Career Game Plans

by Julie Kratz www.NextPivotPoint.com

Research shows that when we have a plan, our chances of achieving career success are 80% higher.  Those that set goals for themselves achieve higher rates of success in their careers.  Knowing what we want, and having a plan to get there is pivotal.  Whether it’s taking our careers to an even higher level, pivoting industries or functional areas, or advancing to a leadership role, high potential women in career transition wrestle with having a solid game plan to facilitate success.

In coaching women in career transition, we believe that there is a solution to this challenge:  The Career Game Plan.  It is a simple four-step process.  It is unique to us, and defines what success looks like.  It fits on one-page and is easily shared with our managers, mentors, and coaches.  It paints the picture of what good looks like, with a clear road map to get there.  First, we must be able to articulate what we want, and what we are uniquely skilled to do – our purpose statement.  Then, we build goals to support our purpose coming to fruition.  We then brainstorm the competencies and action steps to achieve our goals.

Picture a tree – its roots, trunk, branches, and leaves.  In many ways the Career Game Plan process resembles a tree.  Our purpose statements are the roots.  Our purposes are the basis for everything we do.  They are deeply connected to who we are and what we stand for, strengthening over time.  A strong tree grows outward through its branches, which are similar to the goals of our plans.  A tree’s branches need a strong base to rest on, the trunk.  The trunk is vital to the stability of the tree, just as our competencies are for our plans.  Competencies are the skills, behaviors, and/or attributes that define how we will fulfill our purposes and achieve our goals.  Then, a tree expands with its leaves.  These are the shorter term action steps we take to achieve our longer term goals.  With a strong base of roots, the tree grows.  Just as a strong purpose does for our Career Game Plan.

In our book, Coaching Perspectives IV, we will unpack the four essential elements of a winning career game plan: 1) a purpose statement, 2) goals, 3) competencies, and 4) actions, with all the tools to build your very own winning Career Game Plan.

Read more in the full chapter of Coaching Perspectives VI.