Frustrated to Futureproof: The 7 Rungs of the Growth Ladder
With workforce changes worldwide, there are more restructurings and redundancies than in previous decades. It is affecting all levels of the workforce. Organisations are continually reviewing, resetting, redefining and reshaping, rebalancing and evolving their workforce requirements. Unemployment and underemployment are impacting millions worldwide.
Many are affected by restructure, reduced hours, redundancy or being stood down before they have pre-planned and positioned themselves for ‘what’s next’ in their career.
Only some proactively plan for ‘what’s next’.
Since careers are getting more complex and are changing so significantly, you need help to grow into the next stage of your career, and that starts by identifying where you’re currently at, and where you need to get to.
The Futureproof Growth Ladder
I’ve found that we experience the following impact and growth stages in our careers. As you read through each description, see if you can identify where you’re currently at.
1. ABANDONED
This is where you feel like you are going backwards, spinning your wheels or going in circles in your career. This can feel like you are at a career dead end. It can feel like you are in a black tunnel and you don’t know your way out.
You can feel rudderless, lost and purposeless.
2. DISCONNECTED
The potential inside you is being wasted; your brand, your skills value and impact are being diminished or destroyed by increasing external changes and disruptions. You don’t have a career and/or future plan and your impact and growth options are decreasing. You feel disempowered and uninspired in your career and life.
3. FRUSTRATED
If you are in ‘neutral’ and feeling demotivated, then you can feel frustrated and stuck. You can feel as if your energy is being zapped. Your potential is not being realised. You can be counting down the days in the week, starting to resent the business and role you are in. Many in this position feel unfulfilled, blocked and powerless.
At this stage, you can feel your brand is undervalued and your impact is confined. You can start to feel small. There is much you want to say and impact but, commonly, factors such as an old patriarchal system affecting the board and leadership level and organisational structures that can’t keep up with external change may be holding you back. You may want to influence more effectively but, potentially, you are not feeling heard. You may not be a values, strategy or stage-of-organisation match. You may not be invited to key meetings that you want to be in, and others may be getting opportunities that you really want. You typically haven’t, and hate, branding yourself and haven’t made time to network.
Deep down, you long to amplify your career and impact and you know something needs to change.
4. UNLOCKED
In the Unlocked stage, you can feel like you are doing some of the work you enjoy in the career you like. You have more clarity on your brand, your career and future plan, and your valued skills. You feel more elevated and have more direction and are making progress. You have days in the week where you are making more impact and are feeling more valued, and others where you aren’t as much. The low-value noise doesn’t take you off course as much.
Your clarity has started to build confidence and you are being of higher impact.
Your yearning to be seen, heard and valued starts to be fulfilled. You are speaking up more, sharing your viewpoints and solutions. You are feeling less invisible to colleagues and senior leadership and key external contacts. Your inner power is unlocked, and energy and impact start to grow.
At this stage, your results and impact haven’t been maximised.
5. ACTIVATED
In the Activated stage, you are making progress. Your time is being utilised on more high-value priorities and more of your potential is being utilised, but you know you can do better. You have your authentic, valued brand, you are activating it (you feel relieved that you’ve got over those branding limitations), and your career and future plan empowers you to move forward. The clarity and increasing confidence have unlocked some more courage to step in, speak up more and take on more interesting tasks / roles / projects / meetings / responsibilities / leadership / opportunities. Your impact and value are accelerated and you are influencing more. It feels good!
You are starting to feel energised, authentic and aligned in your role and career path.
6. STAND OUT
You have been authentic in your branding, aligned in your activation, focused on highest value priorities and it’s all increasing your contribution. Your belief in yourself and your biggest career dreams is cemented. You’ve built your internal belief – you know you are more than good enough. You’ve understood the limits that hold us back and continued to step through them. You’ve grown more powerful and impactful.
Feeling more authentic and uniquely valuable and on purpose fuels you on even further. You feel empowered and inspired to create and expand an even better future for others. You are well positioned with multiple career options and you are an active leader in creating a better future in the areas important to you. You are feeling whole, worthwhile and worthy. You are BEING more. You actually have more time to be more impactful in the areas you’ve chosen. Your contribution is powerful and influential and your impact is amplifying and expanding.
If you are at the STAND OUT stage, this is when you are recognised as a STAND OUT in your business and maybe others, and opportunities (projects you’ve wanted to be on or lead, new roles created for you, a new career portfolio combination) and new solutions are coming to you.
Your brand is known; your impact is transforming things. The difference you are making is so fulfilling that you are attracting even more fulfilling options to yourself.
7. FUTUREPROOF
This is where you are loving your work and career and it’s sustainable and impactful in the new world and on your terms! You are feeling that real sense of career accomplishment. The burden of unrealised career dreams is history. You have a sense of worth, purpose and freedom that you know is solid and futureproofed.
Your joy in your work is reflected in your overall happiness and the results are there with great financial rewards and lifestyle. You have defined what success is for you and you’re relishing it.
You are standing IN and owning your power. You feel aligned inside and out. You are influential and are making positive impact wherever you go. You are highly valued currently and into the future and have options that you flex and adapt to as the market and the future evolve. Regardless of economic recession, depression, recovery, rebuild, boom, bust, prosperity or peak, you are flexible, futureproofed and fulfilled.
Where Are You At?
So, where do you sit? Be honest now – there’s no judgement.
A career fulfillment survey diagnostic – my survey results of ambitious career professionals hungry to make an impact in their career – indicated that:
31% of professionals were at the Frustrated stage / confined impact;
60% were at Unlocked / elevated impact; and
Only 9% were between Activated and Futureproof / accelerated to amplified impact.
The important thing is you step in and move up the stages in your career and impact!
Confront Your Reality
Do a quick check-in. Are any of the following statements true for you?
I want a meaningful, impactful, fulfilling career.
There is more to my career, leadership and life.
I have more to give.
I am overwhelmed with expectations, roles, workload and/or options and I can’t see a clear path for what’s best anymore.
I don’t have a career or future plan.
I am not feeling my whole self at work.
I don’t want to sell myself or to be ‘cut down’.
I don’t know how to brand myself authentically to be more influential, impactful and valuable.
I don’t want to regret not making the impact I could have.
I am driven to achieve, contribute and be a role model.
I have a need to maintain my livelihood and lifestyle (and others); I want to maximise my value, worth and impact.
Something needs to change but I don’t know what or how.
Yes? Then it’s time to Futureproof You.
You can BE MORE.
You can MAKE MORE IMPACT IN YOUR CAREER.
You can be your AUTHENTIC, WHOLE SELF and BE VALUED MORE FOR IT.
You can ADAPT and MAXIMISE YOUR VALUE & FUTURE in an ever-changing world.
Learn how you can go about making a change in my book: Futureproof You: 3 Keys to Reimagining Your Career and Amplifying Your Impact in the New World of Work