3 Steps To A Successful Transition

Transitions come in many shapes and sizes.

You might be transitioning from one company to another, or within roles, or even from one career to another. You might even be transitioning from one stage of your career to another.

Maybe you’re considering retirement and all the emotional factors associated with it.

No matter the type of transition, without clarity and a well-developed vision of what your proposed transition is to be, you might struggle with the transition itself. Or, finding yourself “transitioned,” you might ultimately realize that it was not at all what you expected or wanted.

In the second case you might have believed that the change was the answer to all your expectations and desires, but actually, find yourself unfulfilled and still wanting in some respect of either your personal or professional development.

There are three steps to consider as you consider the possibilities, and move from concept (vision) to sustainable action (executing the plan).

Step 1:?

Create a detailed vision of what you want to transition or change.

Get specific. Take your time and include as many details as you can.?

Who are you and what are you doing? What does it feel like? Where are you and who are you with??

Take a walk in your vision and see the sights. Experience your vision. Note your surroundings and interact with someone. What conversation do you have??

Make it real.

When you create a clear vision of your desired outcome you’ll make powerful connections (think connecting the dots) which allows you to create actions that last.

You’ll see the gap between what/who you are now and what you want to be, and uncover the path that stretches before you.

Step 2:

Connect your desired outcome with what brings you the highest level of personal and professional fulfillment.?

When you align what you want with what drives you, you’re in alignment with your values. That’s the sweet spot where “flow” exists and decision-making and focused effort comes easily.

What drives your decisions? Why do you do what you do?

Values.

Becoming aligned with our values leads to higher levels of satisfaction, and motivation, and enhances our probability of sustained success because we find taking action toward the change becomes just as exciting as our vision of the change itself.

What are your core values?

I often do a core values assessment exercise with my clients which leads to great clarity as to the “why” they do what they do, how they react to circumstances, and what they see as their purpose in the world.

Ranking your top ten values from a list of one hundred, and then stepping back to identify and accept the personal insight is a powerful thought exercise.

What makes it to the top of your list? What distinguishes #1 from either #2 or #3 and why??

Pulling these concepts to the surface gives you an understanding of your most important values, and helps align them with the change or transition you’re exploring.

Questions to ask yourself include:

“What does this core value mean to me?”

“How will my proposed transition or change align with this value?”

“How will this change allow me to express and honor this value?”

So what’s next?

Step 3:

Get going.

Now that you’ve designed an outcome that aligns with your values, it’s time to execute. After all, vision without action is only dreaming…

It’s important to create goals designed to provide visibility and accountability for action. Confidence is rooted in action and is the foundation for success.

Look at your transition goal.

Identify up to three areas of focus (sub-goals) for your action plan. Write each of them out and describe them.

Now write the actions you commit to taking in order to achieve each of your focus goals and include a time commitment for completion.

List any resources you might need to achieve each goal.

Finally, any good plan includes contingencies for those inevitable distractions and detours that would have you stopped just short of success.

Anticipate a few curve balls or speed bumps along the way and build in some flexibility so you can adapt and get back on track quickly.

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Looking for guidance on any of these concepts and steps??Navigating leadership and career transitions is exciting, but it can also be challenging.

Some of the most successful transitions are achieved with a coach by your side.

Brian is an ICF-certified coach and executive HR consultant. He combines a unique background of leadership roles in the military, operations, and human resources to deliver powerful coaching that gets results.