Often we know that something needs to change in our career, but it’s hard to pinpoint where to start. Try this quick exercise to help you focus your goals on the right areas.
- Identify 8 key areas of your career. Here are some suggestions: Money, Location, Work-life balance, Personal growth, People I work with, Company ethics, Meaning & purpose, Use of my strengths, Career progression, Status, Challenge, Office environment/facilities… etc.
- Draw a circle with 8 segments, one for each area.
- For each area, score out of 10, where 10 is very satisfied and 1 is very unsatisfied – see example below for how to mark this on your wheel.
- Then ask yourself the following questions:
- For each area, what is happening in my career today that has led me to these scores? Write down one statement per area.
- What are the top 2 or 3 areas that I need to focus on as a priority? This may not be the 3 lowest scores, but what feels a priority for you at this time.
- For each area, what is happening in my career today that has led me to these scores? Write down one statement per area.
- For these high priority areas, write down in the present tense what is happening in your career when this becomes a 10. E.g. “I am now scoring 10 on work-life balance because…”. Include as much detail as possible.
- Identify one action, however small, that you can start on this week to move you closer to your 10. It could be talking to someone, doing some research online, booking onto a training course, getting involved with an interest group at work… etc.
Further reflections…
Has anything surprised you? What are your ideal scores for the priority areas in 6 months time? What do you need to do to maintain the higher scores?
