As the holiday season kicks in, it is a great time to reflect on 2023 and plan for 2024. Our economic and social environment is changing dynamically and this has a direct impact on what you will contribute to your workplace in 2024. To quote Marshall Goldsmith, "What got you here, won't get you there!".
What will you do differently in 2024 to stay ahead at your job, in your career, in your profession? Here are some pointers to start your thinking wheels ...
Environment (average rating of 7+ implies a need for urgent action on your side)
Risk of significant change in 2024-25 to your job/function/company/industry (Rate on a scale of 1-10, 1 being least and 10 being most) - You can rate each separately, for example, risk of job change 5 but the risk of change in your company 8
Risk of obsolescence for your technical skills because new technology is changing how your job is done (Rate on a scale of 1-10, 1 being least and 10 being most)
Skills (shows what your manager is looking for from you)
Importance of hard technical skills and soft people skills for your current job (Rate on a scale of 1-10, 1 being the job is all technical and 10 being the job is all about people)
Access (helps you gauge how much effort you will need to put in to access the skills training)
Ease of acquiring hard technical skills for you to stay relevant (Rate on a scale of 1-10, 1 being very easy and 10 being very hard)
Ease of acquiring soft people skills for you to stay relevant (Rate on a scale of 1-10, 1 being very easy and 10 being very hard)
Growth (Clarifies the path for you on what to ask for in 2024)
Importance of hard technical skills for your growth (Rate on a scale of 1-10, 1 being least and 10 being most)
Importance of soft people skills for your growth (Rate on a scale of 1-10, 1 being least and 10 being most)
Now, let's put this together! If your average rating for the Environment is 7 or more, you are standing at the doors of a volatile 2024 that has the potential to fundamentally change what you do for a living! Time to act before somebody else makes decisions for you...
The skills reflection should help you to figure out what pays your salary... are those hard technical skills like coding, machining, or finance, OR, are those the soft skills, like how you get work done from your teams, how you collaborate with your colleagues and how you engage your customers? Once you know this, the next question is how easy or difficult is your access to gaining further training in critical job skills? If the access is relatively easy (for example, cheap, company-paid, off-the-shelf courses/certifications), you are in good luck! On the other hand, if access is difficult, you need to search for the right avenues and then also build a sales pitch for your manager to allow you to access the right training/experiences. Start jotting down your points for a discussion at work!
The last part is about changing your status quo! Of course, if you are happy and content with your current role and opportunities, then this is less of a concern. But, for the ambitious and growth-minded individuals, jot down what skills you need to be good at for that next opportunity, for that next responsibility, for that next challenge!
Your whole notes should not be more than a single page. Once done, congratulate yourself! You just finished an important step to a better YOU! Stay tuned for more...
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