If you are reading this post, I am guessing that progressing your career might be important to you. So what barriers might be stopping you from moving to the next level?

1. You are great at working alone on activities but struggle at managing.
2. You have not kept your skills up to date.
3. You don’t believe in yourself and what you have to offer.
4. You are more afraid of failing than trying to succeed.
5. You are not clear about what you want from your next role.
6. You don’t sell yourself effectively in your resume or CV.
7. You struggle to sell yourself at interviews.
8. You understate your achievements.
9. You won’t ask for help to get to the next level.
10. You are not willing to invest in acquiring the skills, training or mentoring to make it to the next level.

Truth is every step in your career brings with it new challenges. So what do you need to focus on to get to the next level?

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to achieve success and realize their professional potential through being highly effective leaders and managers. For more information and to sign up for his free audio e-course click here

If you are a professional, continuing professional development is not just desirable but an essential part of your membership.  After all would you like to have an out of date surgeon perform your operation, gas fitter install your central heating or mechanic service your car? 

When people think of CPD they often get stuck in the old way of thinking of attending a course. Truth is there are huge range of options which are low or no cost, such as:

1. Subscribing to podcasts
2. Signing up for newsletter updates
3. Subscribing to a professional journal
4. Listening to audio CD programmes
5. Attending teleseminars
6. Participating in webinars
7. Signing up for free or low cost e-courses
8. Attending professional association local events
9. Reading books which you buy or borrow from the library
10. Taking on additional responsibilities at work
11. Shadowing a more senior member of the organisation
12. Taking a secondment

At the end of the day, even if you have little or no budget available there are still many CPD opportunities available to you.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps highly rated professionals become great leaders and managers.  For more information click here 

Set a few key goals

Like to do lists we are all tempted to come up with a long list of goals.  But remember that achieving a goal requires investment of time, energy, effort and maybe money.  In a 52 week year you can only achieve so much, so choose wisely when it comes to goals.

List all of the things you need to do to achieve your goals

The goal is the outcome you want, for example, get promoted, complete a professional qualification, deliver a major business project to time and budget to name just a few. 

Achievement of the goal or outcome requires you to do many things.  Let’s illustrate this by looking at getting promoted.  You might need to:

• Do some form assessment of your strengths and weaknesses
• Start searching for opportunities
• Update your CV
• Get some feedback
• Work on a personal development plan
• Take some training

As you can see the list can become very large very quickly hence the suggestion that you focus on a few key goals.

Measure your progress regularly

Ever heard the phrase what gets measured gets done?  When you start actively tracking progress you will be amazed at the progress you make.

Set up some accountability

There is something really powerful about having to report back on your progress to someone else.  Some view it as a negative thing but it definitely does not need to be.  Simply let someone know what you plan to do and get them to ask you for a regular update in the progress you are making.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become highly effective leaders and managers.  For more information click here

Action 1: Do an honest self assessment

It might be tough to do but if you are serious about moving forward, you need to take a long hard look at where you are right now in terms of mindset, skill set, experience and personal attributes.

Action 2: Get some feedback

Feedback is hugely valuable to you.  Getting some insights from others helps you to understand where your strengths are and what you need to work on.

Action 3: Get clear on your priorities

The biggest concern I hear from professional people is that they are running at speed but still struggling to get things done.  We can all fill up our week or month with activities but you need to be focusing on the priorities.

Action 4: Set a few key goals

We are all (me included) inclined to be far too ambitious when it comes to setting goals for the year ahead.  When setting your goals focus on a few major goals that will have a significant impact on what you and your team deliver.  It might be process automation, updating a system, a new product launch, a new way of running meetings or a new way of reporting to name just a few.

Action 5:  Set aside time for leading and managing

A huge part of leading and managing is about making time for your staff.  Sadly many leaders and managers fill their calendar with lots of activities and forget about making time for staff.  You can be sure that there will be staffing issues during the year so plan with this in mind.

Action 6: Think about how you can add more value

Many organisations are currently facing or are likely to face real challenges in the coming year.  The people who step up to the plate and focus on adding value are likely to get noticed. Ask yourself how you could add value to the organisation.

Action 7: Think about your contribution to the wider organisational agenda

We all to a greater or lesser extent can get stuck in a silo mentality where we only think about our own function or department.  Those that aspire to be a leader know that they need to be able to contribute to the overall success of the organisation, not just within their functional area.

Action 8: Take on a new challenge

I don’t know about you but I often found that I delivered better performance when I took on a new challenge.  We all can to some extent become complacent and go with the flow if we don’t have a new stimulus.  Taking on a new challenge not only stretches you but builds your skills, experience and provides renewed motivation.

Action 9: Make more use of your team

As a leader or manager you have responsibility for a team.  If you want to get the best from that team you need to help each and every team member grow and develop.  This might mean delegating and empowering individuals more or even setting up a small action learning set to resolve a particular problem or challenge.

Action 10: Make a commitment to developing yourself

None of us know everything and we all need to continually work on our professional development.  Make a plan, set aside the time and take the action to develop yourself in 2010.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become highly effective leaders and managers.  For more information click here

Often when I am contacting by someone to work with me on a one to one basis, they say to me that they are really well rated professionally but are really finding it a struggle to progress their career.

Sadly this is all too common.  When I was working in Finance Departments in a range of organisations I had the opportunity to work with people who have since gone on to very senior level roles.  However, there were far more who quite simply got stuck at a very junior or middle management level.

So why do professional people who are clearly bright and capable find it a struggle to progress their careers?

1. They don’t work on the wider skill set that is essential at the more senior levels.  The reality is that at the more senior levels everyone being interviewed can do the technical part of the job.  It is the ability to be part of a team and contribute outside of your area of expertise that makes the difference.
2. They don’t have a plan that sets out what they want to achieve and the skills, experience and attributes that are necessary to achieve what they want.
3. They don’t evaluate opportunities as effectively as they could so end up taking jobs that offer short term benefits like salary.
4. They don’t invest sufficiently in their CPD even though the professional bodies of which they are members offer a range of CPD events most of which are low or no cost.
5. They fail to understand the fundamental differences about leading.  I once heard someone say that leadership is all about influence, impact and human interaction which in my book describes it in a nutshell.

So if you want to progress your career in 2010, take some time to stand back and get clear on what you want to achieve and put some plans in place to move forward.  You might also want to check out my Career Accelerator Workbook

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become highly effective leaders and managers so that they realise their real professional potential.

If you are a professional who is seeking to secure a leadership role there might be the temptation to rely totally on your technical expertise.  Yet in truth, if you are applying for a senior level role, your technical competence will almost be taken for granted.  So if it is not your technical competence that you need to demonstrate what is it?

Self awareness

Being aware of what you do best and what needs developing is essential for success as a leader.  In addition, you need to be aware of how your behaviours and style impact on others as your ability to influence is a huge contributor to the results you achieve.

What makes you different from everyone else?

If all of the candidates can do the technical aspects of the job to a broadly similar level, what is it that you bring to the table that sets you apart from everyone else?  Spending time thinking about the 3-5 things that you believe are unique about you is time well invested.

You are a team player

Chances are, unless it is a start up company is that you will be joining an already established team.  Those recruiting need to be comfortable that you are going to successfully integrate into the team and build relationships with colleagues.

Strategic thinking

As part of the leadership team you are no longer just the expert in a particular discipline.  You need to be able to see the bigger picture and maybe even break down some prejudices that you have about other professional groups. Remember that a big part of your role is to drive the organisation forward so the ability to think creatively and come up with innovations and ideas is vital.

Long term potential

Few people will be able to tick all of the boxes in terms of skills, experience and attributes but you need to be able to show that you have long term potential to grow and develop.

You will be a good ambassador for the organisation

You need to be able to represent the organisation well internally and even externally, particularly if you are working in a public body.

Bottom Line – Breaking through the career glass ceiling is less about technical competence and more about your ability to inspire and influence others.  So where do you need to develop to achieve your professional potential?

Over the years I have come across many accountants and professionals who did exceptionally well in the early stages of their career only to hit a glass ceiling all too quickly.

The truth is in my experience a professional qualification or an MBA merely gets you in the door.  What determines how far you go in the longer is at least in part to making your professional development count.  So how can you make your professional development count?

Get a handle on your strengths and development needs

Until you know what you do well and what needs development, it is impossible to put in place your personal success plan.

Focus on the long term

Be clear about what the end game is and what you will need to achieve the ultimate goal.

Don’t restrict your approaches to professional development

It has never been easier to access development opportunities.  Too often people think just about expensive training courses and if budgets for training are cut say there is no funding.  There are plenty opportunities for low and no cost training and development, it is just a matter of seeking it out.

Remember your needs change

Don’t view professional development planning as being a task and finish exercise.  See your plan as a live rolling document that is updated as new needs arise.

Bottom Line - If you are serious about your career you need to make your professional development count.

1. Discover where your strengths are and what your areas of development are
2. Have a rounded personal development plan
3. Recognise that technical skills will only take you so far
4. Get a mentor or coach to help you progress
5. Learn from setbacks and act on the feedback you get

1. Think building blocks- skills, talents,strengths that you assemble as you progress your career
2. Ensure employability through continuing education and professional development
3. Think roles rather than just jobs
4. Market yourself and what you have to offer
5. Be resilient - leave your ego behind
6. Stay culturally current
7. Be a compelling communicator
8. Find a mentor or coach
9. Build financial independence
10. Think like an outsider
11. Decide if you want to specialise
12. Don’t beat yourself up if everything does not happen as you expect it.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements is author of the Career Accelerator Self Coaching Workbook.  For more information click here

Many organisations have set up appraisals systems.  Those that are most effective include 360 degree feedback.  So what is 360 degree feedback and how can you start to put it in place?

360 Degree Feedback

The basic concept behind 360 feedback is getting views from those that manage you, those in your peer group and those that you manage.  The idea is to get a rounded picture of your performance from a number of different sources in order to build up a picture of your strengths and development needs.  In a well designed 360 feedback process you will also complete your own self assessment.

When you are first faced with the possibility of 360 feedback it can be daunting.  The reality is very different. You discover:

1. Qualities that you never even noticed in yourself
2. People are delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to your growth
3. You are often your biggest critic and people think much more highly of you than you do
4. Where greatest benefit will be derived from your personal development activities as you will know where to focus your attention
5. You have many more strengths than you have development needs

Setting up 360 Feedback

There are a range of options open to you and one consideration will be financial.  At the most basic level, you can send out an e-mail to people.  Another alternative is to use software of there is a system in your company.  There are also options to use technology even if your company does not have its own computer package.  A Google search will identify some options.

In terms of those that you ask for feedback:

1. Aim for about 10-15 people
2. Have a range of managers, peers and subordinates
3. Choose some people who you anticipate will give you a high rating
4. Choose some people who you will anticipate will give you a low rating
5. Choose some people who you are unclear as to how they will rate you

When carrying out your own self assessment:

1. Don’t forget to recognise your strengths
2. Be honest with yourself
3. See weaknesses as an opportunity for development

Go on give it a try and see the power of 360 degree feedback for yourself.