Managing your career potential is necessary in today’s competitive world. Your job may not last, but you are in control of your career. Never let your potential be tied to your job. Your boss is in control if you think your employment is what matters. You are what matters.
Be Ready To Pivot
I was laid off six times during economic hiccups. I had chosen to work in more entrepreneurial environments, but even in jobs with larger companies the security was not there. Having served as the marketing manager for a large 100 year old law firm I assumed the company would last. But it dissolved without notice and I was out of work. For many this could have ended their ambition. But I owned my career potential and was always ready to pivot in a new direction.
Work Past The Fear
Many people get nervous about what could happen in their career and get paralyzed by fear. When fear takes over we may or may not make the best choices. And it is not just fear of failure. Some are scared of the unknown. Others have fear of the unknown.
Do not let fear stop you from doing the things you need to do in career planning. Work through the fear. Take ownership of your life and build a real understanding of what you are capable of achieving.
(See the video below about managing your potential – and working through fear)
What Is The Worst That Can Happen?
Pay attention to the worst case scenario and make plans to beat that situation. Then no matter what else comes along you are clear it is not the worst. If you have plans, you will always be able to manage your career potential.
Managing Your Career Potential
As a corporate speaker my topic is about managing your potential. Your career path may or may not play out the way you hope. The ability to tap into your potential at any moment and find the grit to move forward is how the best behave.
When a company brings me into speak to their team, my interactive program is about how people identify the gap between their potential and performance. When you are aware of what is holding you back, you are able to move ahead. To manage your career potential you have to get your head out of the sand.
Get Help
Top athletes have coaches. Tiger Woods recent win at The Masters was a performance that makes legends. But Tiger did not recreate his career, health and personal life by himself. His success was not an accident. He certainly had the career potential to come back to the top over the past 11 years, but potential alone does not equal results. He had people around him who helped him fine tune his skills.
The best companies bring in outside speaker and consultants to help them see past their blind spots and figure out how to manage their career potential. Smart individuals find their own mentors and coaches.
Get Unstuck
Having had hundreds of conversations with people about their career potential, I am finding many people feel lost or stuck. You do not have to be “stuck in the middle” any longer. Your have the power to do more and move toward your potential.
You will never reach your full potential (don’t tell your mom, it will make her sad). As you move through life you will take a class, listen to a podcast, find a mentor, or otherwise expand your potential. Thus you should not look at career potential as an endgame.
Take Action
Career potential alone is useless. Potential does not equal performance. To get what you want in your career you must take actions. Yet here is the key: You must take the right actions. Doing busy work on any actions will not advance you forward. You must have a plan and then reverse engineer what actions will move you forward.
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Thom Singer is a motivational speaker and professional master of ceremonies / EmCee. He is the host of the Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do podcast and the author of 12 books. He can be booked via his website or through your favorite speakers bureau.