Steve Jobs approach to career planning
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” Steve Jobs
So why is it we do not spend more time finding out what we love? Most people drift into jobs and careers. Most people spend more time planning their 2 week vacation, which in 6-12 months will be a distance memory, whereas their career which lasts 40 years, 5 days a week, 7 hours per day.
Apparently the three most significant influencers on our career choice are parents, teachers and neighbours.
Is it we don’t know how to career plan? Is it we haven’t got the time?
In my experience it’s a bit of both. Career planning is in the too difficult box. We don’t know how to do it, so we avoid it. All too often we immerse ourselves in the task at hand, which is an avoidance strategy. Often misguidedly we devote ourselves to our current employer, believing by working hard, we will get rewarded. Most employers are delighted by this strategy, their best interests arevserved by what you are doing today, not what you should be doing in order to fulfil your career dreams. You should not delegate career planning to your employer. Employers will do what’s in their best interest. Most employers are reluctant to develop you for jobs you will perform in the future.
Quoting Wayne Gretzky, the famous ice hockey player, Jobs once said “ I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been”. Career planning is all about putting in place what you need to have to get you to your final destination.
Step 1 It’s important to create the time. Nothing is more important than you. Set aside time to plan your career. Write down your thoughts.
Step 2 Understand your interests and values. Interestingly it’s your interests and values that drive your skill set. We get good at what we like. Conversely when values and interests are misaligned, it is unlikely you will enjoy or be successful. The best marketing person in the world, if a passionate anti-smoker, won’t be a success at BAT, Imperial Tobacco or Gallagher. In my experience the most common cause of poor job performance and subsequent job loss is the misalignment of interests and values.
Step 3 Seek help to know yourself. Ask your friends. Seek professional help. There is a very simple tool called best reflected self. It requires you to get your friends to give examples when you are at your best. Read the feedback, and take notes on the key insights. Look for commonalities amongst the responses. Create themes across the commonalities and link several examples to it.
Step 4 List what is important to you in a job/career.
If you are to have a rewarding and successful career, it is essential you put time into developing a plan. Write the plan.
