Note from Susan and Lynn

It’s now the end of January and if our readers mirror the population sampled by the University of Scranton Journal of Clinical Psychology, 45% of you will have made new year’s resolutions and 64% of you will still be holding to them. Keep it up!

We believe in the importance of goal setting but there’s an important step that comes before setting goals for your career (or anything else for that matter): You’ve got to be clear on what you want.

Seems obvious, right? Yet only 11% of Americans are passionate about their jobs, which is an indicator that most of us are not clearly aiming for what we want in our jobs.

During 2014 we at Women Leading Together will guide you on how to get and stay on your desired career path. 5 Strategies to Own Your Career™ is our signature program that builds the skills to make your career a successful and fulfilling one. This month we kick off our 2014 newsletter series by looking at the first detour that can take you off your desired career path: Am I clear on what I want?

Our desire for you is to be absolutely clear on what you want from your career so you can make choices that keep you on a good path.

Warm regards,

Lynn and Susan

Feature Article

If You Aim At Nothing, You’re Sure to Hit It

How do I know if I’m on the right path? This is a question we get frequently from career minded women. We’ve developed our Career Roadmap to help sort through the decisions that women face in their careers. But every road has potential detours and wrong turns. Let’s talk about one looming detour that you can avoid.

Am I Clear on What I Want?

Susan tells a personal story about a time in her career where she had achieved more than she had set out as her ultimate goal and how, surprisingly, that took her off track. “As a person driven by goals and objectives, I had successfully navigated the corporate world and achieved the job and title I had dreamed of. I had barely been in that dream job long enough for the chair to get warm when I was offered another bigger opportunity in a very different role. I recall thinking, ‘Wow, this is a big title, big job and has prominence in the industry.’ I accepted the job, without even considering turning it down.”

“The problem was, as I soon learned, this job was ill suited to both my passions and skills. For the first time in my career, I had no goals – no roadmap against which to assess my progress. It was a challenging time, and I ultimately found my way back to a career path that was perfect for me. It wasn’t until I found clarity in what I wanted for the next phase of my career that I was able to redirect to jobs that were in alignment with MY desires – not the desires of others.”

How can you avoid the detour of being unclear on what you want?

1. Get clarity on your priorities, your strengths and your career objectives. Up to a point, Susan knew what she wanted for her career. But a combination of fast career progression and life changes called for a reassessment of future opportunities.
2. When you surpass your goals, remember to reassess the landscape and set new goals.
3. If you’re engaged with the current level of challenge, success and satisfaction, be alert to avoid getting caught up in the hype of what others want for you.
4. Know what energizes you and only take jobs that align accordingly. We’re not all cut out to do the same jobs, even if we have the skills to do so. For your career to be fulfilling, it MUST include elements that energize you on a daily basis.

The New Year is a good time to reassess and set new goals. If you’re clear on your priorities, your strengths and your Energy Gems™, write them down. If you’re not clear, then set aside some time for reflection and exploration. Journal, attend a workshop, get a coach, read books, spend quiet time in reflection.

Susan and Lynn deliver private workshops and speaking engagements to help women discover what energizes them and how to build on that to keep their careers on track. Learn more at www.WomenLeadingTogether.com

Here’s to staying on your desired career path in 2014!

Resource Corner

A CEO’s Perspective on Building a Corporate Culture that Advances Talented Women:

Check this out for a CEO who “gets it”.

A Short Video Clip about Heidi/Howard and an HBR Study:

This video ad summarizes an HBR study about the labels that women face in business. Awareness is a first step to overcoming challenges by developing new skills. At Women Leading Together we teach women how to advance their career with our program, 5 Strategies to Own Your Career™, which you can check out here. In the meantime, enjoy the video and watch to the end for encouragement.

Upworthy Video:

This video is outside of our normal range of career resources, but it is a beautiful piece of poetry that touches the reality of women’s relationship with food, our voice and how we inherit both. Enjoy!

About Susan and Lynn

Susan Hodge and Lynn Rousseau created Women Leading Together in order to provide seminars, workshops, and coaching circles to help career women move forward to create fulfilling careers. Visit our website at www.WomenLeadingTogether.com.

Copyright © 2014 Women Leading Together, LLC

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