Wouldn’t it be great if we could recharge our careers like our phones?
Plug it in and in a few hours, we could have a satisfying, best-fit career for 2019?
It’s not as easy as plugging in your phone, but you can recharge your career. A great starting point is to build your career resilience, which will give you the energy and enthusiasm to take charge of your career. I define career resilience as the ability to adapt to changing circumstances, even when the circumstances are discouraging or disruptive.
When you are resilient, an obstacle does not derail you; instead, you see it as a challenge and continue to be productive and satisfied in your career. You take responsibility for your career and personal growth while maintaining commitment to your organization’s success.
To build their resilience, my coaching clients use my Benatti Resiliency Model, which consists of five strategies: Well-being, Self-awareness, Brand, Connection, and Innovation.
Spark Your Well-being
Do you make your well-being a priority? Do you exercise regularly? Do you give your body the fuel it needs to perform? Do you get the amount of sleep you need to be at your best on a regular basis? Are you stretched so thin that you feel ready to snap? Well-being is key to being productive and focused.
Try one of these Well-being boosters: Start your day with a morning intention. Think about what you would like your day to look like and how you want to feel. Some examples include: calm and confident; refreshed and focused; and relaxed and happy.Let it go.
When you’re frustrated or upset with a situation at work, take a few deep breaths and let it go. Carrying it with you all day is not worth it. Take more mini-breaks at work. Meet a colleague for lunch or take a walk around the block. Mini-breaks can give you an energy boost as well as reengage your mind and body.
Spark Your Self-awareness
The next strategy for career recharge is self-awareness. Can you articulate your values? Is your career aligned with them? How is your mindset— do you see yourself as adaptable or do you cringe at the thought of the next transition in your organization? Do you have insight into your personality type and what you need to thrive in your career?
Some ways to boost your Self-awareness: Notice how you spend your time – both professionally and personally. Does it reflect your personal values? If not, what one change can you make in order to devote more time to your values?
Be aware of your self-talk. When your inner conversation is consistently negative, it can alter your view of a situation and take up valuable energy that could be used for what you have control over.
Spark Your Brand
Do you know what your brand is? Brand isn’t just about the attributes that describe you—for example, strategic, detail-oriented, collaborative—it’s about the impact you make in your position. Knowing and communicating both keeps you relevant in your current organization and prepared to look for another position if necessary.
To boost your Brand: Look for opportunities to use your strengths in your career and your personal life. Using your strengths energizes you and gives you confidence. Every Friday, ask yourself, “What impact did I make in my organization this week?”
Make sure your brand is clearly reflected on your LinkedIn profile with a professional headshot and a summary statement that reflects your attributes and your impact.
Spark Your Connection
Connection, which I define as cultivating relationships, is key to resilience. When I think of my most engaged and energetic clients, I notice each has a key group of people they trust and from whom they can get feedback. This is essential in supporting your recharge.
Some Connection boosters include: Think of connection as a business competency and make a monthly connection plan. Be sure to include face-to-face opportunities; connecting online is sometimes the only option, but by meeting with colleagues in person, you can develop trust. Get involved in a professional organization in your industry. This is a great way to grow connections that can have a positive impact on your career.
Spark Your Innovation
Innovation is the fifth strategy of my model. When you introduce new challenges, interests, or competencies into your career, it keeps you growing, developing, and thinking creatively. Focusing on innovation can energize you to take the steps needed to be more engaged in your present career or to begin the job search.
The key to successful innovation is to create the vision, then figure out what goals you need to accomplish to make the vision a reality. It’s important to ask yourself if the goals are personally meaningful to you, to make sure they are worth your time and effort.
To get started, try one of these Innovation boosters: At the end of every month, write down your work achievements. Seeing your accomplishments will keep you motivated and moving in the right direction. Innovation can include reading career-related books, listening to podcasts, and attending webinars or conferences. Volunteering is a great way to introduce innovation into your personal life and your career. Look for an organization whose purpose has meaning for you.
If you’re like many of my clients, you want a fulfilling and challenging career, even as you deal with the VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) environment in which we live and work. Boosting your resilience will let you take charge of your career and life and ride the waves of change instead of letting them drown you.
Make 2019 the year to recharge your career.
