Are You Willing?
When working with clients in the area career advancement,
one of the first things we talk about is their willingness; that is, do they
know what it takes to reach their ultimate career goal and are they willing to
do what it takes to get there?
This is usually a good reality check to ensure that the career goal is
meaningful and realistic.
Assessing your "willingness" involves gathering information
about what it truly takes to reach your career goals. Whether your goal is to reach the highest leadership level in your
company or to get that next promotional increase, you must know what it will
take for you to get there. The best way to
find out what it takes is to talk to someone who is in the position that you
aspire to reach or get a mentor who has experience in this area and can
give you guidance on what is required of you to get there. Is it more education and training? New and different experiences? Time in different part of your company
or different geographical location?
You want to gather as much information as you can and then ask yourself
whether you are willing to do what is required to reach that goal.
Sometimes, after exploring what is required, clients are not so sure that their career goal is the right one for them
because some of the sacrifices are too great. One client discovered she would need to be willing to
relocate two times in the next five years to advance to the
higher-level position she desired. This was not something she was willing to do
at this stage of her life (with young children at home). This is really a key question to ask yourself as you think about pursuing your career goals and
your dreams: Are you willing?
I heard an audio recording of Fabienne Frederickson, (Client
Attraction Mentor and owner of clientattraction.com), asking a group of the
entrepreneurs (whom she mentors) the same question: Are you willing?
She asked them the following series of questions, which I found quite
profound and also applicable to those who are assessing their career goals and
aspirations. Her questions were as
follows:
To turn your goal into an every day reality, are you
willing:
To make sizable investments in yourself?
To go where you have to go?
To do what you have to do?
To change what you have to change?
To let go of what has to go?
To move where you have to move?
To study what must be studied?
To take direction when it is required?
To continue in the face of failures?
To commit yourself 100% to your dream?
To possibly even receive ridicule, humiliation or
rejection as part of the price to win?
And so my friends, as you assess your own career goals, I
ask you: Are you willing...?
Career Development
Suggestion for March:
Review your current career goals and, if you do not know what is
required to reach them, find out.
Next, ask yourself whether you are willing to do what it takes to get there. Take the time to ensure your
goals are aligned with what is meaningful to you and also aligned with what you are
willing to do to achieve them.
© 2010 C3-Corso Coaching &
Consulting
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