It’s time to get back to work

It’s Monday morning. The first day back after the mid-year winter holidays in Australia.?

Biden has just announced he’s not running, Trump is born-again. Economic and political winds blow across the developed world, where a software update gone bad caused mayhem.?

Inflation, cost-of-living increases, restructuring and recession are all back on the table.

The upcoming Paris Olympics my provide a few weeks of distraction, but it’s hard to avoid a sense of significant upheaval and uncertainty that will create winners and losers.

Whilst this may feel very big, yet remote, it’s a good time to reflect on how you need to respond.

A crossroads

As we enter the second half of the year, you are faced with a choice.?

Path one, ‘do nothing’, ‘continue the drift’, ‘trust to luck’, could work. But it’s higher risk than before - especially if you are older and command a significant salary.???

The second path is to make the commitment to take back control of your career and success. I think it looks something like this.?

A 7 point blueprint for your success?

1. AGENCY

Everything starts with making the decision to take AGENCY over your life. If you just went along for the ride in the past, now is your chance to grab the wheel. That means being very intentional about setting goals for your career and life and taking on the responsibility for making them a reality. Governments ‘kept us safe’ from Covid and organisations have bent over backwards to accommodate our needs in the displaced work revolution. But with public finances under enormous stress and businesses recalibrating for a much tougher environment, this is unlikely to persist.?

YOU have to take responsibility for your own future success.

2. AMBITION

Now is the time to reignite your ambition. What do you really want? How much do you want to earn? What dream job do you aspire to? What do you want to create?

I always feel ambition has two senses to it. One is about making more money or getting ahead, and it can have negative connotations, like “She is too ambitious”. The second meaning is more about fulfilling your potential. Stretching yourself to achieve the absolute maximum you are capable of.?

The time to play it safe has passed. Get fired up. Reignite your ambition.?

3. COURAGE

Make no mistake, much of what I am advocating will be running against the flow. I think a lot of people have become very comfortable in the drift of the last few years, even welcomed it.?

You will be embarking on a tough journey. You will need to be brave, take risks and enter a new phase of challenge and growth. It is likely to be uncomfortable, so be ready for that.

4. CONDITIONING

Conditioning is critical to prepare your to be able to show up well consistently to tackle the challenges of making your plans a reality. For most people I work with, this means developing a great morning routine, where you combine things like exercise, reflection, reading, meditation and journaling in order to arrive ‘at work’ (wherever that is) ready to perform.?

If you have not experienced the benefits of wicked morning routine, it is life-changing. And it is a non-negotiable for anyone serious about changing their success paradigm.

5. DISCIPLINE

Fundamental. Boring perhaps. Unavoidable. Good old-fashioned discipline is essential. Discipline to get up early, discipline to set and meet your own deadlines, discipline to defer other things that get in the way of your goal.??

Do The Work. It’s that simple.?

6. CONNECTION

One of the fastest ways to ‘level up’ your career is to upgrade the quality and diversity of your network. This is not about social climbing or dropping people. Instead you must map out who is in your current network across a range of categories, work intentionally to fill gaps and then invest time in ‘activating’ these connections in the right way.

Most people I coach arrive with a network that is too old, too small, and too one-dimensional. Remedying this does take time, but can be an absolute game changer in elevating the level of opportunities that come your way.

7. MOMENTUM

Investing time and effort in the first six steps results in you enjoying personal and professional momentum. That shows up in terms of confidence, clarity of purpose, delivering work and projects, each building on the last to create bigger and better future opportunities.?

You are able to show up consistently well. Whilst you will be working hard, it will be good work on your terms. Your life and future will be in your control and it will feel great.?

What are you choosing?

Door #1 - she’ll be right?

Door #2 - take action to secure your future on your terms?

Mark

Set up a free coaching call

I specialise in working with motivated professionals to help them to achieve their total potential.?

I’m offering 3 free coaching sessions in the next two weeks.?

If you are interested in securing one, please reply COACHING and we’ll be in touch.?

First in best dressed.

I encourage you to take action!

Mark