The New Year is a catalyst for self-reflection and evaluation. This is the time to evaluate where you are professionally, no matter if you are an employee or an entrepreneur. It is good to take time to determine the distance between where you are and where you would like to be in regards to your education, technical and communication skills, and milestones on your journey toward success.
Conduct a gap analysis between where you are and where you would like to be. Commit and take action to reach the desired and necessary steps in these areas. Doing this will enable you to maximize your capabilities in your particular industry. Strive to be an impact player and not just someone sitting on the bench. A team player is great, but an impact player moves organizations towards their vision and leads in their mission.
A state of complacency is not a positive state to be in. You will be unmotivated and your employer and customers will be as well. Motivation is great and we all need it, but the application is the important aspect of it. Start a career journal, then do a career audit and identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (S.W.O.T.). Once this is complete create a resource tree. This tree will reveal who and what can provide you with the tools and resources to address your weaknesses and threats.
The best way to apply this information is to identify the tools needed to perform the actions you are motivated to carry out. Your tools can be people, places or things. Create a list to identify what tools you can bring to the table to help with applying the skills and knowledge you have acquired from training, workshop, coaching session, or life experiences. The next step is crucial. Communicate with the people who have the resources and motivation to help you. Let them know what you need so they can purposely reach out to you and their network. Access the places you have identified, and acquire the things you can use to move closer to your desired outcome.
Knowing who your cheerleaders, critics, and dreamers are is also important in motivational application. There will be times during the project period that you will need to draw from these individuals as subject matter experts. Keep a list handy so you can Tweet, Facebook, text, email, chat, or make an old fashion phone call to connect with them. You need to keep the energy going and sometimes this takes plugging into a source that gets you excited about simple everyday life. Success is wonderful, but once you reach it you have to continue on the same path with the focus and determination that led you there.
Davita “Nicole” Carpenter, M.B.A., SHRM-SCP
