How to Bulletproof Your Future

It’s challenging these days to read the news without hearing of layoffs or a possible recession. Understandably, this news can cause mild or serious panic for some, regardless of how secure you may currently be in your company.

One of the best ways to bulletproof your career and stave off anxiety is to confirm that your boss views you as a team member who delivers value.

With 79 workdays remaining this year, it’s a great time to be proactive and check in with your boss.

Tips and free resources

Review your achievements to date, challenges, and the degree to which you are meeting expectations.

If you’re not sure where you stand, I created a series of three videos on getting the most value out of the PI (Promotability Index®) which is a free, helpful assessment tool used by thousands of professionals and organizations such as The World Bank Group to help ensure you and your boss are aligned on your development needs.

Additional resources to support you:

• The 4 Steps to Increasing Your Promotability (video, 1m 58s)

• Professionals: Catapult Your Career Conversations (video, 2m 44s)

If you are leading a team, there's no better way to demonstrate you care about your employees than to invest time in helping them design their career development. A recent Conference Board survey of working professionals found that 61 percent of women said they would leave their job if they didn’t receive development opportunities. And 55 percent of men made the same comment.

As a leader, you'll want to provide clear and fair feedback on growth opportunities and how your team’s performance is measuring up. There should be no surprises come review time. The PI gives you a shared language that depersonalizes what can be a stressful discussion for some people.

Videos for leaders:

• How Leaders Can Use the Promotability Index to Inspire Trust and Grow Their Teams (2m 3s)

• Catapult Your Career Conversations: For Leaders and Organizations (2m 22s)

If things have taken a tough turn and you expect a bad review, check out this recent Harvard Business Review article by career transition coach Susan Peppercorn, “Expecting a Bad Performance Review? Here’s How to Prepare.” She was kind enough to interview me and include my thoughts.

If you’d like to explore working together, I have two openings in my coaching client roster in October.

Stay well and here’s to your success!

Amii

[email protected]