The best way to predict the future is to create it

Peter Drucker once said ‘The best way to predict the future is to create it’. 10 years ago I handed in my dissertation for my Masters in Coaching and Mentoring which was a foundational step in launching my business and career as an executive coach.

Did I clearly see back then in 2014  that I’d be able to have a thriving business in 2024? Well, not exactly. But I did have hope and faith!

How can you shape your future career in a way that gives it the best chance of becoming a reality?

My approach

For me, it was important to determine what I wanted from my work. This was at a time when I had some personal challenges – both my parents had illnesses and I wanted to ensure I could be there for them but also find some fulfilment in my work. While I enjoyed my role in a large Corporate, the global travel and intensity of the work wasn’t sustainable.

So, what did I decide I wanted from my work?

• To be able to support others to be free to lead their lives, work and careers
• To have greater flexibility about when and where I worked
• To be able to continue to learn and grow
• To earn enough to live on
• To feel I was making a difference, one person or team at a time
• To have the time I needed to support my parents

With these parameters, I explored how I could move to being a coach, management & leadership trainer, and facilitator.

I knew myself enough to know that I would need to feel credible and for me that meant a qualification so I undertook a 2 year part time masters in Coaching and Mentoring – this meant a big time commitment alongside my work giving up time most evenings and a few hours on a Sunday… the parameters for what I wanted from my work were a fuel to keep me focused.

I also had to learn a lot about setting up a business, running a business, marketing a business and finding sources of work.

And … I needed to ‘keep the faith’ as I made the transition to being self-employed.

Key tips as a result of my own learning

If you are considering making a key change in your career here are some tips and things to think about:

• Be clear on why you want to make the change
• Define the key parameters that your role/career choice needs to fulfil
• Determine what first small steps can take you closer to this and commit to one or two
• If you’ve got several potential career choices, gather data about them to help you better understand which are going to meet most of your parameters
  • Talk to people in these roles/careers
  • Take some holiday/vacation to shadow/volunteer in similar work to get a reality check of what it is like
  • Study a short course or attend a workshop/conference to spark ideas and test how you feel when in the presence of people with the same interests/careers
• Build your network of people who you can learn from (with a view to supporting them too in return if possible)
• Be realistic about what is possible but optimistic enough to persist when things seem difficult

A final thought: When coaching people about career choices I sometimes hear ‘I’m worried about making the wrong choice’. Remember that no choice has to be forever. If you do your homework, you can take a measured risk and you can course correct if something doesn’t feel like you thought it would. Yes, some time might have passed but you will still grow and learn from the experience.

Imagine yourself looking back at you now from 10 years in the future. What do you think your future self will be saying to you now?  That’s a question I am going to ask myself as I consider my next 10 years.