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Wasted at work

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Fed up woman with pile of paper at desk

My eyes opened more widely recently, more than usual, and I am not talking mascara.

It was a discussion in a workshop of high growth microbusinesses about waste.

Waste is everywhere, sometimes obvious, sometimes hidden until you shine a light on it.

Common waste includes:

• Having a gym membership and not using it
• Buying too much food and throwing it away
• Meetings with no agenda where nothing is decided
• Houses where nobody lives when many are homeless
• Procrastination because of fear and worry
• Lack of focus when spreading yourself thinly
• Queuing – for anything
• Cars on the move with one passenger stuck in a traffic jam
• Energy worrying about things you can’t influence

A lot of the time, waste in many situations is preventable or reducible.

What is your biggest waste?

What is it costing you? Time, money, potential?

Waste of talent in business and in careers is scarily common too:

• Talented mothers leaving careers because of inflexible working practices
• Employees feeling disengaged because their skills are being underutilised or promotion prospects blocked
• Graduates doing a menial job because there can’t get one of a higher level
• Cruising in a dead end job because of lack of confidence or fear of change
What would you add?

No wonder self-employment and portfolio careers are growing!

Research recently got my brain ticking over faster than a lawnmower’s first outing in Spring. Employee churn is reducing, employee engagement reducing, stress increasing, trust in management declining.

So where are the policies for job redesign, where do portfolio careers fit in workforce planning? Where are the career conversations around an individual’s values? From the outside looking in, hasn’t the world of work as we know it passed its sell-by date?

Do you feel your talent is being wasted, for whatever reason?

If so, isn’t it time we talked? My job is a talent liberator; I do what it says on the tin. Get in touch. rachel@liberateyourtalent.com

For more insights and tips, follow us on twitter:
https://twitter.com/talentliberator

“It isn’t where you came from; it’s where you’re going that counts.”
Ella Fitzgerald

What’s your career strategy and plan? Part 2 of 5.

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Archery target (Companies site services image without copy)

This is part 2 in a 5 part series about career strategy and planning.

Part 1 explored why people don’t have a career strategy and plan. This blog looks at why it makes sense to create a career strategy and plan.

“Purpose serves as a principle around which to organise our lives.” Anon.

Why create a career strategy and plan?

Here are some reasons why creating a strategy and plan is a good idea.

  • Increases the chance of career fulfilment
  • Making conscious decisions rather than falling into jobs or leaving your career to chance is wise
  • What you focus on is what you get
  • Having a career plan helps you to narrow down information and networking options in a world of growing information overload/overwhelm
  • Trends show that in future, people will need a higher level of skill and qualification so it helps you plan the time and money to achieve this
  • Competition is increasing with well qualified cheaper hungry to learn talent from ‘people rich’ countries e.g. India, Brazil, China
  • More and more jobs are being replaced by technology
  • Layers of management have been stripped out making getting a job for middle and senior management more competitive; differentiation and self-marketing is essential
  • It provides a horizon towards which you are always moving, whatever life/work throws at you
  • Helps you say ‘no’ to things so you avoid wasting time/energy
  • Stops you going down the wrong path and having regrets
  • Means you are less likely to make a mistake
  • Gives you a sense of control and purpose in uncertain and unpredictable times
  • Prevents other people/external events determining what happens
  • Helps you evolve your career and be proactive rather than reactive
  • Ensures a good fit between you and your work

What would you add?

Further blogs in this five part series will examine how to create a career strategy and plan, the opportunity cost of not doing this and some tips to help you.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain.

For more insights and tips, follow us on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/talentliberator

In case you missed it, here is part 1 of this 5 part series:

http://liberateyourtalent.wordpress.com/2013/04/07/whats-your-career-strategy-and-plan-part-1-of-5/

 

 

 

Want to improve your career prospects? Part 2 of 3.

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Growing sunflowers (Better Business)

Then it’s time to get ‘learning hungry’.

What action will you take today to grow and improve your career prospects?

Being in the same role can get a bit stale after a while, even if it feels like you are doing the workload of two people, and it’s important to protect your position with lots of younger, cheaper keen people snapping at your heels for your job!.

You need to take responsibility for your own career development and strategy if you are going to improve your career prospects. This is important to improve your CV and marketability for a new and better job, whether internally or externally.

This blog, part 2 of 3 shares 10 tips, many of them costing nothing but time to improve your career prospects by building your knowledge, skills and experience.

  1. Organise a sabbatical
  2. Do a role swap 
  3. Job shadow someone
  4. Get an executive coach
  5. Attend a conference
  6. Get a mentor
  7. Join and be active in a new LinkedIn group
  8. Watch a Ted video
  9. Volunteer for a charity
  10. Work alongside an external consultant 

What tips would you add? Doing just 1 of these 10 tips will make a difference over time to your career prospects. It is easy to do nothing or put it off.

As a career, talent, and learning & development strategist and coach, or ‘talent liberator’ I get involved in skill and behaviour change in various contexts with both individuals and organisations.

For more useful insights and tips, follow us on Twitter. Click on this link:

https://twitter.com/talentliberator

Want to improve your career prospects? Part 1 of 3.

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Desk falling apart being held together with splints

Then it’s time to get ‘learning hungry’.

Being in the same role can get a bit stale after a while, even if it feels like you are doing the workload of two people, and it’s important to protect your position with lots of younger, cheaper keen people snapping at your heels for your job!.

I have always had an insatiable curiosity to learn new things and my career has evolved as a result, leading me into writing books, articles and creating content.

With all these factors at play at present:

  • economic growth slow;
  • L&D budgets squeezed;
  • informal learning growing;
  • more competition for jobs;
  • a higher level of skill and qualification for roles than in the past;
  • employees staying put for perceived security;
  • digital revolution;
  • more exacting standards by employers; and
  • universities starting to offer free courses on-line

you need to take responsibility for your own career development and strategy if you are going to improve your career prospects. This is important to improve your CV and marketability for a new and better job, whether internally or externally.

This blog, part 1 of 3 shares 10 tips, many of them costing nothing but time to improve your career prospects by building your knowledge, skills and experience.

  1. Increase your span of control e.g. decision making
  2. Cover for others on leave
  3. Get exposure to other departments and roles
  4. Do a role swap or Secondment
  5. Do desk/web research about a new knowledge/skill area
  6. Champion/manage change
  7. Volunteer to gain a leadership skill, e.g. raising money for charity, chairing a committee
  8. Take on a stretch assignment
  9. Spend time with managers cross function
  10. Make customer visits

What tips would you add? Doing just 1 of these 10 tips will make a difference over time to your career prospects. It is easy to do nothing or put it off.

As a career, talent, and learning & development strategist and coach, or ‘talent liberator’ I get involved in skill and behaviour change in various contexts with both individuals and organisations.

Ask yourself these self-reflective questions:

  • What is my career strategy?
  • What are my learning objectives?
  • What competencies do I need to develop to improve my promotion prospects and marketability?
  • What new skills would broaden my horizons and career options?
  • How much time am I making each month to build my skills, knowledge and experience?
  • What’s stopping me from making this a higher priority?

For more useful insights and tips, follow us on Twitter. Click on this link:

https://twitter.com/talentliberator