling stressed or dealing with anxiety due to an unrealistic workload. I could go on forever. But at the end of the day, only you have access to the 100% truth of your personal situation.

Are you:

• Tired of constantly feeling stretched and overwhelmed?
• Bored and wishing your organisation invested more in your growth as a potential long-term employee?
• Just not getting what you need out of your day job, but not sure why this could be?
• Not excited and concerned about the changes that you can see on the horizon – digital transformation or people?
• Staying because it’s easier than the unknown?
• Unsure of your own value and needs?

Giving ourselves enough time and personal space to think and really sift through these important questions and answers is a must in today’s highly competitive workplace environment. Knowing where your heart and mindset is at is not enough – you need to take action and let’s face it, most professionals and executives don’t do anything about what isn’t fulfilling them career-wise, preferring instead to focus on the now and on their current role.

Sound familiar?

If it does, you’re certainly not alone. I get it! We’re all busy and are forced to prioritise what’s most important on a daily basis…plus, there are only so many hours in the day.

Here’s what you really need to know and realise.

Your career is really important! Your career will provide for the future…and not only provide food for you and your family, but ensure you have a long-lasting and satisfying career. We spend over 90,000 hours at work therefore, you need to be feeding your career with the right information and knowledge to ensure your skills are relevant for tomorrow and that you are enjoying and even thriving in your work. 

If you haven’t been feeding your career adequately up to now – with the right information, skills and networks, then it’s time to make this change.

When did you last have a career conversation with yourself? One of those really honest and potentially confronting conversations? If you can’t remember, it’s been too long.

In my line of work, I see it all:

• Those who are driven and are always looking for the next role
• Those who have been ‘forced’ to consider their career in the most unfortunate of situations – termination either mutual or redundancy
• Those who don’t get the internal promotions they are applying for
• Those with burnout and realise how unhappy they have been in their current roles and the impact this has on their mental and physical health   
• Those who see internal changes coming and have either experienced enough change or are not prepared and way outside of their comfort zone and skill-set.

None of these situations are ideal ways to be pondering and mapping out your future but you do have to start somewhere.  So take back control and do something today!

Your career currency is vital to your future and it doesn’t get enough air time with most professionals. Explained simply, career currency is based on all of the things you have and do – capability, attitudes and behaviours – that see you being rewarded and valued in a workplace, networks and your knowledge – technical, industry etc.

Career currency is somewhat set by the market itself – what do organisations and hiring managers now require? The answer being currency of skills, attitudes, behaviours and performance. There is no doubt that career currency is critical for ongoing employment, which means you need to consider what currency you have to trade. Ideally, before you’re forced to!

If you’re ready to plan a brighter future, you don’t have to go through this alone. At OnTalent, we’ll talk you through your career, your choices for the future and we’ll be there to remind you that you are in the driver’s seat. That means you pick the right road to take for you, even if that means a U-turn and a complete change of direction. Gaining confidence and a technical tune-up on your existing skills, motivations and attitudes, will only help you towards the career you know you can have and deserve.

Invest in your future now!

Deborah Wilson is a Thought Leader in Executive Careers. She takes a personalised approach to strategic career coaching and career transitions, mentoring and leadership development. Deborah provides expert guidance for individuals while supporting organisations through change and connecting people and purpose. Call Deborah on +61 403 779 746. www.ontalent.com.au