Taking Charge

Chris OSB Johnson

Description

This book is about taking charge of your career, and avoiding a line of least resistance.

It's over twenty years since people first started to be told by employers, 'it's up to you to manage your own career.' That's precisely what most of us have done - or have we? Too many people follow the line of least resistance when it comes to career choice. They are easily fooled by the milestones on the line of least resistance, and self seduce themselves into thinking that they have a plan.

This book helps to distil the complex ideas and issues that we all face in our careers and to take away some of the easy mistakes and confusion that goes with any transition. It offers a pragmatic approach that places you back in charge of your career, to help you to see what is best for you and to help to you to act.

Chris's advice is rich in psychological insight and extensive experience of the real-world challenges of forging a career in today's complex organisational world. The book is both tactical and strategic; a plan for immediate action and a guide for your future.

Sujets

• Careers
• Employabilité, métiers et formations
• Economics
• Business
• Carrière
• Carrière & Mobilité

Informations

• Publié par: eBookIt.com
• Date de parution: 21 février 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781456604936
• Langue: English

Extrait

Taking Charge

 
...Your Future...
 
Chris Johnson


Taking Charge
By Chris Johnson
 
Copyright 2011 Chris Johnson,
All rights reserved.
 
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
http://www.eBookIt.com
 
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-0493-6
 
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
Preface- Taking charge
 
It’s over twenty years since people first started to be told by employers, ‘it’s up to you now to manage your own career’. And of course, that’s precisely what most of us have done - or have we?
 
I for one recognise that, however easy that sounds, the reality of managing my own career is a different proposition. That’s why Chris Johnson’s ideas have always resonated strongly with me. I’ve had the privilege of being coached by him at several stages of my own career. In fact, I’ve gained so much from his help that, a few years back, I urged him to write down some of his thinking so that others could also benefit. And finally, that’s what he has done here.
 
As Chris points out, what many people do, me included, is take the path of least resistance when it comes to career choice. Amongst Chris’s gifts is the art of helping people to see the wood for the trees.
 
When Chris coached me, he was able to help me distil complex ideas and feelings, taking away some of the fears and confusion that goes with these. Suddenly, the way ahead is clear and it all makes perfect common sense.
 
It’s that process which has helped me to ‘take charge’ of my own career, to recognise what’s right and what’s wrong for me and to act accordingly.
 
Chris’s coaching arts are rich in psychological insight and are the product of an inquiring, perspicacious mind, and extensive experience of the real-world challenges of forging a satisfying career in today’s complex organisational contexts. His approach is practical as well as strategic. Above all, as the many people he’s coached will attest.
 
Chris really cares about helping people to make the right choices for them. After all, he has walked the talk on that in his own career so he knows what he’s talking about. And, with his book to guide you, you are in safe hands.
 
Linda Holbeche
 
Linda is co-Director of the Holbeche Partnership, a research based development consultancy. Previous roles include Director of Research and Strategy at Roffey Park Management Institute, Research Director of CIPD, UK. Linda is Visiting Professor of Leadership Innovation at the University of Bedfordshire. Linda is author of over 40 research reports and more than 100 articles. Linda specialises in leadership development, and has a strong interest in helping organisations and individuals achieve sustainable high performance. Her career history combines extensive experience and expertise in management and organisational development with a strong track record in leading-edge research.
 
Foreword
A decade ago a good friend of mine said “you have a duty to write this down”. Eventually, spurred into action by my son who has written and sold his own book at 19 years, I put pen to paper. Actually, to be more accurate, my long suffering friend Amelia typed every word, recreated the diagrams from my artistic sketches, and turned a jumbled mass of notes into something coherent. My family, Rosemary, Simon and Verity, has provided stimulating challenges and the motivation to keep going, as have my colleagues at Kerridge who reviewed, revised and commented on each word. The result is a much more coherent text than I could ever have achieved alone.
 
The text is meant to stimulate your thinking, to provide food for thought and to encourage you to “take charge of your career”.
 
Chris Johnson
Auckland, New Zealand
April 2011
 
About the Author
Chris has spent over 20 years helping individuals take charge of their career. He has combined a career as HR Director & as a Board Member and Managing Director with being confidant, consultant and coach to hundreds of leaders.
 
Originally starting as a qualified sports coach 30 years ago he was one of the first senior managers to experience the value of Executive Coaching in the UK, in the 1980’s, then became a qualified executive coach himself in the 1990’s.
 
Chris continues to coach leaders around the world including New Zealand, Europe and the Middle East which he combines with a teaching role on the Executive MBA programme at Auckland University.
 
In his spare time he coached his wife Rosemary to be a world rowing champion and become an accredited member of The Association for Professional Executive Coaching and Supervision in the UK and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personal Management.
 
About this Book
 
 
This book is for anyone who wants to positively “take charge of their career”. It is not a self help guide to careers but more of a way of thinking.
 
The first chapter introduces the ideas and concepts that underpin the approach.
 
The subsequent chapters reflect different career stages.
 
Chapter 2 – Early Career
Chapter 3 – Challenges of Careers and Family
Chapter 4 – The ‘No Retirement” option
Chapter 5 – Importance of Networking
Chapter 6 – 1 st 100 days in new role
Chapter 7 – Staying on track
 
 
I suggest you read Chapter 1, then pick the most appropriate chapter to you. Everyone should read Chapter 5 on networking; it applies at all stages of our career.
 
 
I hope you enjoy the book. Please let me know your thoughts and views via email at [e-mail]
 
 
Chapter 1: The Concept
It’s your future
 
It has been 20 years since Simon graduated. There have been many moves in his career to date. Each one has been successful. So why does this one feel different?
 
Another opportunity has recently come up, one of those “you can’t resist this” opportunities. The person on the end of the phone sounded so convincing, yet Simon just couldn’t get excited about it.
 
Whichever way you looked at it Simon’s career had been successful. He had had several promotions, he had moved sectors, moved jobs, but this time he just couldn’t get interested in yet another “new opportunity which was going to stretch him, and be an interesting challenge”.
 
Simon, like so many others, had followed the “line of least resistance” in his career choices. Each move in isolation made sense. Like many of us, he had his check list of things he wanted from the next role and he could always tick them off: more experience, larger team, interesting challenge and more money were all there.
 
But this was the first time he had stopped to ask himself “where next?” and (perhaps, more importantly) “why?”
 
The key message here is that most of us don’t take time to stop and think through the long term implications of a career move. We rarely start a new role with the end in mind.
 
This book is about taking charge of your career and always starting a new role with the end in mind . The alternative is that we follow a line of least resistance in each career choice we make.
 
The concept of “the line of least resistance” is simple and most of us follow it unconsciously in our career choices. We evaluate every career opportunity on the basis of the incremental improvements it will bring, increased money, further promotion prospects, rather than how it fits into a long term plan.
 
Everyone can benefit from reading this book and considering how they can “take charge” of their future career. However, it should be emphasised that this book is designed to stimulate thinking and questioning, it is not a ‘one stop shop’ of pointers, advice or instructions as to what to do and what not to do.
 
The models and concepts described here have been well tested over the last decade and on average achieve around a 95% success rate for those that follow the simple, basic steps. Furthermore, the concept works across all age ranges and career trajectories from a newly qualified student, to someone in the not for profit sector, commerce, or public services. It always works very well for entrepreneurs and Chief Executives.
 
Line of least resistance

Figure 1 - Line of Least Resistance
© Chris Johnson 2005
 
Simon’s story is like that of so many other successful individuals. Over the last 20 years, our research has demonstrated that very few of us take charge of our careers in any structured or planned way.
 
Many people comment “you can’t plan for the future”, “I can’t plan for next week let alone next three years”, “I just let things unfold”, “things change”, and for some people, this is fine. You don’t have to accept this, however. Creating an outline vision of your future career, and then formulating a practical approach or plan, helps.
 
The Difference
 
The key thing to remember is that you “start with the end in mind” rather than simply going with the flow and seeing where you end up.
 
The problem with the “line of least resistance” is that it is incremental change. Each step makes sense at an individual level. It stacks up rationally in terms of benefits and opportunities; however, the fundamental flaw in this approach is one of long term direction and fit rather than being a short term decision.
 
Research shows that somewhere in the order of 90% of individuals follow a “line of least resistance” in their career 1 . Many of us are fooled by our “line of least resistance” approach to our career as it is often peppered with success, achievements and rewards.
 
I believe the differences between “the line of least resistance” and “taking charge” are significant. Consider the following:
  Line of least resistance Taking charge Each move makes sense Clear set of criteria We get seduced into the role Evaluated decision Short term Long term Comprise In charge Lacks long t