Chances are good that you want your career/job situation to be the greatest it can be. With Christmas and the season of giving gifts upon us, it’s understandable if you’re hoping that this coming year will give you all you hope for and desire.
And it can, so long as you realize you are the one who will deliver that gift. In other words, effort and some sacrifice on your part are what will help you obtain the career goals you dream of.
Happily, you really need only two things to make your job situation/career great this coming year.
So write a “Dear Santa” letter to yourself and ask yourself for these things:
- I will give myself the gift of additional training/education.
No one wanting to build a career – or stay employed – should think he or she can sit around and do the same old, same old every year and not feel the consequences at some point.
Additional training/education/certification always is going to be critical to success in the job market of tomorrow. Technology is changing such that artificial intelligence more than likely will (disrupt the employment prospects of millions now-employees in the next few years.
(Just some of the careers/jobs that could be affected: dermatologists, lawyers, sports journalists, financial reporters, retail clerks, border patrol agents, middle managers, pharmacy technicians, program software, and more.)
Bottom line? The next time your boss asks if you want to go to a seminar on such and such, say yes (and then ask if you also can get certified in it).
- I will give myself the present of learning how to be a better “political” animal in the workplace.
Office politics exists. The most successful among us learn how to make their way through it with grace and skill because those who rise to the top are able to:
- Be friendly – but not too much so – with everyone.
- Stand up to bullies without becoming a bully themselves.
- Take bad news stoically.
- Give bad news with kindness yet firmness.
- Know when to take a stand and know when to stand back.
Some people appear to easily navigate the politics of the workplace. Others struggle. But all of us can learn how to improve our own skills dealing with it.
Success truly comes easier if you can promote yourself and your “causes” fairly with your boss, clients and co-workers. Learning the “art” of office politics can be a terrific gift you give yourself this coming year.
Would another great Christmas gift to yourself be a new job? If you’re looking for work in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas, take a look at Helpmates’ current job openings.
