By Caroline Sheridan
Five simple habits: taking responsibility for your career, building a structured development plan, dedicating time to learning, nurturing your network, and cultivating selfbelief. What better time than the present….
Own your career journey
- Adopt a proactive mindset. Regularly evaluate your skills and achievements, identify where you add value and what you want next, and take the initiative to have career conversations or seek opportunities.
- Step outside your comfort zone. Deliberately do things that feel uncomfortable – try something new and consider volunteering for projects – to build confidence and visibility.
Create a personal development plan
- Identify the skills you need and assess yourself. List all the skills necessary to achieve your goal and then perform a frank self assessment. Ask for feedback.
- Focus on one skill at a time and build SMART goals. Isolate one or more skills that will move you closer to your goal, define the results you want and develop an action plan using the SMART framework – making objectives specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timebound.
Invest time each week to learn
- Treat learning as an ongoing discipline. Harvard notes that independent learning can open doors to promotions and helps you stand out in competitive applicant pools.
- Schedule regular learning sessions. pout time each week to read industry research, take online courses or practise new tools. Even short, consistent study sessions build momentum.
- Use varied learning methods. Combine formal with more informal experiential projects and rotate between activities to engage with and apply knowledge in different contexts.
Strengthen your stakeholder network
- Approach networking as relationshipbuilding. Why? Because both are ‘indispensable tools for career development’. Focus on cultivating meaningful connections with people who can offer support, guidance and opportunities.
- Set networking goals and be intentional. Clarify what you want from networking — whether it’s learning about a sector or preparing for a promotion — and let this guide your conversation. Plan to attend professional events, schedule informational interviews and follow up with contacts to strengthen relationships.
- Leverage digital platforms and mentors. A professional online presence is now a ‘virtual business card’ so ensure your LinkedIn profile and other channels convey who you are and what you offer. Find a mentor who models the success you aspire to can provide insight and expand your network.
Believe in yourself — everything is possible
- Understand selfefficacy. Psychologist Albert Bandura describes selfefficacy as a person’s belief in their ability to organise and execute actions needed to manage situations.
- Recognise the benefits of high selfefficacy. People with strong selfefficacy develop deeper interest in their activities, commit more strongly to their goals, view challenging problems as tasks to master and recover quickly from setbacks.
- Build your confidence. Bandura identifies four ways to strengthen selfefficacy: mastery experiences (successfully completing tasks), social modelling (seeing people like you succeed), social persuasion (receiving encouragement) and managing stress. Seek projects that stretch you, surround yourself with supportive colleagues and celebrate small wins.
If you or your team would like support in turning these principles into action, feel free to message Caroline directly or contact the team at info@sheridanworldwide.com.
