PERSONAL SPECIAL Have a life plan?
Living in the moment may be a good idea but it may not
be the best approach for your career. Here’s how you can devise a long-term
‘life plan’
Most
of us become so used to living from one job to another that we sometimes lose
sight of the big picture. We allow the tide to decide where our lives head
rather than taking charge of our own destinies. When you started out, did you
see yourself becoming the CEO of your dream company one day? Then, what you
need is a ‘life plan’.
“It
is important to have a life plan because a goalless venture leads only to
accidents. Success can only be achieved through design and not by default. If
one has to measure one’s professional success, one can only do so in reference
to a well laid down personal growth plan and related milestones. Otherwise, one
will be like a ship without a rudder/anchor - lost in a wide ocean waiting for
something to happen,” says Sanjeev Dixit, chief people officer, Allied Blenders
and Distillers.
Once
you’ve decided to make a life plan for yourself, spend time perfecting what you
list in it. “The first thing you need to do is a detailed self-reflection and,
as obvious as it may seem, it pays to give yourself plenty of time. Once that
is complete, it's time to start exploring the career options that interest you
the most. With the career exploration done, it's time for you to select
possible career paths. While you do so, it is also good to take regular
feedback from your family, friends and peers,” advises Sumit Mitra, EVP, HR,
Godrej Industries. “Creating the life plan is about understanding yourself,
recognising your capabilities and working towards making yourself a successful
as well as a gentle human being. Once you’ve identified these, all you need to
do is to bring together the synergies and have a vision and mission for your
life. Once you have that in place, it’s about questioning and continuously
reminding yourself about ‘Why you wrote the plan?’, ‘What it means for you?’
and ‘How are you going to go about executing this?’ In this process, it is
important to assess your strengths and weaknesses, identify attributes, which
make you positive and attributes which drain you,” suggests Nikhil Arora, VP
and MD, Intuit India.
However,
spontaneity is always advisable when it comes to unforeseen opportunities that
you might miss out on if you’re too rigid. As Reto Wittwer, president & CEO
of Kempinski Hotels says, “At every stage of my career, I’ve reassessed where I
wanted to go, what I wanted to do, and eventually, ended up where I am today –
with a respectable amount of experience in the business, and no regrets. I
didn’t start out as a young trainee already aiming to become CEO.”
The
ideal life plan does not restrict you. Rather, it gives your life purpose and
allows you to acknowledge the things that matter most to you and the things
that you seek from your career. Arora lists the three elements that should
constitute a well-rounded life plan:
·
Functional/career: This
element is what drives your professional growth and satisfaction. It helps you
address what exactly you want to do and achieve in your professional life;
·
Mental: It’s
all about developing mental fitness and ability to overcome obstacles to
achieve your life plan. You should develop your ‘courage quotient’ to have a
free-flowing life plan;
·
Emotional: This
is all about connecting with your inner self.
“An
effective life plan should ideally include a long-term goal supported by
short-term goals that help you achieve it,” adds Siddhartha Pahwa, CEO, Meru
Cabs. In conclusion, your ideal game plan should be the combination of a
well-thought out long-term plan supplemented by a healthy dose of flexibility
whenever required.
Pahwa on how to create a ‘life plan’ and stick to it:
Create it:
Create it:
·
Define and prioritise your roles;
·
Define the purpose for each role;
·
Define your goals keeping in mind the current
realities;
·
Review frequently and amend when necessary.
Follow it:
·
Create a deep desire to achieve your goals that lead
you on the pathway of your life plan;
·
Visualise yourself achieving the goals;
·
Follow the path consistently;
·
Review yourself at regular intervals and revise the
plan as per the surrounding realities.
Ankita.Shreeram@timesgroup.com
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