Great work great career

Embarking on a successful career journey begins with a vision in your mind, which subsequently manifests in the real world. It is essential to initiate this journey with a clear destination in mind. Visualize the contours of your ideal career rather than passively accepting whatever opportunities come your way. The moment you shift your questioning from 'How do I climb the corporate ladder?' to 'What unique impact do I aspire to make? What legacy do I wish to leave behind?' marks the inception of your remarkable career journey, as highlighted by Peter Hawkins and Nick Smith. To address these pivotal questions, you must craft a Contribution Statement.

This statement will act as the guiding force for your career, influencing the opportunities you choose to pursue and those you decide to pass up. It will define the value you aim to contribute, the individuals you wish to serve, and the type of impact you desire to have in the world. The creation of a well-thought-out and individualized Contribution Statement is the first step towards carving out an exceptional career. Stephen Covey emphasizes that while job seekers have resumes, those intent on forging a significant career possess Contribution Statements. He advocates for writing Contribution Statements for every role or project you undertake, as well as for your overarching career trajectory.

Maya Angelou's words, "You can't be what you can't see," resonate deeply, underscoring the importance of envisioning your potential. William James, a renowned philosopher, suggests that we all possess untapped reserves of energy and genius that we are unaware of. In the era of the Knowledge Age, workers must learn to ask themselves, 'What should my contribution be?' This question is unprecedented in human history. Traditionally, one's role was predetermined, and the majority of individuals were subordinates who followed orders. However, the emergence of knowledge workers is rapidly altering this dynamic, as noted by Peter Drucker, a respected management consultant. The job description paradigm of the Industrial Age, where workers conformed to the employer's specified requirements, is becoming obsolete in the fast-paced Knowledge Age. Adhering strictly to a traditional job description can lead to obsolescence and marginalization. To progress, you must identify your unique blend of skills and competencies and determine how to leverage them to make the most significant contribution possible. The ideal way to synthesize this information is by developing a Contribution Statement.

To craft your personalized Contribution Statement, you must articulate three key elements in writing: Firstly, enumerate the unique strengths you can leverage in your career, which generally fall into three categories:

Creating a Contribution Statement is a significant step forward, as it equips you with a powerful tool that can be utilized to enhance your role within your current organization or potentially with a new employer. It is highly recommended to share this statement with your team members. Peter Drucker, a renowned management consultant, emphasized that there is no need to fear being perceived as presumptuous. When an individual approaches their colleagues with a clear outline of their strengths, work style, values, and the contributions they aim to focus on, along with the expected outcomes, the usual response is overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing that such information would have been beneficial much earlier.

The real value of a Contribution Statement becomes apparent when preparing for a job interview. Consider the stark contrast between a conventional resume entry and a problem-solving Contribution Statement for a hypothetical company, HealthyBlood Ltd., which is in the process of hiring a quality assurance manager. Crafting your Contribution Statement is just the beginning. The real challenge lies in bringing it to fruition, especially if you are not currently employed by the company that could benefit from the solutions you offer. Stephen Covey and Jennifer Colosimo point out that securing the job you desire is largely dependent on thorough research. Companies are not interested in hiring for the sake of it; they are looking to address specific problems.

It is crucial to identify the new challenges that the ever-changing business landscape presents to the company you wish to join and to research potential solutions you could provide. This requires initiative and perseverance, even when faced with a challenging job market. If you foresee potential redundancy in your current role, it is advisable to take proactive steps to expand your Circle of Influence, which includes the people, knowledge, tools, and capital at your disposal. An illustrative example of this approach is a technical writer at a credit-card processing company who, anticipating redundancy, identified a significant cash-flow issue due to delayed customer payments. By volunteering in the collections department and applying researched solutions from other companies, he significantly improved cash flow. His curiosity led him to investigate the root cause of the problem, resulting in a comprehensive business case that he presented to his employer, ultimately leading to a successful project that enhanced the company's profits.

In the past, a standard resume or curriculum vitae (CV) was sufficient for job seekers. These documents, primarily focused on the individual, detailed their skills, educational background, and work experience. They served as a personal brochure, showcasing the candidate as a potential employee, and were designed to be broad enough to apply to a variety of job openings. However, in today's job market, particularly in the Knowledge Era, a more focused approach is necessary.

A targeted resume is now essential, designed specifically for a single employer. This type of resume requires thorough research into the prospective organization, reflecting its mission and values within the document. Targeted resumes are highly specific, including detailed achievements such as increasing sales leads significantly while also reducing marketing costs. They are tailored for a particular job listing, emphasizing relevant experience and skills, and include a concise profile and key career accomplishments without mentioning references, hobbies, or personal details. The goal is for the resume to be succinct, ideally one page, with the option to add a detailed list of achievements on a subsequent page.

For those aiming for a very specific position, a highly targeted resume can be even more effective. This advanced form of a resume includes a summary of the problem the organization aims to solve with the new hire, a proposed solution or Contribution Statement, and a brief overview of the candidate's qualifications and experience relevant to the proposed solution. It also details the candidate's success in solving similar problems for other organizations. A highly targeted resume is essentially a written presentation of a Need-Opportunity, based on comprehensive research and analysis, and is directed at a single decision-maker within the organization.