Practicing Professional Self-Care
It’s a new year and it's a new you! You vowed to stick to that resolution; have you?
Hopefully, most of us are on the right path to rocking that resolution; we have planned out our personal goals and tapped into our friends and family to hold us accountable. Or, maybe you thought about it and... well, that’s where it ended. Regardless of where you fall with your personal resolutions, we need to know…. Have you created your own professional resolution?
Have we got you puzzled? We thought we might.
What is a professional resolution?
It's pretty much what it sounds like. A professional resolution is a commitment to yourself to improve an aspect of your professional life. It's a form of "professional self-care."
For example: a business owner might resolve to double-down on increasing sales this year. Or a CEO might resolve to be more in-touch with her employees' cultural needs. Or a graphic designer might be looking to make the leap to to web3 by launching an NFT project. Whatever your goal, creating a professional resolution means identifying an opportunity to do things differently, and hopefully, for the better!
How will you be held accountable?
As with all resolutions, accountability is key. Your Aunt Jane who is crushing it on the iMove charts and has the best low-carb recipes probably isn't the right fit. She may have helped you shed a few pounds, but can she help you with your professional development? Who is cheering you on in your professional goals or resolutions?
Will your Employer Support you?
We have discovered that employers and employees tend to be more successful when there is clear communication around performance, team contribution, deadlines, and culture. It’s easy for your employer to set these goals for you based on what they need to achieve growth for the organization. But a lot of employees put their own development on hold to conquer their employers’ goals.
How do you ensure that both are growing together, versus apart? In our opinion, it starts with creating a Cipher for both yourself and your role. This is a crystal-clear road map of what the goals are, what needs to be delivered, and the efforts need to deliver the goals. If employers and employees Cipher’s are working in harmony everyone is thriving.
As a leader, are you aware of what your employees truly hope to achieve to help accomplish their career goals? Are you committed to holding your team accountable to their development? Does that development align with their Cipher as well as the Job Cipher?
As an employee, are you telling your boss what your professional resolution is for 2022? Are you aware of your manager’s 2022 goals and how you play a role in their success? Most employees struggle with bringing their long-term goals to their managers out of fear. And let’s face it, a lot of managers don’t understand that if their team excels, they do too. Let’s change this. Successful leaders create successful teams, and vice versa. If your team isn’t successful, the leader of that team is typically the first person we look for to ask “How come?”
Sound Impossible?
We get it, not everyone has a "kumbaya relationship" with their employer. After creating your Cipher, you may find that you won’t be able to stay in the position you are currently in, if you are going to practice true professional self-care. That’s ok! But before you jump ship, make sure you are being true to yourself and the potential new journey you have ahead by creating a Cipher for that. Make sure you are measuring that new dream role against YOUR Cipher. How does this role fit into your life and career goals? A lot of us react quickly when we have had enough, and don’t put a lot of thought into that new shiny job. We only think about the things that are bothering us now – the raise we didn’t get, the new manager that ruined it for us, or the crappy benefits we have. While all of those aspects play a huge role in our immediate happiness, it's important to remember your long-term goals. Ask: will this role truly allow you to get there? Or are you signing on to another version of your past role, only to find yourself in the same spot next year? Save yourself, and your resume, by creating a Cipher.
Are You Ready to Rock This?
Have we convinced you to practice a little professional self-care this year? How much more could you accomplish, not only professionally but also personally, if you felt more engaged and aligned professionally? We challenge you to build that Cipher for yourself – and stick to it! Need an accountability partner? Let us help you! Tag us or comment below with your Cipher. Need some help creating that Cipher? Sign up today for our Cipher course, which will teach you as well as help you build out your Cipher.
