Performance Checkup: What’s in your box of chocolate?

There is a big thrust to be healthy and go green. Have you applied the green initiative to your career? We should be as diligent about our career health as the focus we have on our physical health. Maintaining your position or gaining a new one has become challenging and complicated. As the companies and organizations push doing more with less, the employees have to be creative, responsive and more productive. With those criteria, it is easy to get lost in the process. As employees, we are ultimately responsible for our career just like our personal health. So where are you right now?

Check your Career Pulse

At the beginning of the year, you usually complete an individual development plan (IDP) and make your performance commitments for the year. However, we forget to check our progress along the way. Personal development often times becomes secondary or forgotten until review time. Regularly check your pulse by taking the time to review what you have committed. Peak performance is indicated by your ability to handle daily demands while increasing your skills and stretching beyond your normal pace. The best employees are key contributors who value and seek growth. Balancing your development against performance is a way to maintain a healthy career. It is important for organizations to see there is a balance between the two.

Exercise for Growth

Exercise is a way to build muscle. Career advancement can be considered in the same way. Having a schedule to build new skills regularly increases your chances to catapult your advancement opportunities. Add skill development opportunities to your calendar to increase your focus and build a routine. Practice increases the chances for this behavior to become a habit. It is also a good idea to have an accountability partner. Whether you hire a coach or enlist the assistance of a co-worker, having someone to help gauge your progress can be helpful. As Forest Grump was told, “You're gonna have to figure that out for yourself. Life is like a box of chocolates, Forrest. You never know what you're gonna get.” Keep your career in shape so that you can adjust and excel.