How do you get the support you need to transition your career?

Look for someone a couple steps ahead of you, who might be on a similar path as you. It is key to find the right person to guide you to get you to where you want to be.

A key success factor for getting the most out of mentoring is to prepare a list of topics you'd like to explore with your mentor. Imagine your mentor's knowledge is a big library. If you walk into the library and just say, 'give me your best knowledge!' you can lose focus and purpose. Same can happen in mentoring after a couple of sessions. Instead, narrow your focus to a library section, then a book, and finally a chapter. For example, you know you want to explore leadership (library section), but perhaps you're curious about leading in uncertain times (book). Specifically, you would like to know about how your mentor kept teams on track during uncertain times (chapter). Now it's easier for your mentor to share their experiences.

Find someone that motivates you, is not necessary to be a rockstar for everyone else, you just need someone that motivates you. And it’s also important that this mentor wants to be one, if you look for someone “great” just because others says so, but is someone with no time or interest to mentoring, then the exercise might not be successful. Also remember having a mentor is just a guide, not a magic guru that has the absolute truth. Stay curious, investigate, confirm, and keep an open mind, a good mentor will appreciate this and won’t feel attacked or undermined if you are developing your discernment capacity. This doesn’t mean you will oppose to everything, means you will try to be an active learner and listener, know the difference.

When fining a mentor find someone you trust. If you don’t know anyone in the area or field you want to move. Find out if they have professional organizations and join the. Learn and develop relationships. You need to build trust and bring value to the relationship.

If I had to short-list a mentor to help me with my career transition, I would ensure that the potential mentor has known me personally for a long time. When your mentor knows you well, you are vulnerable in front of them. They know your strengths and weaknesses. These mentors can help you build a solid foundation throughout your transition to a new career. They are committed to your growth and success. Your pitch should start with how you can help them/add value to their work/life. Can you do them a favour in return for their time and wisdom? Lastly, make sure that you are clear on: your objectives and timeline of mentorship. Decide communication and meeting frequency and each meeting agenda prior.

One of the best ways to think “outside the box” is to “make your box bigger”. Making the box bigger is as easy of connecting with a community of like minded people - or even better - those with similar problems. The power of collaborative problem solving is true synergy.

Community support is essential as we are social animals. But more important join the community of the field you want to move on. For example you want to become a project manager join your local chapter of the project managers association and build relationships and learn from them. What to become a PR person join their association. Those association are better than a gold mine for you to learn if you are a right fit or if the new field is a right fit for you before you jump.

I think both in person and virtual are great avenues to go about this. I personally am involved in one in person community with in person events (an entrepreneur group) and another virtual community for creators. Both have been priceless for my career and development.

Make sure that you also allow space for individuals or communities who aren't totally in line with you. It is easy to surround ourselves with like-minded people and inadvertently create an echo chamber that stifles new ideas and challenge.

Many people still associate coaching to the stigma of "not being good enough" and yet...how many love having a personal trainer! Getting a coach will help you get your own mind personal trainer. You will gain someone who will call out your excuses, be by your side without ever judging you and will push you outside your comfort zone. When choosing your coach, shop around, have a free discovery session with multiple coaches before deciding. It is vital you find someone you resonate with. Ask the coach their success stories, who they helped etc. Finally, enjoy the journey :-)

My biggest advice here is to follow people who inspire you on LinkedIn. The best coaches are usually both great at coaching (this is a natural skill best determined through a discovery call and testimonials) AND have lots of the qualities and achievements you’d like to strive for. People often underestimate the ROI of having a coach. They tend to see it as a big cost they can’t afford vs a speed pass to their dreams that will both have them save loads of money “wandering around” and making much more money than they could have in their own. Everyone needs a coach(es) during certain times in their life, and a career transition is definitely top of the list.

When you wish to transition from a career, it is usually because that career option is not serving your growth needs any more. You probably desire more in some way, whether it is more money, more time, more growth. At this time it is best to make a decision which is aligned to your values and desires. This leads to more fulfilment in your career. To help achieve this alignment, it is best to work with a Coach, to strategize and execute the transition that is in your highest good.

Look for a coach who is a great listener and specializes in what you are going through. It's integral that the relationship is intimate enough where you can connect about difficult topics that you cannot address with just anyone.

There may come a point in your successful career when you wake up to the possibility that there is something more than tenure and climbing up the corporate ladder in a job that you're really good at but have lost your passion for. That was my story when I left my steady paycheck in 2007 in search of more purpose and meaning in my life. You may be called to step into your life's purpose and express your true calling. And if that's the case, then finding a coach who has been through it and knows how to help you translate your expertise into a business model and guide you to position, package and promote your brand is my proven business igniter strategy for a graceful transition from employee to entrepreneur, with clarity and confidence.

When seeking feedback, ask for specific examples. Examples provide evidence based stories you can use in your resume and interviews. Whether it is positive or critical, the best way to respond to feedback is simply to say, 'Thank you'. Remember, it is one person's perspective - their truth - not the whole truth. Hence, it is helpful to ask multiple people to expand your perspective.

Feedback is always a source of information you can turn into something positive even if it doesn’t look like it at first. When receiving this kind of information be open to it, absorbe the words, take time to digest the data, and specially don’t take it personally. Even if they are addressing it to you, you have to stay unbiased and deconstruct the information into small parts to get the most of it. You are seeking for feedback because you might miss some angles of perspective, so be open to receive it and put any reply on hold, that doesn’t mean you agree with what they are saying, it means you will listen first, and you are open to learn. Then only your future actions will prove how assertive is your listening and ability to improve.

Don't be afraid of feedback. It's a critical source of information. There's no need to go cry into your cup of tea, just because the feedback you received makes you think you may have got the job wrong. It's a learning opportunity, not a failure. Try and remove your emotions from responding to the feedback, and don't react. If you can, take a day to think it over. Then, you'll see the point the feedback is really getting across, rather than the reaction you may feel. It works. When they say "sleep on it", it really is true.

Avoid dismissing feedback as criticism. We often get feedback about our blind spots. And precisely because we are unaware of certain aspects of our behaviour or communication, this feedback can be very confrontational. Above all, it is often the feedback you feel most uncomfortable with that is most valuable and offers you the greatest opportunities for growth.

No matter how small you may think your win may be, it's charting in your success story in the end. I promise. That might feel hard to believe, but protect yourself from the thief of comparison. Your win is as valid as any other win.

Think about the strengths you used to achieve these wins. Using your strengths helps you feel more authentic, and also inspired others to bring their best selves to their work. Yet, because they come so naturally to us, we are more likely to overlook our strengths at work. Raising your awareness of your strengths helps you win more often, and also helps you create more trust with your colleagues because you will also come across more authentically.

If we replace the word ‘career’ with the word ‘passion’, support will take on an entirely different meaning. Once you have discovered what makes you come alive i.e. the apex of your conviction, whether in a vocational or entrepreneurial context, immerse yourself in it and keep going. Don’t stop for anything. People notice passion from a mile away, but they don’t pay too much attention to what someone else may also be doing. Be where you can celebrate and live your passion, and you will be celebrated. In other words, do what you love and love what you do. That is how you gain support. Ignite the fire and people will begin to notice the flames.

When you achieve a goal, it's important to celebrate and reflect on it. Reflect on how you got to where you are. Consider the struggles that you overcame along the way. Remember the lessons that you learned throughout your journey. Journal any highlights to remind yourself later in life. When you reflect, you bring to mind all the ways that you made it to the end. You can then use your success as a template to overcome future challenges and achieve new goals.

Career transitions are a significant change and hence have a predictable life cycle including early optimism in which the change is exciting and motivation is high. A few weeks or months into the process inevitably a period of despair, or “informed pessimism” will start to create thoughts and feelings of doubts. Success and sustainable change are right around which is why in addition to mentors and coaches, relying on the support of people who are close to you, that can remind you why you are making the change and champion your efforts is essential.

When going through a career transition it is helpful to have a process & tools to support you. I've created a 5-step "Art of Change Framework" that has three phases people go through with work associated with each phase: The Ending, the Neutral Zone & the New Beginning. The work associated with the Ending is "letting go" & identifying lessons learned, the Neutral Zone - envisioning the life & or career of your dreams, and the New Beginning - Taking action (through an action plan) to move toward what you envisioned in the neutral zone (I have adapted Willam Bridge's model). Identifying your true passions is also important & finding a career that includes these (which are different from things you're good at; though there may be some overlap)

Know why you want to change. Remember a new job or career like a new relationship will not make you happy. Once the honeymoon is over you will Be miserable again if you haven’t figure out what makes you miserable. If you find yourself in place where there irreconcilable differences and you must change. Be smart and don’t rush, making and emotional move will result in disaster. Make a plan, work the plan, debrief the plan, course correct and keep going. This is where a coach will be invaluable.

Career transitioners often start by asking themselves, 'What's the first thing I'd need to do to change careers?' Instead, ask yourself 'What do I ultimately want to do and what would that give me that I don't have today?' Starting with the 'end in mind' and working backwards may seem counterintuitive but it's the easiest way to: a) create a simple career plan to get you from where you are now to where you want to go and b) ensure that each successive career move is stepping you closer to what you ultimately want to do.

As with any change, it's important for you to decide WHY you want to make a career transition. Change can be hard and fear can hold you back from making a change that you might need. Deal with any doubts by surrounding yourself with people who can support you (e.g. coaches, mentors, your professional network, family). You'll need the support of people with a growth mindset, who will remind you of the fulfilment that this change can bring. Be patient with yourself during your career transition. You may need to learn new skills, build a new professional network, leave old colleagues, etc. Growth needs sacrifice and takes time, but the end result is rewarding.