In all of the years I have coached professionals (even before I started my company), I have been amazed at how many of them have done little to no planning for their career. People plan dates, vacations, for a family, and even retirement, but don’t put much rigor into planning their career.
When I ask why not, I hear things like:
- “I thought it would just happen”
- “I didn’t want to limit my options”
- “I’m not good at planning”
- “I just didn’t think about it”
Wow! An activity that will occupy 35-40 years or more of your life, play a major role in your standard of living, and take up more of your day than your family and friends combined, yet…..no plan.
Consider this, if you wanted to take a driving vacation with family or friends out of town, would you just get in your car and start driving? Or, would you select a destination, determine the route (okay, GPS does this today!), select your wardrobe and other items to pack, pack them, determine lodging, fill up your gas tank, etc.? Without having at least a partial plan for the trip, how do you think the trip will turn out? Probably not as well as it should. You may not even make it out of your city!
The same thing holds true for your career. If you don’t at least have a destination, a career goal, and an outline for how you’ll get there, your career probably won’t turn out as well as it should.
If you don’t know where you’re going, anywhere will do, right? Or will it?
Start planning.
Until next time….
