Figuring Out Your Next Move

Cited from "Figuring Out Your Next Move" By Jenny Blake from Lynda.com

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Introducing the pivot methodology

A career pivot is a methodical change in a new related direction based a foundation of your biggest strengths and what is already working. The biggest mistakes that I made when career change felt like a crisis came because I was so focused on what wasn't working, what I didn't want and what I didn't know. None of that propelled the conversation forward.

Stage 1 Plant: value, strength and vision

Stage 2 Scan: research, network and map out opportunities

Stage 3 Pilot: identify, implement and evaluate

Stage 4 Launch

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Pivoting for impact within your current role

A study by Daniel Kahneman and Agnus Deaton confirms this. Once people surpass $75,000 in annual net income, approximately $82,000 in today's dollars, they experience no statistically significant bump in their day to day emotional wellbeing. When it comes to promotions, consider, what would that promotion get you? Are you looking for increased salary? Recognition? More or different responsibilities? And then consider what are some ways you could work toward that even before a next role is available to you?

The best pivots start from right where you are, right now. How can you grow within your current role? What projects could you take on that would give you the skills and experience necessary to naturally move into what's next?

What can you do from right where you are to start learning, growing, and thinking about how you want to make a bigger impact?

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Reverse engineer past pivots

Reflect

1. What did each role have in common?
2. What strength and interests carried over?
3. How did you know it was time to make a change?
4. What was the most helpful in navigating the change?

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Inventory your strengths: What's working best?

Stage 1 Plant: strength and what's working? And one-year vision

What are your biggest strengths? What do people come to you for advice on most often? What are you the go-to person for on your team or among friends and family? Reflect on the last two weeks. When were you most in the zone? Looking ahead to the next two weeks, what do you most look forward to on your to-do list?

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Craft the vision: What does success look like one year from now?

What does success look like one year from now? How do you want to feel? What's your ideal average day? What types of projects are you working on? What do you want to learn? How do you want to grow? What kind of impact do you want to make on your team, within the organization, on customers and clients, on your family, your community, and even the world more broadly? Finally, imagine you were to win an award or someone were to write you a glowing thank you note one year from now.

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Identify your pivot brackets: Knowns and unknowns

There are four categories pivoters generally fall into: inactive, reactive, proactive, and innovative. The first two are often stressors. The latter two are sweet spots.

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Scan for people you can connect with

Scan for three things, people, skills, and projects that could be a fit to help to close that gap, based directly on what you already identified in the plan stage.

1. Look for people within your organization who are doing what you might want to do, who would be beneficial to speak with and learn from.
2. You can also look for peers, who I call friendtors, people who you can grow with side by side and help each other with accountability and support.
3. Another approach is drafting behind other professionals. Think about someone further along in their career, either in your industry or the one you might want to be in, who's doing what you're hoping to achieve. And ask if you can help with any overflow that he or she doesn't have the time or desire to tackle.

Brainstorm as many people outreach options as you can related to your strengths and one-year vision. Who is doing what you want to do, as identified in your one-year vision? Who do you already know? Who can provide advice? Even if you don't know exactly who to turn to yet, write down qualities of the types of people that you'd most like to meet and learn from. What structures can you set up for getting to know people in and outside of your organization? For example, lunches, coffees, or walk and talks.

Or maybe even shadowing someone for a few hours. Be open to people in your personal life and outside of your organization, who can provide inspiration and insight to you, as you grow your network in an authentic way, based on who you are genuinely interested in getting to know and vice versa.

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Create a skill-building game plan