New Year, New You: Take Control of Your Career
January is often considered a time for new beginnings, both personally and professionally. We’ve taken another trip around the sun and worked away another year of our lives. That’s why as a career management coach I’m encouraging you to take control of your career in 2025, instead of letting your career control you.
Even if you’re already successful in your current situation, going through the motions doesn’t prepare you for the unexpected. Taking a passive stance is likely to set you up for eventual dissatisfaction.
Instead, investing the time in to stay curious, share your goals for accountability, and being open to possibilities gives you the agility to make a move when the opportunity arises.
What does proactive career management look like?
Proactive career management is not just about finding a job when you need one.
It’s not a switch that you turn only when you need a job at that moment.
It’s about actively choosing to manage your career on a regular basis and maintaining your readiness to move forward in your career when it’s needed or wanted.
It’s about finding a position that suits you, succeeding in that position, building strategic relationships, and working to achieve your career goals.
How exactly do you take control of managing your career?
To stay on an intentional career path requires strategic choices and continual planning along your career journey.
Many things can happen that you can’t control on that journey - mergers, acquisitions, layoffs, etc. But what if you let 2025 be the year that you take control of what you CAN by carving out time to deliberately and proactively manage your career with consistency and intention?
When you have an intentional plan that you’re actively implementing rather than a “set it and forget it” type of attitude, you’re always ready for the unexpected.
That doesn't have to mean big changes, but small and steady ones. One of the best ways to clarify what the changes should be is to spend some time reflecting on the year that just ended. January is an excellent month for reflection, to look back and see not just where things fell short, but where things went right, and how to get more of that in your career in this new year.
This Forbes article Take Charge of Your Career: Develop Your Own Success Metrics does a beautiful job articulating HOW to do this, and also WHY.
What Steps Can You Take to Proactively Manage Your Career?
Reserve time on your calendar. Whether it’s to reflect on the past year, or to plan what your next move is going to be, commit to yourself by scheduling time for this. You’ll be clear, organized, and confident in your strategy.
Share your plan. When you tell someone else, like a mentor, manager, friend, networking colleagues, (or coach!) you’re establishing support and creating accountability.
Implement a networking strategy. Who is in your network? How often will you go to events? How many one-to-one calls do you want to have each month? What’s your strategy for staying in touch?
Focus on building strengths. There are plenty of ways to learn - books, podcasts, courses - to stay curious and current.
Proactive career management helps you achieve your goals, derive satisfaction from your career, stay current and relevant in your profession, and maintain beneficial relationships in your industry.
As a proactive career management supporter, I’ve helped many professionals take the reins and navigate their career paths with ease and confidence. If you’re not sure where to start, I offer a complimentary call so we can discuss how you can take control of your career.
To borrow a phrase from a famous footwear manufacturer: Just Do It.