I need wiggle room. Free space in my mind, and in
my calendar to let me think, let me catch up, and
let me breathe.
I recently had a client, let’s call him
Spinning-his-wheels-Scott, who was caught up in a
flurry of mind numbing confusion and calendar
clutter. When we first started meeting, he was
attending 6-8 meetings per day, plus responding to
200-300 e-mails every day. Not only was he spinning
his wheels, but he was becoming increasingly cranky
with his job, the company, and his career.
If you’ve fallen into a similar situation, below are
5 career strategies to help you weed out the clutter
and create a career that actually energizes you.
1.
Leverage your strengths.
Studies show that we’re more successful in our
career when we enjoy what we do! So the first step
in weeding out clutter is to anchor on your
strengths.
What kinds of things are you good at? Which types
of projects keep you motivated and inspired? Where
do you make your biggest contributions? The first,
and most important, step is to define your two to
three key strengths and the real value that you
provide to the company.
2.
Identify those projects and assignments you want!
Most organizations have a handful of projects just
waiting for someone to step up and lead them! Seek
out projects, teams and assignments where you can
flex your professional muscles and show off your
strengths. They may be current projects, or they
might be new projects that you could create.
The key is to design your own career game plan
including the type of job role and responsibilities
you want. By aligning your strengths to those real
and tangible benefits you could be providing to your
organization - you’ll be creating a win-win
situation.
3.
Negotiate with management.
Now, it’s time to meet with your employer. Share
the reasons why you enjoy working for the company,
the kind of work that inspires you, and the types of
projects and assignments where you could make the
biggest contributions.
Focus on ways that you could add to the company’s
bottom line by helping to generate new streams of
revenue, cut costs, or help the company be more
competitive in the marketplace. Make your proposals
crisp, results driven, and passionate.
4.
Schedule your priorities.
After you’ve been given the green light by
management, the next step is to take control of your
schedule. Does your calendar reflect your
priorities? Or someone else’s priorities? (This is
where carving out wiggle room comes in.)
To stop Scott from spinning his wheels, he started
focusing on the 2-3 things he wanted to accomplish
every day – not do but accomplish
– and only put on his calendar those activities that
aligned to his daily 2-3 priorities.
Once Scott became clear on his daily and weekly
goals, his need to accept unnecessary meetings and
respond to e-mails diminished, and his productivity
and career satisfaction skyrocketed.
5.
Set limits.
Another must-do in creating wiggle room is to set
limits. When you go from attending 8 meetings a
day, to attending just 2, you’ll more than likely
receive some resistance from others.
Just as you set up new expectations with your
manager, you’ll also need to realign expectations
with peers, team members, and customers. Set up
one-on-one meetings to discuss your new priorities
and how you’ll be spending your time. Address up
front how and if you’ll be able to contribute to
other projects.
You may even need to carefully remind your manager
about your new priorities if you receive requests
that fall out of scope. One helpful tip is to
create a “to do” list, as well as a “NOT TO DO”
list. These lists can be very effective tools when
talking to your manager
J
Spinning-his-wheels-Scott is no longer in a career
that makes him feel overwhelmed, anxious, and
frustrated. He’s taken complete control over his
career and his calendar, and has successfully
created a job within the same company that keeps him
challenged and inspired.
I encourage you to define your strengths, ask for
what you want, and take ownership of your schedule.
By doing this, you’ll be on the fast track to
creating a career that gives you meaning, purpose,
and wiggle room to breathe! Ahhhhhhhh.
J
Your Assignment: Create some wiggle room!
Have you ever noticed those people who are always
rushing and out of control? Sure, we all have
moments like that, or even a few days – but there
are some folks who are living 24x7 in a self
propelled panic situation.
…and then there are those really successful
executives who ALWAYS seem to have it together.
Those who have time to eat lunch, have hallway
chats, and actually return their voicemails! How
do they do that?
This week’s assignment is to create space in your
mind and in your calendar. Empty, unscheduled,
open space that allows you to think, reflect, and
grab onto opportunities that fall into your lap.
Step #1:
Create a “to do” list for the upcoming week. Write
down NO MORE THAN 2-3 things that you’re going to
accomplish every day. Not just “do”, but
complete.
Step #2:
Just as important as your “to do” list is a “NOT to
do” list for the upcoming week. For example, mine
includes not accepting speaking engagements for less
than 100 attendees, not accepting media interviews
with less than 100,000 subscribers/viewers, and not
accepting clients who are not fully ready and
committed to making a career change.
By creating “to do” and “NOT to do” lists,
you’ll be gaining clarity on your priorities,
accomplishments, and how you can create a career
that energizes you!
