I sat in the big auditorium back in my corporate job with about 100 people in the room and many others who joined remotely. We were listening to a career panel discussion put on by the employee resource group called Women@Kraft that I led. Some amazing women were up on stage and shared their stories of how they got to their current position.
I had what is known as an accidental career.
Every time it was time for a new role, a manager would suggest that I look at this new role or I was placed into it. (Let me share a strong belief that I had at the time. You couldn’t say no when a role was offered to you or you may not get another opportunity.) Don’t get me wrong, I learned so much and was given opportunities that were amazing for me and the teams that I led. It all happened the way it was supposed to for me to get to where I am now. I didn’t realize it until that moment sitting in that panel discussion though.
A strategic career plan is a good thing, right?
All of these smart amazing women planned out their careers. When I say planned, they literally created a plan! They put together what they were good at, what they had done and made a plan for where they wanted to go. I looked back on my own career. Other than the first job in sales that I took at the company, I hadn’t planned the rest of it! (It was a big “aha” moment for me.)
If I would have had a well thought out strategic plan for my career, it would have shown focus, intention and clarity for others to help me achieve it. People want to help you, but you have to give them the roadmap that you want to be on.
Tony Robbins is quoted as saying, “Energy flows where attention goes.”
Where you focus your time and attention is where your energy goes. If you haven’t created a plan for your career, take the time to do it. It is a good time at the end of the year and as you are preparing for next year. Ask yourself some key questions. Can you achieve what you want at your current company? What else do you need to learn? What roles do you need to move into next to achieve the big career goal that you have?