IT’S YOUR CAREER, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH IT?
Welcome to your career. Now what? Where do you want to be in 5 years? 10 years? How will you get there? Whether you’re starting out or in need of a reality check on what you’re doing right or wrong, this course can help. We open with Jack’s guidance on finding what you’re good at and what you really love doing.
WHAT DOES YOUR EMPLOYER REALLY WANT FROM YOU?
Over-delivering is the single most important career-growth principle of the course. It sounds simple, but it is the key to everything. Go above and beyond. Take the organization forward. Be the one that others look to as an example. If you can do this, you will get noticed. You will demonstrate that you have what it takes to do more and be promoted into roles that will challenge you and give you even more opportunity for growth.
TIME AND TASK MANAGEMENT: ARE YOU FOCUSED ON WHAT REALLY MATTERS?
In most positions, even fairly junior ones, there is no shortage of tasks that can fill your days. The key is prioritizing them in ways that allow you to deliver on what really matters. This means all comes down to alignment to the mission and strategy of the origination and to making sure that your output is quantifiable and recognized.
BUSINESS COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Communicating well in a business environment is critical. Your exchanges with others must be clear, precise and focused on action. Colleagues must understand what you’re doing and what you are asking others to do. This section of our course looks at some of the common communication shortcomings that can undermine your career growth, and presents some simple, straightforward things you can do to improve.
SEEKING HONEST FEEDBACK AND MENTORSHIP
Your career progress will depend in large part on how we you understand and manage your own performance, but that doesn’t mean you are in this alone. If you want to grow, you must find ways to get candid feedback from others on what you are doing well and where you can do better. In some organizations, this will be easier than in others, but you have to take the initiative and make sure you are asking for what you need. We’ll look at ways you can do this in an effective way, without placing an unreasonable burden on others.
DEALING WITH SETBACKS
Things will go wrong, of that you can be certain. There will be bad bosses, dead-end jobs and economic downturns that could, through no fault of your own, undermine your career path. While completely avoiding these setbacks is seldom possible, how you handle them is within your control.
PREPARING FOR YOUR FIRST MANAGEMENT ROLE
Being a great leader means it’s not about you anymore; it’s about them. This section explores classic mistakes first-time managers make and what you can do to become a true leader and maximize the performance of your team.
YOUR GROWTH PATH
What’s next in your career path? How are you developing yourself and closing your skills gaps? Are you taking courses? Are you a member of industry groups? What projects can you take on to gain experience and develop new talents? This section of our courses focuses on the elements of a growth plan, and the importance of never being satisfied with “good enough.”
COMMON MISTAKES (AND SOME BETTER WAYS TO HANDLING THINGS)
This section of our course discusses the top 7 things that people consistently mess up in their own career development and presents Jack’s advice on how you can get on, and stay on, a winning path.
WRAP-UP
Closing words and advice from Jack Welch.
