Action-Plan to Success Background
Every leadership success story comes from creating an on-target action plan for career success. It is harder to achieve success from simply going at it and hoping for the best. This is because you might encounter snags along the way and don’t have any ways to overcome them.
It is baffling why some succeed and some fail in their careers. Sometimes it may even seem unfair. You may know friends and family who are fantastic people, act appropriately, have good education, have good jobs, and generally perform well on the job. But somehow they still wallow in difficulty.
Then there are those who always achieve so much success and yet do not have high merits. They have minimal education, poor attitude about themselves and other people, may be dishonest and unethical, and even involved in a cycle of breakups and new partners. In these cases, the actual defining factor is the strength of one’s desire to get ahead. Despite their lack of virtues, knowledge and appreciation, these people often got ahead in the success race.
This is also why many good and honest workers you know are struggling to pay their bills. If the desire is strong enough to achieve the goals, why still many do not?
Desire vs Work
The sad answer is there is only desire, but no work. Oftentimes many dream big but do not hustle and put in the work. They do not stay up late at night developing new solutions to their problems. Nor do they not work 16 hours a day closing a sale. Work hard to ensure the prospects they approach turn into qualified leads? Nope! They do not learn all that they possibly can about their industry and markets. They do not work to get around the right sources of influence, or to associate with those people who can help them to achieve their goals. While they are sitting there dreaming, some are getting off their seats and working.
So, what are the steps to develop an action plan to career success that will work effectively and take you to the finish line strongly?
Here are the major points to keep in mind in building an action plan to career success:
Step 1: Develop The Right Action Plan to Success For You
Some people are very detail-oriented and are able to closely follow an intricate plan to the letter. Others are more effective when they see the bigger picture first and then frame out the small steps that lead to the final goal.
Each of us is unique and motivated by different factors. You’ve got to develop an action plan to career success that is right for you and fits you. Some plans will not be as intricate as others, but we all must have a plan, along with goals in that plan, to move us forward. If you are a free spirit, don’t tell yourself you are going to spend two hours a day with a book and a journal. It probably won’t happen. And you will just get discouraged. Whatever your personality, your strengths and your weaknesses, develop the plan around them. This is not a one-plan-fits-all proposition.
If you’re detail-oriented, it’s best to map out the small steps in your action plan to career success with utmost focus. This means being very clear on what you want to achieve daily, weekly or monthly. For example, the first small step to achieving your ideal weight is to cut out 1 serving of sweetened drinks by the end of Week 1.
For those who like to see the bigger picture first, it helps if you imagine how it will be if you’re, say, 20 pounds lighter. You may be able to get out of bed easier, your energy level will rise, and you will fit into those clothes that you yearn to wear. Then, map out what you need to do in order to achieve that.
Step 2: Allocate The Time For Your Action Plan to Career Success
This is crucial in your planning, because you’ll be clearer on when you should commit to achieving your goals. In this case, let’s use the weight-loss goal.
It might be alternating aerobics and weight training every other weekend. Or it could t be running 30 minutes each morning or swimming after work. Alternatively it could be in the car listening to weight loss motivational podcasts on your way to work, or possibly meeting your coach once a week to set your workout plan and to check on your progress.
Whatever it is, be specific on the where, when and how to do it, and actually do it. In your step-by-step plan, put down points that represents small achievable goals that you can accomplish in a short time. They should be specific because if you straightaway put down a major goal, you may think it’s too big to achieve.
The next crucial element in achieving your goals in your action plan to career success is not starting to work on it, but to keep going at it. Discipline is important and really comes into play here. Take those steps every day, which will close the gap to your goals.
Step 3: Keep A Record
Two words that will help you a lot: Take Notes. In all seriousness, don’t trust your memory. It’s much better and workable when you write it down. And write it in a single place so it’s easier for you to remind yourself where you’re heading and what success you have already achieved. You will find that this step will help you tremendously in the long run.
Record everything! Be it the ideas and inspiration or reminders and failures that you have gone through. This helps carry you from where you are to where you want to be. Write down the ideas that you get from outside sources that impact you most. Complement them with your own ideas that further suit your style. Do a brainstorm session with yourself on what you want and how you want to do it. And finally, record all your desires and ambitions, and put it where you’ll read them daily so you remind and motivate yourself consistently.
Your journals are a gathering place for all the valuable information that you will find. If you come across something that you think will help you achieve, for example, promotion, power, allies, productivity, influence or uniqueness, do not delay. Write it down. Strengthen your reflection and motivation by using the information you gather and put it where it will be recorded permanently
Step 4: Reflect on Where You Are and Where You Want To Be
Next step is to make the time for reflection. This is where you spend some time to go back over, to study again the things you’ve learned and the things you’ve done each day. This can also be called ‘running the tapes again.’ This is done so the day locks firmly in your memory and serves as a tool for motivation and keeps you going.
As you go through it, spend time reflecting on its personal significance. What you can do is take a few minutes at the end of each day before you retire, and go back over what happened. Review your achievements for the day. Pay extra attention to who you talked to, who you saw, what they said, what happened and how you reacted.
Another way is to take a longer time at the end of the week to reflect on the week’s activities and achievements. It also pays to periodically stop, step back and look at what you’re doing. That helps you see if your actions served to push you to your goal or otherwise. Then tweak it a bit so you are kept on track with your action plan to success. Take a half day at the end of the month and a weekend at the end of the year so that you’ve got it, so that it never disappears That ensures the past is even more valuable and will serve your future well
Step 5: Set Clear and Achievable Goals
Remember that your action plan to success is the roadmap that shows the way to your goals. That means it is always an essential tool that helps you to succeed. Setting goals is also an invaluable skill to learn.
Why?
Because it can change your career for the better, and does it in the fastest way. Mastering this unique process can have a powerful effect on your life, too. If you have a set of clearly defined goals, it can surprisingly be a powerful indication of your potential! If you don’t have them yet, better to frame them out immediately so you have a lucid view of your future and dreams. Set your own goals clearly as soon as possible. Because it is the greatest influence on your future and the greatest force that will pull you in the direction that they want to go. It all boils down to this: If you plan and design your goals well, your future will be very bright.
Step 6: Act on It!
So what still holds you back from your success? You have a very strong desire to do it already, and you have already created a plan that will take you there.
The next step?
Take action! Here’s the thing: successful people aren’t necessarily smarter than others; they just work the plan to the letter, they follow through on the plan and ensure the plan serves them to reach greater heights.
The best time to act on your action plan to career success is when your emotions are strong. There’s a little thing called The Law of Diminishing Intent. This essentially means your desires diminish over time. But, if you don’t act immediately after having the desire, your goals are harder to achieve. Act when the idea strikes you, when the emotion is high, but if we delay and we don’t translate that into action fairly soon, the intention starts to diminish, and a month from now its cold and a year from now it can’t be found. This is where discipline comes to play – work the action plan to career success when the idea is strong, clear and powerful. You must capture the emotion and put it into disciplined activities and translate it into strong unrelenting action.