Jane Lowder is the founder of Max Coaching, an agency that specialises in providing coaching services to individuals and organisations. Jane is passionate about assisting individuals to clear existing career confusion and maximise their career satisfaction.
To find out more view Jane’s full bio or visit the Max Coaching website. Follow Max Coaching on: twitter and facebook. June 12th, 2008
Beware of “Cumulative Career Inertia”*
It’s subtle and sneaky. It creeps up on you slowly so that you don’t even notice it’s happening. Somehow over the years, you’ve gone from having a plan for your career, to just turning up to work and ticking the boxes.
It’s undeniable there can be seasons in life where other things need to take priority, and career goals need to tread water for a bit. However when there’s choice, why not make one?
Career Decision-Making Styles
At the recent Career Development Association of Australia conference Sally-Anne Barnes and Jenny Bimrose of the Institute for Employment Research in the UK shared their findings on a longitudinal study of career decision-making styles. Four styles emerged:
- Evaluative - ongoing self reflection and assessment of needs, values and abilities
- Strategic - rational appraisal of information and a steadfast focus on plans
- Aspirational - highly competitive and vaguely focussed distant goals
- Opportunistic - open to multiple options, comfortable with uncertainty
Which would you say reflects your career decision-making style? How recently have you thought about your career direction? Is it progressing as you had planned? If not, what needs to change or happen to set it back on track?
Whatever you do, don’t let “cumulative career inertia”* set in. When we stop evaluating our career choices we can become stuck, or as my fellow conference attendee Lucy Marris put it, succumb to “terminal career apathy”*.
Work speaks for a great percentage of our waking hours, so it is extremely important that what we are doing resonates with our values, plans, interests and goals. For this to happen, we need to proactively and decisively manage our career.
*Alternative career decision-making style titles compliments of Lucy Marris, UK.
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Jun 13, 2008 at 1:41 am
Excellent post - just like a business, all exectuvies should have a 3-5 year plan. This helps ensure that they will be prepared for what comes there way. They remain in control of their career.