5 Keys to Unlocking Career Success in 2023

While 2022 was a time for finding a new normal after Covid turned our lives upside down, 2023 will be the year we redefine our goals and work towards our future. The past year has seen many of us continue to feel shellshocked, not quite sure if our lives might be disrupted again at any moment.

I've had many conversations with people who have already redefined their life and career goals. What they might have strived for previously now holds little appeal. They’ve dared to dream new dreams and envisage a life different to the one they’d once imagined. For others, it's been about shifting priorities, working differently, and embracing change.

So, what will we need to launch into 2023 with a fresh perspective and a revised game plan? What are the keys to unlocking career success as we enter into this bold new world?

Authenticity

You may have heard of the terms ‘the great resignation ’, ‘quiet quitting ’ and ‘quick quitting ’. At the core of these phenomena are a misalignment of values leading to a lack of meaning and purpose. This results in a sense of inauthenticity, leaving us feeling that something’s not quite right. Perhaps we realise we are working in the wrong industry or in a role that doesn’t fit with our personal and work values.

Oftentimes, when people come to me for coaching, they express a feeling of inauthenticity and an inability to fully engage with their organisation, role, manager, team, or clients. If we are in a role or career that doesn’t allow us to use our strengths and talents, we can quickly become disheartened and disengaged.

Finding a career and a role that speaks to your values, your sense of meaning and purpose, and that uses your strengths and talents to their full potential is the key to a successful and fulfilling career.

Agility

Today’s workplaces demand agility: the ability to respond and adapt to ever-increasing demands and challenges. Some key characteristics of agility are being:

• Flexible and adaptable
• Curious and open-minded
• Multi-skilled and talented
• Able to think outside the box
• Able to see the bigger picture.

When we are flexible and adaptable, we are confident in stepping out of our comfort zone and readily take on challenges and change, seeing these as opportunities rather than threats. Those who are curious and open-minded ask thoughtful questions that lead to deeper insight and good decision-making and problem-solving.

The more expert we become, the greater our impact and the richer our experience becomes. Creative thinkers often have the ability to think outside the box which can be extremely useful when innovation and solution-finding are needed. While it’s important to be detail oriented in many roles, it can be equally important to be able to step back and see the bigger picture. Not doing this risks losing touch with broader aims, objectives, and goals.

Optimisation

Success and fulfilment are not about working 12 or 14-hour days. To optimise our careers, we need to work smarter rather than harder. Setting clear goals, overcoming obstacles, and doing what you can to achieve maximum engagement, enjoyment and productivity at work are keys to a successful and fulfilling career.

Finding new ways of working, eliminating distractions and interruptions, and having a laser-sharp focus on tasks have consistently been shown to help people reach their goals. Consider if you need a change of environment. Do you work best in silence at home or with the background buzz of the office? Are there tasks you can delegate to free you up for other more enjoyable tasks that are a better use of your skills, experience, and strengths? Likewise, are there tasks you can take on that will make full use of your talents: providing a greater sense of enjoyment and achievement??

The rise in remote and hybrid working has brought many benefits as well as challenges. For some, working from home can be lonely and uninspiring, for others, it’s where they do their best work. Understanding your ideal work environment is important so that you know what works best for you. It’s not surprising that hybrid working in various ratios with a blend of in-office and home working has grown in popularity. This enables employers to get the most out of their employees, optimising their workforce.

Resilience

Resilience is the ability to face challenges with the aim of successfully coming out the other end stronger for the experience. Despite recent challenges, we’ve found new coping mechanisms and new ways to live our lives with greater meaning, control, and optimism for the future.

With new threats and challenges constantly emerging, there are few on the planet who aren't facing crises from economic downturns, the effects of climate change, war, and soaring energy prices. This increasingly?VUCA ?(volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) environment means we must arm ourselves with the necessary tools and strategies to not just survive but thrive in the face of adversity.

While personal resilience is needed, career resilience is equally important for those of us of working age. Recent years have tested both as we were forced to dig deep to access inner resources to face threats to our health, well-being, loved ones, and livelihoods.

To build a resilient career, we need to embrace a life-long learning mentality. Ensuring our skills and knowledge are up to date and keeping abreast of the latest trends and developments in our field is vital to building a resilient career.

Developing and maintaining a strong professional network is key to a resilient career. Consider dedicating time each week to focus on networking activities like being active on LinkedIn and attending networking and other professional development events. You may have heard of the term ‘career cushioning ’ which includes making sure you have a strong network you can leverage if and when the time comes to seek out new opportunities.

Regardless of the job you do, reflective practice is important so that you can regularly reflect upon how you are feeling, your performance, your skills, and areas for development. Asking: What went well? What might I do differently next time? and similar questions, can help you monitor and improve performance.

Working with a professional?career coach ?is an ideal way to help build your personal and career resilience. While speaking with a trusted manager or work colleague, family member or friend about your challenges and successes can be helpful, an impartial career coach is specially trained in helping you work through these.

Self-care

Taking care of your physical and mental well-being is essential for career success and fulfilment. Stress, overwork, and exhaustion are a recipe for disaster and are to be avoided at all costs. Whether you work for an employer or for yourself, self-care needs to be a constant consideration to ensure that your career is sustainable.

Working no more than?48 hours per week , having adequate recovery time, and staying in good overall health are cornerstones of self-care. Taking steps to maintain your mental health and well-being is essential and includes avoiding stress, anxiety and overwork as well as developing effective communication and interpersonal skills.

There will always be challenging deadlines, difficult customers, frustrating colleagues etc. Having someone to talk to about work stressors is helpful to ensure you don’t feel alone and that you can let off steam when needed. A professional career coach can be a great support and help you identify practical strategies for coping with workplace challenges and achieve good self-care practices.?

In this article, I’ve shared five keys to unlocking career success in 2023. Authenticity, agility, optimisation, resilience and self-care have been identified as five areas in which you should focus if you want to perform at your best, be successful and maintain a healthy work-life balance that leads to career success and fulfilment.?

What are some other keys to unlocking career success in 2023? Let me know in the comments below.