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What do you want to be?
It's not easy to decide which direction to take
Climbing the career ladder takes more than just putting in the hours; you have to strive to grow, learn and lead in an ever-changing environment, adapting at every step of your ascent.
Choosing a career is never altogether simple – and particularly when we are expected to decide in our teens what direction we want to take our entire professional future, choosing where to study, what profession we are aiming for, and how to climb through the ranks to greatness – which, of course, most of us dream of.
Realistically, the choices we make in our teens and the direction we so staunchly march towards, eyes set on a distant target, often change quite significantly as we travel. In some cases, the role which we set out training for no longer even exists by the time we are qualified for it – with the rapid developments in technologies, ever fluctuating markets, and the world of global industry flowing and growing incredibly quickly.
This means that an ability to adapt, evolve and learn at every stage is probably the most important ingredient for success – whatever industry you work in.
You may decide to switch from the area you originally trained for – and that could seem daunting, a throwing away of perhaps years of experience and training – but that isn’t the case; even very specific skills can be transferable to another industry as we climb the ladder, and those with only a very niche, expert knowledge aren’t necessarily the right people to lead a business when compared to someone with less of that specific niche knowledge, but more understanding of business and commerce on a larger scale.
Eperience and skills can be transferable
It's not always a straight forward path
The progress that we make from trainee to leader isn’t a straight line – there is no one path to success; instead we zig-zag, meander even, through a wealth of positions and experiences, learning at every stage, until we combine all that we have learned into our incarnation as ‘boss’. And those who make the best leaders really do learn at every stage, adapt to grow in each position, and constantly look to the future – and to how you fit into that future.
It comes back – at every stage of a successful career – to the same question. Who do you want to be?
If you can answer that, you can put a plan in place to get you there – and even if that end goal changes, you don’t have to throw away your plan – just adapt it. Wherever you are in your career, you’re working towards the next step, the next achievement and the next win.
On this journey, we all experience knockbacks and failures – because this climb to the top is never smooth going. Each knock can alter your path, but you don’t let it end your journey; each new development in your industry, in technology, and in your own learning journey is simply another way to get you to the top.
If you have an idea of who you want to be, and are seeking the tools you need to take you closer to that goal, we’re here to support your learning development and to enable you to utilise your innate talents, transfer your existing skills, and make you the best leader you can be – just call our consultants today on 01234 757575 or email us at hello@askeurope.com to discuss our learning programmes and how you can be exactly who you want to be.