“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”

You have heard this before.

This saying is especially true when it comes to career and professional development.

Unfortunately most people just “go with the flow” with their jobs. They don’t have goals, purpose and direction.

One day they find them selves trapped in an emotionally draining and unsatisfying job. This is the harsh reality for many professionals.

The good news is that “you can control your career path.”

With the advancements in the information age, globalization, and the current economic development there are more opportunities than ever to get the career you are passionate about.

Think of career planning as you would if you are planning a trip.

First you would decide where you want to take off from, where you want to land at. Then you would work out the schedule, the timing and the intermediate stops.

If you don’t like planning trips, “relax” you can hire a travel agent. If you don’t like planning your career you can hire a career coach to guide you through it (I recommend trying on your own first, because it makes your career coaching session much more efficient and beneficial).

You can draft your Career Plan in three easy steps; I use the acronym K.D.OTm (pronounced like kido) to remember it

Step -1- (K) Know where you are now.

Step -2- (D) Decide where you want to go.

Step -3- (O) Organize a plan to get you there

K – Know where you are now.

The ancients knew it best when they said “know they self.” You can know yourself by looking at your surrounding and knowing where you are now. Take a real look at your career now; what do you like about it? What don’t you like?

Make sure you take what you like now with you when you go to where you want to go!

D – Decide where you want to go.

Based on the information you gathered from where you are, Decide your destination now. Write it down and get excited about the possibility (everything is possible).

O – Organize a plan to get you there.

Winners have plans. Planning happens by back-tracking from your desired destination all the way back to your current place and position. Step-by-step work your way backward till you have a completer path.

If you are visual person chart it out, if you are logical outline it, and if you are creative mind-map it. And if you are like me you would do it in all the previous forms discovering different insights with every way.

The important thing to learn is this: to get ahead with your job and get far more satisfaction with your career you need to create a career plan that will get you smoothly from where you are to where you want to be.

Jot down the KEDO steps and start your career plan ‘today’, it is easy and straight forward, and notice how excited you are when have that plan in your hand.



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