What is your competitive career strategy?

In terms of organisational strategy, Michael Porter describes strategy as:

"Competitive strategy is about being different. It means deliberately choosing a different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value."

So how do we do apply this approach to our career change or existing career paths?

We learn how to define, express and communicate our purpose to show where we can impact by creating our career mission, vision and value statements to honour our objectives and what we are trying to achieve. 

Think of the brands you value. How do they define their purpose? 

Your mission: What is it you want to do? If your role or industry didn't exist tomorrow, would it matter to the world? How will you show you can make a difference?

Your vision: What do you want to achieve in the future? What do you want your life and career to look like in 10 years or more? How does that sit with your personal and professional values?

Your values: What is important to you? What does it give you? Why does it matter? These are the underlying core principles that will build your career strategy.

Your objectives: What is your competitive advantage? What is the ROI to invest in you? What is the ROI for others to invest in you?

All of your strategy statements and objectives have to be realistic. You should have the capabilities to deliver them and measure them and your efforts to determine how successful you have been or will be. 

What you want to do now to gain a competitive advantage is to leverage all these statements to gain a competitive advantage and position yourself to enter new positions or industries. 

To begin working on your personal career strategy, you can book a one-off session initially to explore more here.

Do You Know Why Your Work and Your Story is Important?

I've been in my career transition now since my redundancy in 2015. I'm at a stage in my life and career where what I do matters so much it is a part of me. It is value-driven so it is intentional. My souls purpose as such. 

I'm damned if I'm going to give it up without a fight. I made it past my third year in business. That is an achievement in its own right! But I'm still not taking a salary for myself.

I never bullshit people in this regard. I have had to make major adjustments to my life and spending to pull off this career transition. For many clients I work with who are planning full 360's we work on exit strategies that are years out. Being a former broker I advocate people ensure money is not going to be a crutch in a career change. Risk assessment is my thing.

But I am blessed that I have made enough in the past year to reinvest in myself as a professional and my business. Up until now, I have been backing myself. And there will be times again in this process that I will have to do that again.

But that is a risk I am prepared to take because I know why my work and my story is important. Deep down I know how difficult it would be for me to return to do work for the sake of a paycheck. I need it to mean something and so my transition continues. 

Soul not for sale so the show must go on.

I believe in my work. I believe in myself. I know that it will work out. Before I wandered through my past life without any narrative. I believed in nothing. When we don't take the time to know our story and the value it brings to our soul's purposes we wander. 

We can get bored. 

We can get lost. 

With no direction, the internal conflict ends up being the compass. We keep ending up somewhere we are not meant to be. There is nothing worse than staying somewhere we don't belong. Somewhere that doesn't nourish our personal or professional growth. 

It's soul-destroying. If you choose growth and have no fear courage becomes the compass. 

• Who knows what is coming next?

• What do you believe about your work? 

• Why is it important?

Remember the day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit. Keep showing up even on the days you don't feel like it and plant some small seeds this week. Trust me it is worth going that extra mile. It is never crowded there.

Whether you know what you want to do next or you are still evaluating your options I can help you:

1. Imagine your other professional self

2. Identify the skill sets you need to progress in your career or transition to another industry

3. Assess the financial implications of the change you are considering

4. Assess new roles and learning without endangering your current role

5. Explain a long career narrative with confidence

6. Pitch yourself into a new role

If you feel like you need more guidance you can book a discounted one-off perspective session here

How To Help Yourself Gain Traction To Do Your Most Impactful Work

How can you help yourself gain traction on doing your most important work?

Making a life-changing decision to leave a job behind and build a career involves leading yourself with emotional courage. Here are four elements of leading yourself with emotional courage adapted from one of my WBECS Coaching Mentors Peter Bregman:

1. CONFIDENCE IN SELF

Helps you to be secure enough in not knowing. It takes a belief in yourself that it won’t destroy you if everyone points at you and says you are crazy. You’re connected with yourself, and stay grounded in the face of failure or uncertainty or success. You don’t get thrown around by the winds of life. You’re ok with knowing things and can accept feedback without getting defensive.

2. CONNECTION TO OTHERS

If you have confidence but aren’t connected to others, you’re going to lose people. You will appear arrogant, even if you’re not. If you’re super connected to others but not confident in yourself, you’ll give yourself away to please the people around you.

3. COMMITMENT TO PURPOSE

Less about brilliant ambitious vision but more about focus. Do we focus on what’s most important to us? It’s about clarity and focus on your most important work. Do you spend your energy on what makes the biggest difference?

4. EMOTIONAL COURAGE

Works symbiotically with the previous three. COMMITMENT TO PURPOSE and EMOTIONAL COURAGE are the two key elements that will have the greatest benefit of increasing your chances of making a career change in the future.

What’s stopping you? EMOTIONAL COURAGE - THE WILLINGNESS TO FEEL If you are willing to feel everything, you can do anything and move through any challenge.

Emotional courage is at the root of all forward momentum.

If you need further guidance you can book an online discounted once-off perspective session here