Career planning part 2 - or, how to eat a ham sandwich

In my first post on career planning I have introduced the fundamental concept of this matter. Basing on the example of an accountant who wants to be a lion tamer I have demonstrated that even seemingly distant, far-fetched dreams can be broken down into several progressive steps related to our strengths. The steps, clearly and logically, bring us closer to our strategic, ultimate goal. I have also demonstrated how the accountant case relates to our own careers. I can only hope it was quite an amusing piece of reading, but still it is pragmatism that we’re after, not rhetoric figures.

What makes that concept of career-planning so uplifting? Well, it’s the fact that it’s perfectly doable. You can design and implement a scenario of which you are the author and main performer. And it could have a profound impact on your life, which is priceless. It makes us understand the reason why we work where we work and what are the criteria for the transition to the next stage. It’s a logical concept, real and tangible, almost like an algorithm, not a motivating hooting like "Anyone can change their life, so starting from tomorrow you can also change yours...”

So what makes that seemingly simple concept a little less reassuring for many people? Well, the fact that it implies a journey, not a single lucky jump. It takes several steps, each of which can take several years. Well, how is that so? Where is a lift to the top? You have to climb there on foot? What kind of a consultant are you, if you don’t have a magical solution?! I’m outta here...  So for those of you, who want to sing like The Doors did: "We want the world and we want it now!", I suggest other scenarios: winning a lottery, an unexpected inheritance from a long forgotten aunt from the U.S. (or rather Shanghai these days), or seducing a daughter/son of a billionaire or the billionaire him/herself (well, we all have that animal magnetism, don’t we?). There is also a “revelation” type of a scenario, which assumes we can receive a phone call from a recruiter saying "Dear Sir/Madam, we have just analyzed your LinkedIn profile and we have calculated that you are a perfect candidate to become a president of the largest bank in the country. We presented your profile to the bank shareholders, who all enthusiastically confirmed our choice. A Bentley is already on its way to pick you up." Hands up if any of you experienced or seen something like that. Nobody…? Well, that’s what I thought....

Alright, we’ve had words – now it’s time for action. An important assumption – at this point we’ve already made an initial self-reflection. We know what motivates us and what does not, what gives us joy and what doesn’t, what price are we willing to pay – or not - for the planned development, etc. For if we don’t know all that already, on what grounds are we going to build a vision of our development? Those are castles in the sand and nothing more. As a lifebuoy - I recommend reading my posts from the "self-reflection" series. You will find several of them.

Let’s get to work then, shall we? My suggestion is to break down the career planning process into four steps (4 Steps Algorithm).

STEP 1 – where do I want to be?

It is a question of our desired business sector and nature of the company. Doesn’t look like much, but… Business sector is rather intuitive, e.g. FMCG, finance/banking, pharma/medical, industry, telecommunications, real estate, consulting, construction, logistics, IT, etc. Remember though, when we have determined one of the above generic names, we have to go deeper, as each of the industries has many significant varieties. For example - if it’s FMCG, is it food or non-food, production or distribution, modern or traditional trade, and so on.

The nature of the company is: capital (local or international, and which one), ownership structure (corporation, a stock exchange company, private equity fund, privately held company), size (in terms of turnover, number of employees, other parameters), status (development, administration, or rescuing a deteriorating structure), products or services, distribution channels, positioning (top shelf vs mass products, competing with quality or price), where it is physically (do we have to move house or not) and so on.

This way we are going to shape an outline of our mountain on the horizon, which is the goal of our journey. Preferred destination, e.g. automotive components manufacturer, an international company (let's say preferably German), family ownership, a factory in southern part of the country, up to 300 people, Tier 1, technology of plastics, already in operation (no greenfield). With this we have reached two targets - we already have a pretty specific long-term task + we can analyze gap between the target and the actual experience(!); gap, which we can fill with consequent stages of our career.

STEP 2 – whom do I want to be?

The more precise we are the better, and the simplest way is to NAME the position we are interested in – like for example Plant Manager. Again, this must be a specific job title. If we use general terms, such as I would like to have an executive position, we are rapidly increasing our chances to get lost in the fog.

Let me remind you that steps 1 and 2 result from an earlier self-reflection. We indicate our preferences on the basis of self-analysis, NOT something that just sounds good when we chat with our colleagues...

STEP 3 – when does it happen?

The DATE must be equally specific (year is enough, not necessarily to the day :-). The most common mistake is a statement such as in 7 years. If we put it so, we will never feel the motivating pressure of the plan, because next year the in 7 years still sounds good. We should simply add seven years to the present, and we come up with 2024. That urges us to see year after year whether we are approaching the target, or is time simply slipping through our fingers. This is where the ham sandwich comes in handy. In 7 years is like eating only the bread and pushing the ham aside with your nose. The sandwich is almost half eaten and we haven’t even started the ham... So, years are passing by and I still keep trying to convince myself that I’m effectively realizing the plan. But in fact I am not. The ham (time) should be disappearing.

STEP 4 - what are the interim steps?

7 years is a “lifetime”, too abstract (too long) for direct and daily checks. We have to break it down into specific and measurable interim steps. Ideally, steps that once a year would allow us to see clearly if we’re going in the right direction or if a year goes with the wind and we’re moving from a green to a yellow field.

Let's go back to our automotive parts factory example. If we believe that, say, our command of German needs sharping up, we need to give ourselves a specific time schedule and a deadline for completing this phase. It is a common mistake to plan that "I will be learning German" (until when? When I become Goethe?). It should rather be "In July 2018 I am going to take such and such test/certificate” or “I will easily and effortlessly talk with a native speaker in the area of business/technical vocabulary." End of story. After that we can continue the learning process, but the center of gravity is moved to the next part of the plan.

Going a step further - if today, let’s assume, I am a Shift Manager outside the automotive sector, it is unlikely that someone will employ me in this sector and at the same time, instantly, promote me to Production Manager. Thus, it is better to first plan a move to Shift Manager in the automotive sector (remember the accountant from the first post? "I'm already in the circus!"). We can give ourselves an entire year for this move (so we have a new deadline: December 2017). This means we urgently need a strong presence on the job market (rather than waiting for someone to call!), because recruitment projects don’t fall from the sky, and they always take time. If we can do it earlier it’s wonderful, we’ve just gained a few months. It’s better to be lucky than unlucky (oh, that almost sounded like a LinkedIn Influencer/guru/philosopher :-). And another step we plan according to the same logic, for example: 2 full years as a Shift Manager in the automotive sector (we need to define what we need to learn there and what criteria will determine the end of the education, which means coming back to the labor market); gut feelings are excellent guides, but only when we bet on horses or football. Then in 2020 comes another intensive activity on the job market, crowned with internal or external promotion to Production Manager. Again, same as before - we establish what we need to learn and what marks the end of this process, that is, readiness for the final step - promotion to the position of Plant Manager in 2024. With this approach, year by year, we are able to control our careers based on hard facts. Without that we will be lost in the routines of everyday life and the sense that we are generally, sort of, more or less, kind of, realizing the plan...

In a nutshell:

Step 1 – where do I want to be?

Step 2 – whom do I want to be?

Step 3 – when does it happen?

Step 4 - what are the interim steps?

And if anyone is saying at this point that this plan is too obvious I suggest looking at simple facts. For several years I have been doing workshops with Executive MBA participants (personal long term strategy, what to do after graduation, etc.). Intelligent, hard-working, talented and highly motivated people, usually with pretty extensive international experience. In classroom, each of them has 10 minutes to present their individual plan and then we analyze it together in a group. Every year more than 80% of such individual strategies are smashed to bits during the first meeting due to a number of gaps, unrealistic or lack of timeline, underestimation of market realities, budget etc.... The simplicity of presented 4 Steps Algorithm is a huge advantage. To replace difficult issues with a set of simple steps is a work of art. But it requires a lot of intellectual discipline and criticism. Not to mention consistency in its implementation. What good is our plan if we are that viral lovely kitten in front of a mirror, looking at his self-reflection of a lion? But that's a completely different story and for a yet another post.

I recommend you read the post "CV as horoscope, or the Barnum effect". For if we already have a self-reflection and a career plan based on it, then it’s time to face the job market, isn’t it?