By David Holland
Business coach, author and trainer
Is your Career on track...?Are you where you thought you would be by now...?Are you in a Rut...?A Rut is just a coffin with the ends kicked out...For too many people, their career has turned into a job; a Just Over Broke. The fun has gone out of it, the prospects look dismal, their boss is an idiot and the co-workers are a bunch of narcissistic psychopaths...
What went wrong...?It certainly wasn't supposed to be like this - when you were at University you had the world at your feet; anything was possible and you were out to make a difference...
Now, however, you find yourself commuting for 3 hours, doing repetitive semi skilled work, being told to do "more with less..." while sitting on your IKEA office chair staring at a Dell computer screen crunching meaningless numbers into a faceless database...
You went wrong somewhere...?You gave up on your Dreams...?How much did they pay you to give up on your Dreams...?What can be done...?Well you can stop kidding yourself that next year is your year, that the promotion you've been waiting for will somehow magically appear on your desk, or that you boss will give you the amazing appraisal you think you deserve...
You have to take ACTION - and you don't have to wait for some nonsensical new years resolution to be made at midnight on the 31st December either...
I can remember (vaguely...) working for someone else - in fact I did it from the age of 15 until I was about 32...
I was really good at it - I was promoted, trained and transferred. I was headhunted, made CEO and given shares in the company too...
All the time I knew that I was doing my "apprenticeship" for my future career as a Business Owning Entrepreneur...
My career included playing with Guns for the Military, manufacturing, logistics, aviation, dance-sport, recruitment and even wring harness manufacturing for trucks...
All the while I knew that I was working toward something - I wasn't sure what, but I knew that if I gained enough experience and knowledge, I would have more choices...
I spent 12 years at night school, I have certificates in Underwater Welding, Power Press Safety and how to change a Grinding Wheel - I am a certified designer of Packaging for the Ministry of Defence, I've got a DMS and an MBA with Distinction...
While my friends were down the Pub, I was in the library, while they were on fancy holidays; we were camping in Devon..
So how can you get your Career and lifestyle on track for 2017..?Simply follow my 7 Point Plan for Life and Career Success - most of you won't like it because it looks too hard; but for those who "get it" the rewards are profound and long lasting...
Business coach, author and trainer
Is your Career on track...?Are you where you thought you would be by now...?Are you in a Rut...?A Rut is just a coffin with the ends kicked out...For too many people, their career has turned into a job; a Just Over Broke. The fun has gone out of it, the prospects look dismal, their boss is an idiot and the co-workers are a bunch of narcissistic psychopaths...
What went wrong...?It certainly wasn't supposed to be like this - when you were at University you had the world at your feet; anything was possible and you were out to make a difference...
Now, however, you find yourself commuting for 3 hours, doing repetitive semi skilled work, being told to do "more with less..." while sitting on your IKEA office chair staring at a Dell computer screen crunching meaningless numbers into a faceless database...
You went wrong somewhere...?You gave up on your Dreams...?How much did they pay you to give up on your Dreams...?What can be done...?Well you can stop kidding yourself that next year is your year, that the promotion you've been waiting for will somehow magically appear on your desk, or that you boss will give you the amazing appraisal you think you deserve...
You have to take ACTION - and you don't have to wait for some nonsensical new years resolution to be made at midnight on the 31st December either...
I can remember (vaguely...) working for someone else - in fact I did it from the age of 15 until I was about 32...
I was really good at it - I was promoted, trained and transferred. I was headhunted, made CEO and given shares in the company too...
All the time I knew that I was doing my "apprenticeship" for my future career as a Business Owning Entrepreneur...
My career included playing with Guns for the Military, manufacturing, logistics, aviation, dance-sport, recruitment and even wring harness manufacturing for trucks...
All the while I knew that I was working toward something - I wasn't sure what, but I knew that if I gained enough experience and knowledge, I would have more choices...
I spent 12 years at night school, I have certificates in Underwater Welding, Power Press Safety and how to change a Grinding Wheel - I am a certified designer of Packaging for the Ministry of Defence, I've got a DMS and an MBA with Distinction...
While my friends were down the Pub, I was in the library, while they were on fancy holidays; we were camping in Devon..
So how can you get your Career and lifestyle on track for 2017..?Simply follow my 7 Point Plan for Life and Career Success - most of you won't like it because it looks too hard; but for those who "get it" the rewards are profound and long lasting...
- Build your knowledge not your Income - Earn comes before Learn only in the dictionary; having an MBA just means you can flip burgers AND serve shakes...
- Your job is to get every piece of experience and real world knowledge you can. Get on every training programme, read a book a week, go to college; get yourself to seminars and workshops about any subject you can think of...
- Take every opportunity for advancement and change - I worked at 9 locations in 10 years...
- Focus on Personal Development as well as Professional Development - your attitude will determine your altitude...
- Contact authors of books and interview them - find out how entrepreneurs and CEO's think and behave...
- When a tough project comes along - volunteer. I have ended up painting grass green with paint once when I did this but usually it works out well...
- Say YES to opportunities and then go for it without fear - it's how we ended up running our own business, living in Las Vegas and now in France too...
- Stop Moaning - the number of times whilst I'm sat in airport lounges, restaurants or hotels I overhear the suited and booted moaning about their Boss, Job, Colleagues, Company etc. If you don't like your job - leave...
- Journey - every job, function or opportunity is simply a stepping stone to the next. I have worked machines, swept factories and planted seeds on a night shift; not great jobs, but hey led me to this point so they were all valuable...
- Vision - know what you want to do. 20 years ago Lynn and I wrote down what we wanted. It included working with people we like, adding value to others, travelling the world together and living abroad; guess what we ended up doing...!
- Timing - be early for everything. If you are on time and early for every meeting, appointment and start time, you'll stand out from the crowd immediately...
- Pleasant - be engaging and friendly. Sounds obvious but so many people are rude dismissive and arrogant, this simple technique alone will get you noticed...
- Good - be good at what you do, keep promises, show up and be present 100% of the time. Leave drama at home - no one is interested in your family problems; and if they are you shouldn't be hanging around with them...
- Value - consider. Do you add more value to your organisation than it costs them to employ you...? If you don't then you'll be fired or outsourced - find a way to add massive value and you will progress quickly...
- Earn the right. Remember the law of reciprocity - and even the Law of Attraction if you are into hugging trees; if you want to get ahead then earn it don't sit back and expect it. There are others who want what you do, you have to be better than them...
- Waiting. The fines Personal Development book in the world is not by Napoleon Hill, Dr Dyer or Tony Robbins; it's by Dr Seuss and it's called "Oh the places you'll go..." in this book he describes how people spend their lives in the waiting room, doing nothing just hanging around. Stop waiting and get on with it...
- Australians - have a saying for this "Don't be a #@£$..." and it's true. You can achieve all you want in life and business by being pleasant, courteous and "nice" to people...
- Attraction - life is a mirror and a magnet. If you want to attract positive ambitious supportive people into your life and career, then guess what you need to be...
- Gratitude - whatever comes your way, be grateful, say thank you, hold the door foe people and drive your car courteously as well - the lady you flash and cut up on the Auto-route could be your next boss...