Take stock of 2018

The end of another year provides the perfect opportunity for a moment of pause and reflection from a career point of view in particular. Yes, I agree that might not be right now whilst you’re still madly getting those last bits of work finished, scrambling to meet end of the week deadlines. However, DO make time before you plunge into the challenges of next year to take stock of 2018. Perhaps the following headlines might help to frame your thoughts?

From a career point of view, what are you proud of this year?

This might be a tough piece of work you managed to complete against the odds. If so, think about what skills and personal qualities you used to achieve it. Perhaps you’ve got a promotion or lateral after months or years of lobbying for it. Maybe you initiated something new in your team to make things work more efficiently or you collaborated with a different supplier and have built a strong relationship as a result.

For me, I am proud that I took time at the beginning of the year to rebrand my SW Career Coaching website with the help of SM Web Designs. It challenged me to reflect on my personal brand and then to get up to grips with video technology. In a similar way, perhaps you feel proud to have created or updated your CV and LinkedIn profile this year. Owning strong personal marketing documents is a great way to build self-confidence and gain a feeling of control over your career and future.

What have you learned this year, either in terms of technical knowledge or personally, about yourself?

You may have taken on a new role or added to your current responsibilities. Even though this might have felt tough, now is the moment to stand back and identify what you have gained from the experience in terms of knowledge, skills and qualities. Add the appropriate elements to your CV and LinkedIn profile.

In my most recent article I talked about the personal learning curve I am going through adapting to an academic environment again whilst juggling work and home commitments.

https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/how-handle-change-transition-effectively-sally-walker/

At the end of the first semester of my Intercultural Communication degree (no longer are they called “terms” as they were when I was first at university!), I now feel that not only have I gained written communication, analytical and team work skills from the course but also brand-new knowledge and fresh perspectives.

Could anyone else benefit from your learning?

It might be helpful to others to share your insights with others. I read recently that there are 550 million global members of LinkedIn but only one million who have written a LinkedIn article. In addition, that half of the people who read the articles are senior decision makers. If you have not written one yet this could be a perfect opportunity to raise your visibility and share your expertise.

So, in the spirit of sharing, one of the main learnings thus far from the Intercultural Communication course is a sense of just how broad the term “culture” can be. It doesn’t just describe the differences between one nation culture and another. In fact, we create very small cultures all the time which have their own norms of behaviour, whether that is in our family, in our work team or weekend cycling group. When new people join, they take time to adjust and learn the ways of operating together. Culture is something that is shifting and changing all the time, not fixed and rigid.

Interestingly the academic language that I was finding frustrating and obtuse a few weeks ago because it seems to question every word and takes nothing for granted, I am now learning is a virtue. Academics are curious and challenging and that approach is forcing me to stop making quick assumptions about anything!

So, on that note I will close and wish you a very happy festive season. Please do keep in touch and let me know if I can help you at any stage of your career journey or with intercultural issues via [email protected] Feel free to share this article with others, thank you.