A bit of luck is necessary for you to achieve your dreams and inspiration yet, the bigger factor rests in knowing how far you want to go and how you want to get there. Do you know what you want to achieve in your career? This is what really matters. Often, we allow ourselves to be rudderless. We stay laid back waiting for that chance to make it big. But how big do we aspire to be yet you do not know yourself?You cannot claim to be a manager if you cannot manage yourself first. In our busy schedules, we forget to manage our lives. Yet doing so not only benefits us, but also the organisations we work for. It is only when you are clear on what you want from the job that you can make a valuable contribution. Do you really know why you are in that job? How often do you stop to reflect about this? If you are just in a job to pay your bills, both your contribution and possibility of getting the chance are minimal. So what management are we talking about? you should develop a personal strategic plan that would go a long way towards ensuring that the big chance is within your grasp. You might be staring at your big chance in the face, but you may not really have a plan hence you may not recognise the chance. Your strategic career plan will have a clear indication of how far you want to go. Let us call this career vision. But does this plan blend with the rest of your life? Of course, professional growth cannot be in isolation from the rest of your life. One way to go about this is to visualise your obituary. What can we say of you when you are no longer there? What do you stand for in this world? What service did you offer? What’s your legacy? Let us call this a mission. Even without taking you through the strategic plan progress, which you are more than familiar with, my hypothesis here is that the big chance will not occur unless it is planned for. Of course, just like the job you manage now, there will be uncertainties but it is these uncertainties that necessitate planning. So get down to it. Career guidance and planning is not the preserve of high school students or fresh graduates. It is a continuous progress. A key aid to achieving your professional aspiration is what you do beyond your current job description. Those extra tasks you take on are what give you the confidence that helps you to embrace bigger responsibilities. At times, we limit our talents alongside our current bosses. Yes. They are smart and that is why they are our bosses. But you could be more talented. It is just a question of the time learnt from them to build yourself. Do not belittle your current position. In view of what you dream of becoming someday, this will only deflate you and sap the energy to get there.Live the current position in the same way you covet it. When the chance comes, be courageous to take it up. As a manager also, it is important to transfer your knowledge to those below you. Lastly, urge them to live beyond today.
