7. Career Goal-Vision

‘Work Is Work ship’ is a means to look at our work. Praying without putting them in actions will not fetch us to live satisfactorily. It suggests that we eat to live and that our work does not become useful for our customers. Our work becomes fruitful when it is touched by our Lord Jesus. Working too hard does not necessarily bring in more results and those results may not be desired by our customers. Taking up right work at the right time by the right person shall bring out a useful output for everyone. All the work may be collected together in a single career that can be sought upon for an entire lifetime. A long term vision of a career shall solve the quest for golden opportunities and the challenge for diverse investments in our every day jobs. We invest in us and deliver to our customers with added values.

The career vision statement is given in a similar manner as the family vision statement. The statement in the tablet may reflect our job roles in a broader perspective. The defined statement for the career is,

“‘As a visionary, execute an exemplary thought leadership and effective management to the employees, investors and the customers as a whole. Dream big, think global and deliver positive waves to the development of mankind with the progress of the world.”

A list of tasks gives rise to an activity and a list of activities gives rise to operations and a list of operations gives rise to the nature work and finally a list of works gives rise to a career. A task becomes a career over a course of time. Then why keep the task away and aim for a successful career. As all great careers begin with a single step kept forward. When you take up a task means; you take a step forward towards your career. In the statement it is clear that to have a bright career a thoughtful vision is required with effective leadership and productive management qualities. Customers, investors and employees are viewed from a bigger angle, so negligence of interest does not arise considering only one party in picture. Big dreams and global views shall allow the progress of mankind. Thus closing the door of being self-centered that is present in us. We think in terms of the mankind as a whole than narrowing down to a small set of people for growth. As the ideas are big and achievable the benefits that it brings are numerous and plenty.

Let us get a picture of the basic needs to be fulfilled in our career. The main goals considered are: a brilliant personality, enough wealth, positive attitude and peace of mind. What we look for inside a career may vary from person to person. Most of us go for position, money, recognition, satisfaction and power. These seem quite common achievements for the work that we do. Does it end over there once we reach the top level? No, it still should carve a personality in our behavior, a character in our thoughts and positive actions in our living. It should give a fortune of wealth to serve an entire generation. It should show us how to live positively with the right attitude not only to our colleagues and fellow workers but to other country men as well. It should help us understand that peace of mind lies with us not outside. All these fruits have to be nourished now and then to keep us fit and fine. Balancing each of the fruits is the key to a delightful career. Over indulgence in any of the fruits does not produce the desired outcome. Each vacuum space in us has to be filled to an optimum level so that the roots of bad effects for selfishness, greediness and jealously have no scope to grow along with our career. Wise living, rather fast living fetches the fruits for a prosperous career.

Career evolves over a period of decades with great experiences. The great benefits keep adding up as more years pass by, relying on the necessity that we are travelling on the track of learning, path of training, acquiring knowledge, understanding business, working on monetary transactions and delivering quality output to the prospective customers. The fruits of better personality, more wealth, right positive attitude and peace of mind grow as we advance in our career. These are achieved as a by-product in the development process of our career. To seed a job and grow in the career requires a clear knowledge of the abilities we possess, about the understanding we have, about the values that abide in us and about the proper guidance needed to carry us to the next level of success.

Career excellence is sought after by corporates, businessmen, companies and organizations. A normal career gives a normal benefit, an excellent career gives an excellent benefit for living. A few tracks to achieve career excellence are highlighted below:
Be proactive: It is always a question that who will take up the work of tracking, monitoring and controlling. Manager thinks that the team members shall do their work; team members think that the manager is responsible for all the work. Ultimately the work is undone and the customers are dissatisfied. To avoid such situations each person has to involve himself to undertake the work tasks and be responsible to the manager. The manager in turn becomes responsible to the customers. All becomes accountable for the work. Only that the roles may vary from person to person based on their designations.

Leading with empathy: Leading without empathy is like leading without followers. No followers indicate that there is no need of a leader. Put ourselves in their shoes to understand their feelings why they behave the way they are behaving. Empathy brings in an emotional relationship with our fellow colleagues allowing us to act reasonably and wisely to the indifferent situations and annoying circumstances.
Knowing your abilities: ‘I think I can do’ does not work as effectively as ‘I know I have done’. A task may be taken up with the confidence of completing it. Lot of courage comes when we know that we have done the task earlier or know how to do the task. When our abilities are known in advance, then we can take up selected tasks than taking up all the tasks. This helps us reducing the amount of work by safeguarding the quality of time.

Building your brand image: For what work we are meant for, how effectively shall we deliver the work and which resources has to be employed shall all be answered with the kind of image that we project to our customers. The buyers may then clearly choose the brand that they wish to take up to meet their requirements. This improves loyalty, trust and quality of the products and services we offer to the customers.
Communicating effectively: Communication is a two way process but it is always better that a third person understands what the communication is all about between the two. This picture can be viewed when a manager communicates to the customer and the team member looks on. So the team member fails to understand the customer requirements, whereas the manager can. Thus it creates a communication gap among the group of the project team members.

Having a right positive attitude: Attitude speaks a million words. Even if the attitude is positive and when it is placed in the wrong place, the result is adverse. Placing our positive attitude at the right place shall bear the right fruits for the right people. Then positive living is not only applicable to the organization we serve, but also to our family members, to our friends and to our relatives.

Serving with love, trust and gratitude: Working to earn shall make you live for survival. Working to serve shall make you live for betterment. Serving with love, trust and gratitude shall make you live a great life. This requires putting our heart and soul in the vision of our life. The law of multiplication succeeds the law of addition with the application of love, trust and gratitude in the work that we do.

Multiplying efforts through networking: The principle of synergy holds true when a network of persons strive towards a single vision. The resulting outcome is the multiplicative product of the individual efforts. To have a strong network- proper coordination, clear communication and right information for help are the key things. To have a composition of ideas and clarity on the thoughts that emerges we should precisely have communities of individuals sharing and building similar visions.
Maintaining physical, mental and spiritual fitness: The three dimensions in us should well be addressed and balanced. Body, mind and spirit are interdependent on each other. Healthy body, strong mind and Holy Spirit encourage us to achieve our goals at the right time for the suitable occasions.

Having a collective approach to the above means for achieving an excellent career fulfills our career goal-vision to a great extent. Easily said than done applies in this contest. Not all the goals mentioned in the vision are feasible for any individual. The key is to choose the ones that can be held quite enthusiastically and lively. Living to our own expectations is more important than living to other’s expectations. Always try holding on a target that keeps our expectations more higher than what others expect from us.