Saturday, 12 December 2015
8 Steps to Create a Winning Career Growth Plan for 2016
Where were you in your career this time last year? Does your answer describe the exact same place, position and salary you were in last year?
If so, it’s time for a career growth plan to transform your success and take control over your career.
There’s nothing wrong with taking your time to achieve a goal, or to even set a goal to maintain and thrive in your current position. But staying in "idle" for too long can derail your ambitions and leave you wondering where the rest of your colleagues went as they raced up the ladder to success. Here are eight steps to lay out a career growth plan that puts you in the driver’s seat:
1. Reflect on 2015.
Kickstart your career growth plan by reflecting on your failures, successes and near hits and misses from 2015. Take some time to consider what you learned and enjoyed from the last year and what you want to leave behind. Get some clarity by documenting your milestones on how you directly impacted your job and company with your skills and contributions.As you’re going through this process, don’t write down just general thoughts. Get specific. If, for example, you did N200,000 in sales as a salesperson, knowing that number will allow you to set better growth milestones for 2016 (say, to improve your sales by 5 percent, to N210,000). If your biggest goal was to sell more, and all you wrote down was “Increase sales,” you wouldn’t know whether N150,000 or N250,000 represented an increase over your 2015 numbers.
The more you can chart out and visualize your strengths, weakness, likes and dislikes, the easier you'll find it to design a career growth plan that works.
2. Research job trends.
Before diving headfirst into a growth plan, stop to research current job and career trends. It may not be realistic to pivot and change careers right now, or it may be entirely possible to make some advancements, with careful planning and new certifications or degrees. Either way, you won’t know until you’ve done some solid research on where your field is heading.Your career growth plan can also include researching thriving side business you could start in your spare time. Steve Chou, for example, launched a wedding linen business with his wife and earned $100,000 in their first year of business. He still holds down a day job while maintaining a popular blog and ecommerce course.
3. Identify your new career goals.
Once you’ve reflected on what went right and wrong in 2015 and researched job trends, start charting out your new career goals. But it’s not enough to sit around and daydream about all the fantasies associated with stepping into your new career. Brainstorm how to make each goal happen whether you're taking on new responsibilities at work or earning a new degree.As an example, suppose your big aim for 2016 is to make a lateral move within your company to a department you believe offers better growth potential and more personal fulfilment. Answering the following questions will help you chart a course to achieve this goal:
- Do I need to pursue any additional education? If so, how long will it take to complete? Where will I get that education? Are there any prerequisites I need to fulfill ahead of time?
- Whom do I need on my side? How can I get my current boss on board? How can I connect with stakeholders and decision-makers in my new department?
- What kind of work can I do now to prepare myself for the transition? Is there anything I can do that goes above and beyond to prove my value to my new department? Can I begin helping out on any projects within the department?
4. Create your own career marketing plan,
It’s up to you to turn your career into a thriving venture and position yourself as a coveted asset. Create your own marketing plan to generate buzz and give your credibility a boost.One way to do that is to sign-up with a site like HARO, where you’ll get alerts from journalists looking for input and expert quotes for their articles; and add press clips about yourself to your LinkedIn profile or online portfolio. Even one quote in a reputable publication can help advance your career goals.
5. Grow your network.
It’s never too early -- or too late -- to grow your network, whether through LinkedIn or attendance at local events in your area. Make curating your LinkedIn contacts a priority, and offer to lend a hand or some advice. Offer to connect others to members of your network that could help them, without expecting anything in return.The more you organically grow your network by being generous and sincere, the greater your chances of being someone worth remembering.
6. Make a big commitment.
What kind of commitment are you willing to make for yourself and your career? If sitting around and wishing for a big change hasn’t gotten you anywhere in 2015, make a new resolution to take action. Invest in a career coach, training or classes to hone new skills and credentials for your resume. Look at spending money on yourself, whether through career counseling or a much-needed investment, like a laptop upgrade.7. Write down your goals.
Writing out your goals may seem too simple to really work, but there’s a science behind that exercise. Jordan Peterson from the University of Toronto's psychology department experimented in goal setting and expressive writing. And the results were stunning. Students reported turning their lives around, beating addictions, changing their majors and realizing their goals.8. Celebrate your successes.
Taking the time to celebrate successes is just as important as charting out your path to success. Without acknowledging your accomplishments, without properly paying them respect, you’re likely to miss the fact that they ever really happened.Co-author of The Geek Gap Minda Zetlin wrote about missing out on enjoying her successes and the isolation she felt in setting empty goals and not celebrating them. She recommended setting both small and big goals and celebrating their successes as a means to enjoying the journey along the way. A little bragging and thinking about your life beyond your career can also help give your confidence a boost and help create more meaning.
What’s on your career growth plan for 2016, and how do you plan to get there? Share your best insights by leaving a comment below:
Pastor’s son beheads 11-year-old girl in Delta state for ritual
Photos: Pastor’s son beheads 11-year-old girl in Delta state for ritual
According to The Sun, when interrogated, Silas said he was lured to commit the crime by his friend, Christian.
"It was his brother who is in Ghana that gave us the contract. He promised to pay us N50,000 and also help us to relocate to Ghana. I started monitoring the Igbi’s family because I know that they used to leave their children at home and go out. Luckily on November 28, 2015, I visited their house and as God will have it, their elder sister, Janet said that she wanted to go to school for evening lesson. I was excited that I was left alone with the much younger ones. I sat down on the rug and was watching cartoon network with Aghogho. While she was busy enjoying herself, I dragged her head back and sliced her throat. I rushed to the next room where Favour was sleeping and tried to do the same but she woke up and started struggling with me. I tried to slice her throat but she started screaming. I only managed to stab her in the head but her screams were too much that neighbours were attracted. I was about to escape when neighbours caught me. I am the son of the General Overseer of God Peculiar Evangelical Ministry, Sapele, Delta State. I am ashame of myself because my family especially my dad will be disappointed in me. I was not satisfied with the little money that we made in the church that is why I wanted to travel to Ghana to make money. I was deceived that until we get human head that we will not succeed. He promised to pay N50,000 for each human head”, he confessed.
Favour,
the sister of the deceased who survived the attack said “We attended
church vigil the previous night and I was in the room sleeping. I heard
when someone was at the door, but since my sisters were around I assumed
that they will attend to the visitor. I heard when my elder sister,
Janet left the house and told Silas to relax since he is a close friend
of the family. In less
than 10 minutes, I noticed that someone was trying to suffocate me with
the pillow. I was shocked that it was Silas but since it was no longer a
joke, I struggled to free myself from his grip. I kept screaming and he
used a knife to stab me in the head. I was lucky that someone heard my
voice and rushed to the room. He was later arrested while he was trying
to escape through the roof. I
rushed out to the palour and saw that he had beheaded my sister. I
don’t know the kind of devil that entered into him that he had to kill
my sister,” she said crying
The
Delta state Police Commissioner, Usman Baba Alkali while confirming
the incident, said investigation was ongoing while detectives are still
on the trail of Silas's accomplice, Christian and his brother who is
based in Ghana.
The Probe continues to un-earth more secrets
An accounts
officer to the former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki
(ret.), has revealed that he frequently paid cash to a former
presidential spokesman, Doyin Okupe.
Ibrahim Idris Wambai, who held the post of accounts officer 11 in Mr. Dasuki’s Office of National Security Adviser, made the revelations in his witness statement attached to the criminal charges filed against the former NSA, a former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, a former Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda, and Mr. Bafarawa’s son, Sagir.
Mr. Wambai also disclosed that the former NSA paid former Vice President Namadi Sambo a monthly “stipend” of N20 million. The account officer’s statement disclosed that the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan spent more than N18.2 billion in a political campaign tagged “Operation Capture North West.” The funds were reportedly channeled through Mr. Bafarawa in a series of cash transactions that involved the NSA and the former Minister of State for Finance.
Mr. Wambai disclosed that the records of all cash payments to individuals and organizations involved in the shady money sharing transactions are still intact, according to his statement of witness/accused person filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory. The certified statement on oath is part of the proof of evidence in the trial of nine suspects scheduled to begin next week.
Mr. Wambai indicated that several aides of former President Jonathan were recipients of the slush funds. His document revealed that funds were frequently collected by a former Deputy Chief of Staff, the aide de camp (ADC) to the former president, the chief personal physician to Mr. Jonathan, the former coordinator on anti-terrorism, General Sarkin Yaki, a former Director of PC4, General Terba Waya (ret.), and the ex-president’s personal assistant on Domestic Affairs. The witness was unable to disclose the exact amount paid to each beneficiary, but disclosed that the figures were available in cash payment files that still exist.
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