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.

6 Conscious Practical Steps to Take After You Are Laid Off

One of the things that dawned on me as I began writing this piece was that nobody said to me when I lost my job that it was shit.

Now, I'm not one to run away from emotions so I wanted to say today yeah, it is shit and I can relate and be empathetic.

Here is some practical advice with layers of empathetic energy from my head and heart.

I hope it helps.

1. Allow yourself to process the grief then breathe.

It's shit, I get it and I have been there. Be comfortable sitting with the ego-bruising it brings but also be self-compassionate.

Go easy on yourself as you begin to find your future focus. Without healing, there can be no harmony with your future professional self.

2. Create the space to curate a list of your strengths and weaknesses.

I guarantee there will be more strength.

3. Tell people you lost your job and are looking for a new one.

Once you have healed open up and allow opportunities to show up. That is not to say you won't have to do the work, you do but if you don't put it out there it can never come back to you.

You don't have to feel shame. I guarantee you so many will relate and help you to create new focus and direction.

4. Consciously curate your entire network

Not only on LinkedIn but everyone who you have had a good experience with and learned from in your whole career. When you have the confidence and courage to reach out take a chance and do so.

When you reach out, people want to help especially in times like we are experiencing today.

5. "SEO" your LinkedIn

Use words that will help your profile be stand out recruiters. Put industry-relevant keywords in your Headline, About and Experience section. Find the right keywords by examining job descriptions, look at other people's LinkedIn profiles, and use a Google keyword tool.

And finally...

6. Embrace it

I know it may seem overwhelming but there is great excitement reinventing yourself. You can read my blog on my own reinvention here. Many people find they have been living a professional void for a long time. They have filled it with habits that have not served their benefit.

Now is a great time to fill that void with things you value and realign with resilience and direction.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you the best of success with your search and future career.

Feel free to check out my blog in more detail or my LinkedIn for daily tips and advice.

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