Roadmap

Annoyed with your customers, suppliers, co-workers, and boss? Just putting in your time, "working for the man", for the paycheck?

For some people, this unfortunate scenario is all too real - but why should it be? For many others bad bosses and dull jobs are convenient excuses for a different, underlying problem: no career roadmap. If you don't know where you're going, you won't know which direction to head.

Before you say "this isn't me" (or "this couldn't be me"), consider these questions:

• Before you took your current job, did you know what skills the job would teach you?
• Do you know what possible career paths there are for you at your present employer? Do you know which interests you the most?
• Have you spoken to your manager about the skills you should master to qualify for that next role?
• How much of your personal time have you invested in professional development and training activities?

Most people don't think about these questions, let alone have positive answers to them.

Without a career roadmap, you don't know where you're going, and you'll never know when you've arrived at your destination. While it still may be true that your current job isn't perfect, if it fits into your career roadmap - and you see it as a stepping stone to your next role - at least your mindset might be a bit different.

This week's action item: There are many reasons for job dissatisfaction - and not having a career roadmap is one of them. Start the career roadmap process by working through the above four questions.

Make It Happen Tipsheet
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Copyright © 2007 Knowledge to Action Press and Randall Craig. All rights reserved.

Publication Date: September 11, 2007