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Career roadmap increases odds for successful advancement
Thursday, January 01, 2009
'Where's this job going? Maybe I need to get a life." Who hasn't paused to ponder the mysteries of a career?
Maximizing your potential as a professional requires that you develop a career roadmap and an execution plan. Persons serious about succeeding in their careers are already envisioning where they want to be three to five years from now and what it will take in terms of education, training, skills and experience to get there. Having defined a career path, their chances of achieving results increase exponentially.
You can create a career roadmap much like Eric, a hustling business-to-business salesman who aspires to be a territory sales manager in three years and possibly reach division manager in five. He has no managerial experience but devises a threefold plan to build his credentials.
Eric begins by volunteering to chair a cross-functional task force at his company tasked with analyzing sales training methods. In this role, he directs the activities of five people, sets goals, makes decisions and delivers presentations to management. Eric also offers to serve in his boss' capacity whenever the manager is on vacation or extended absence. These initiatives help Eric gain the management expertise and posturing he needs to move forward.
Eventually promoted to territory manager, Eric refocuses on the next cycle — to become a regional manager, which involves developing marketing strategies and managing a high-volume, multiproduct activity. To prepare, Eric partners with the planning staff to develop a new business model for the division. He later agrees to laterally transfer to a larger, more diversified territory where he can gain experience managing volume and multiple product lines.
Eric might to this day still be a sales stud in the field if it weren't for his passion to move to higher ground and a script charting the course. Importantly, he will continue to re-write the script to optimize his career opportunities as his professional life continues to recycle.
Bellbrook resident Steve Stromp is a professional career consultant, lecturer and writer. Contact Steve Stromp: sstromp@sbcglobal.net.
