Enhancing and developing your capabilities and competencies in your current role.

The frenetic pace of our working lives tends to encourage us to chase the future and not dwell in the past. With this comes the assumption that if we do look back we will be wasting time – and nobody wants to be accused of that. However, no new learning can occur in a vacuum. Learning requires a heightened level of self-awareness and skill in the process of reflecting. These ensure that you are asking insightful questions and developing new insights – the process at the heart of continuous improvement.

Learning is not just about going on another training course – it’s about becoming your own coach, seeking the right mentors and having the right network to support your learning. This means having an up-to-date development plan that you can drive. Professional development is about doing what you can to stay continually marketable and expert in your field.

Creating a plan which outlines steps you need to take to move you more quickly towards your personal vision.

Personal planning is about getting to the bottom of what makes you tick and exploring what success means to you. It involves examining and appreciating your values and your strengths. It can also be about getting ‘unstuck’, gaining insight into dissatisfaction and identifying and removing the obstacles in your way.

It starts with gaining clarity about your vision, finding ways to articulate it and grow your confidence in it. Only then you can set your goals and establish ways to measure your progress.

Progress can invariably be constrained by our fears – fear of failure, of success, of risk or even of change itself. When we learn that our fears are not protecting us we can learn to push beyond our doubts and grow, to achieve and even exceed our plans.

Growing the confidence you need to operate at your best. When you feel good about yourself you perform at a higher level and can achieve results beyond your expectations.

In business, what can often get in the way is a mental model which allows people in authority to wield power in a destructive way. We don’t speak out, we don’t speak freely, we don’t offer feedback – and so we become disempowered and the business loses our potential. If you want to be valued then you need to demonstrate how you yourself value others first.

Personal power goes hand-in-hand with passion and business needs people with passion. Empowered people see others as equals to be respected and valued. Empowered people always keep sight of the business vision and stay focussed and inspired even when the going gets tough.

Going for the next job and developing a strategy to give you the best chance of getting it.

It can often start with a need to change your prevailing mindset in order to engage constructively with the “politics” of the business. You will need to start your own campaign and create and strengthen a network of relationships that matter. Part of this is creating a consistent perception in the minds of others.

It may also involve identifying the gap between you and the role and what you need to do to close it. Seeking and welcoming feedback seriously (including that of your customers) will be crucial. It will involve working with both the positive and the negative messages to strengthen your campaign.