There have been a lot of goal setting and planning posts everywhere, on every corner of the internet, the last few weeks.
And that's great. Planning is great.
But if you never implement all of that planning it means little more than… nothing.
I had a whole discussion with my business bestie the other day about how planning can sometimes be a fancy-pants, pseudo productive version of procrastination. About how we can get so bogged down in the planning that things never actually get done and definitely don’t get done any differently than they have before.
And the reason you're putting all of these goals and plans in place is to be bigger, to be better, to do more than before. So what does that mean? Where does that leave you?
It means you need to take action. Not huge actions. Not big, blow up the system, screw all plans, actions but small, sometimes totally imperfect, big time baby steps ... actions.
I don't want you to get bogged down in the planning. I want you to get moving on the actions so I put together 3 ways to make major career moves here for you below.
Do one of these tiny actions each week and you'll see major career mojo:
1. Email a different industry connection each day this week.
Keeping your network up-to-date, warm and dynamic is genuinely the best thing you can do for your career.
Keeping yourself top-of-mind, keeping yourself informed, keeping yourself connected can do exponentially more than a bag full of specialized skills and deep dive know how.
The old adage ‘it's not what you know but who you know’ truly is a force. People recommend other people that they know, like and trust. Someone else may know more than you but if you know the right person … the job is yours. The project is yours. The corner office is yours.
Continue to build that know, like and trust factor throughout the year and your career will expand in leaps and bounds.
2. Follow one industry leader, innovator or insider each day on some social platform.
Interact with them. Get to know them and they’ll get to know you. You’ll be surprised what kind of mentorship and opportunity can come from being actively engaged on the socials.
Another old adage to take in here is: ‘the only way to get better at tennis by playing someone better than you’.
This goes for most things. To become better at something, anything, you need to be challenged, you need to be questioned, you need to have to fend off a few serves flying at your face at full force.
The best way to be challenged is through mentorship, guidance, and inspiration. You can find those things by becoming immersed in the worlds of leaders, innovators, and insiders within your industry.
Follow them, interact with them, get to know what they know, and ideally get them to know you!
3. Research.
Spend a few minutes this week researching your industry and your role. Check out industry news, research your company’s competitors, research the salaries for your role, research how/what tech will be changing your role.
Information and learning are keys to growing.
Knowledge truly is power. The more you know about your role within the industry and what makes you unique and impactful, the more bargaining power you have when it comes to getting the initiatives you want, being on the team you want, and getting the money you deserve.
Spend this week learning all you can but don't let it only be this week. Keep on top of this info. Don't let it go stale. Make sure you're in the know and use that knowledge.
None of these actions take a ton of work, but they do take action. Just take these tiny steps and they will lead to major career mojo and big-time growth!
Yours in career moves goodness,
EBS
P.S. If you’re ready for the big time growth, (yup time is going as fast as you think it is) head HERE.
