Desiree Culley

Starting over doesn't feel easy - but remember you are not starting over from scratch. You are starting with experience! Write down all your technical skills AND Behavioural skills. This will demonstrate how much you have to offer a new employer, or may even flush out another opportunity like starting your own venture. It's important to recognise that job loss is not a reflection on you (unless it was for misconduct!). Working with a career coach is a fantastic way to rebuild confidence, identify what you want your next step to be, and bring out your amazing human qualities. Job loss is a time to re-invest in yourself. Take the opportunity!

1. Build your self-awareness skills using the Johari Window method. 2. Ask for radical feedback from your team, your line manager, and others whom you respect and trust will give you an honest perspective. 3. Be open to listening and receiving feedback (don't get defensive, and try not to respond if you can). 4. Ask open questions about the feedback for more information. 5. Discern the feedback (don't self-select). Sit with it, weigh it up, and see what behaviours are prevalent. 6. Work on a practical action plan to implement changes to your behaviour. 7. Be open to making mistakes, and trying again. 8. Be kind to yourself and don't stop learning or developing.

Firstly, don't make promises you can't keep! There's nothing worse than good intentions leading to dead ends and false hope. Next, think laterally and not just vertically. Career development is more than just promotion to the next job role. Perhaps a side-ways move that can offer interim skill building or experience opportunities, and ask if they can be done for a fixed period like 12 months. Career development is more than just the next job role up. Consider behavioural development, skills, goal orientation, networking, and more to create a personalised plan that meets the employee's overall objective, instead of just the next logical step.

Throwing too many actions, activities, and "busyness" at the problem without consideration and intention will impact your culture change absorption. I've found that we so often jump to action because we place so much importance on it but we miss the steps of thoughtful reflection and intention. Then you wonder why your team has change fatigue, or are demotivated because you creating so much activity around it. Sometimes, slowing down in order to speed up has a better outcome because the intentional change has time to embed.

When it comes to career planning and assessing your own skills and interests, understanding what motivates you is THE perfect starting point. Motivational Maps is a great assessment tool for this, as it breaks down what your personal motivators are and helps create awareness that can be applied to your career planning goals. Couple that with career coaching, and you are off to a brilliant start!