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7 methods of driving your own career

21st Jul 2013
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I've been thinking recently about my career and where I want it to take me. You may be wondering why now. Well, it appears that some of the big goals I set myself 3 years ago are starting to happen. (Woo hoo!) However, it does mean that I am slightly rudderless now my goals are becoming reality. So, I spent some time with my coach this week thinking about the next chapter for me, my business and my career.

Putting yourself in the driving seat for your career, as I did last week, is something that you are going to make partner AND have a life (or run your own practice AND have a life). If the elusive 'have a life' bit is going to happen, you need to be actively planning your career. Here are our 7 ideas on how to drive your own career.

1. Do your own career planning

If you don't know what you want from your career, then it gets difficult, in fact impossible, to take good career decisions. If you don't have your own career map, you will then take career decisions on what others want from you - i.e. your firm, and maybe your friends and family. This is often the reason why you can find yourself 5-7 years into your career and in the wrong place. Ultimately, you need to do your own career planning when you want to do it - not when you are told to do it by your firm.

Download your free guide to career action planning from our free career kitbag (email required)

2. Pay for some of your own development

Those accountants and consultants who take on personal responsibility for their own career will often fund some of their own development. Why should you expect your firm to pay for all your development? If you are serious about your career and what you need from it, then you will be prepared to pay towards that development. (If you are being paid a very good wage by your firm, then it shouldn't be too hard to put a little aside for your own development.) By all means, ask your firm if it will pay towards your development, but if necessary, pay for it yourself. Interestingly two of my coaching clients have recently reported a step-change in their career after utilising my services.

3. Squeeze the last bit of value out of any development you get given

Training and development is no longer a right if you are employed in professional services. (Well, technical CPD is probably a given) If you are given the opportunity to attend a workshop, work out in advance exactly what you want to get out of the workshop. Also, line up people who will be able to help you put into practice what you have learnt after the workshop.

4. Know what you want from your life inside and outside of work

How many of you have goals for your life inside and outside of work? I would hazard a guess that most of you have goals inside of work - but probably not goals outside of work. If you are going to have the whole package - i.e. a life outside of work, you need to work out what having a life means. Only then can you productively work towards having a life outside of work.

To help you identify what you want from your life inside and outside of work, download your free guide to career action planning from our free career kitbag (email required)

5. Ask the questions

Have you asked your partners what you need to do to progress your career in your firm? Do you know what you will need to demonstrate in your business and personal case to get accepted into the partnership? How much capital will you be required to put into your firm to get a seat at the partnership table? Do ask the questions. The more knowledge you have, the better career decisions you can take.

6. Work with a coach

Everyone inside or outside of your work has an agenda for you. Your firm wants one thing. You friends and family also have an agenda for you. These work and home life agendas may or may be what you want. That's why working with a coach is so beneficial for professionals wanting to move forward their career. A coach will give you a sounding board and keep you accountable to YOUR goals. If you look at any successful person in your practice, I bet you that they have used or are using a coach to help them achieve their goals.

Download our free guide to helping your build a business case for your firm to pay for a coach for you

7. Grow your own rainy day funds

Very often we can get trapped in an unsuitable role or firm because we can't afford to leave. Therefore aim to build up a rainy day pot of savings which will pay your bills for 6-12 months. Having this money stashed away may be the difference between breaking free from career hell and career heaven.

Author Credit

Heather Townsend helps professionals become the Go-To-Expert. She is the author of the  award winning and best-selling book on business networking, the ‘FT Guide To Business Networking’ and the co-author of ‘How to make partner and still have a life’. Over the last decade she has worked with over 300 partners; coached, trained and mentored over 1000 professionals at every level of the UK's most ambitious professional practices.

Heather blogs regularly at How to make partner and still have a life and Joined Up Networking

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By Stephanie Roth
13th Aug 2014 13:19

Just like you every individuals are worry about their career and are always thinking for this. They try to build their own career as per their choice and busy to find a career path. As we know it is not easy in this competitive era. For this, all career oriented people need a good coach or useful career advices. After reading your blog I think this will be cat as a good career adviser. Driving our own career is now possible only because of you. Thanks for this.

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