Workplace reality...merging and creation of career paths. Where are you placed?

Part of managing your career effectively is to be aware of current and future workplace and career trends. This includes; knowing the people resource direction your organization and similar organizations are heading, the demand for skills and knowledge going forward, potential new career paths being created and careers that will no longer be required. Managing your career path with the assumption that the status quo will continue is one sure way to waking up one day finding your skills and knowledge are no longer needed in the new economy. So what does this mean for you?

Well to begin with you have to recognize how 'in demand' your current skill and knowledge set is and ascertain whether the future trend is up or down. My clients speak to me quite regularly about the research I undertake on future career and business trends to gauge whether they are increasing their 'economic value' by remaining in their current career. If you prefer to undertake your own research then read magazines relating to business, economics, human resources, entrepreneurs etc and don't just read the words....have a think about what these articles are inferring about the direction our society is taking. Ensure your personal brand reflects in part what society will be demanding in the future.

You should also look at your current employing organization and those of your friends and family. Look at the roles on offer and have a think about whether your role and others will be required within the next five years? Organizations undoubtably aim for continual performance improvement and this means merging, outsourcing or automating roles where possible. This is not a bad thing as our society only develops through continual reallocation of resources - and this includes people. However it will spell disaster if you think you can perform the same role forever - even if you are upper management. I have one friend who is performing three roles within her organization - one because of a maternity and one because someone has not been replaced, in addition to her own. Don't think for a second that if she performs well that her firm will hire the two staff that were there only a month ago.

Once you have a better idea of where you are, immediately start to plan for the future transition that must happen, whether that be a career change, adjustment or move from big business to your own or vice versa. Speak to a career management and business coach about opportunities and next steps - begin to understand your true motivations and values so someone with a background in performance psychology would be an advantage. Look at the potential future roles you might want to work in and identify the skills and knowledge required - this may require going back to school for a couple of years but do that knowing that in two years you will be well-placed to take advantage of market demand.

Validating and valuing your personal brand - Part 1

There is more and more talk these days around ebranding and creating an effective personal brand, though it is still an art form and in its early stages. However there is no denying the fact that your personal brand in society and online, in respect to society's perception of it, should be treated with care and your career and/or business plan must make this a high priority item to manage.

There are many entrepreneurs and consultants that are starting to claim an 'expert' tag in respect to personal branding. Tom Peters, Dan Schawbel and a few select others are very highly regarded in the field of personal branding and provide a lot of good information as to managing a personal brand, what it means, how to differentiate yourself from your competitors and the tools you need to create a successful personal brand. However there are two aspects, which I would regard as key, that in my mind are still questions are this stage. The first is to ensure you are on the correct path to obtaining the 'personal brand' perception that you think you want. The second is to be able to 'value' your personal brand in the market. Without each of these you will simply be undertaking actions that may or may not create the correct personal brand image or alternatively you may just create a 'worthless' personal brand.

I am one that totally agrees with the concept of personal branding...it's always been in our lives, professionally and personally, in respect to what others perceive us to be and represent. It's just never before been a focus - until now because the workplace demands it. However creating a personal brand is not something to be taken lightly. No one can yet tell you what has to be done to create a brand that will provide a certain perception...for a company yes, but not for an individual. No one can even tell you how to value your brand ie just because I'm perceived a particular way does not guarantee results due to the influence of external events that cannot be controlled. Inherently a personal brand is inflexible as the core foundation of the brand is you and with that comes specific motivations, values, genetics and emotional intelligence etc

So my suggestion is to look and understand all of the tools that influence your personal brand 'value' in the market - online presence, social networks, image, knowledge of personality and emotional/social intelligence. But take with you two things; you are no marketing or branding guru and thus creating 'the' personal brand is going to take time but the good news is that a lot of personal branding is simply common sense so don't be awed by all you read - just spend time to think about who you are and what you want. That is, get to know yourself and take control of your life.