14 Ways to Maximize your Career Through the Seasons
Simple DIY Practices to Make the Most of Where You Are Now
There is a saying in Indiana that if you don’t like the weather, wait a few minutes. We are notorious for 80-degree weather one day and snow the next. Life (and your career) can be a bit like that, too.
Thanks to Pete Seeger and (the Bible’s book of Ecclesiastes), we know “to everything, there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven.” While I know this deep in my chilled, snow-comes-in-late-spring bones as a Midwesterner, we don’t always acknowledge it in our lives and especially not in our careers.
Each season in the Midwest is distinct: New blooms in spring, heat in summer, falling leaves in autumn and heaps of snow in winter. It's nature’s life cycle on repeat, but the phases of our life aren’t so reliable. We can skip from a career season of plenty to dire straits in a heartbeat. It’s how you find ways to flourish (and pluck the lessons) in each season that matters.
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
TURN, TURN, TURN
When it comes to the seasonality of your career, there isn’t always a rhyme or reason.
And the tricky thing is that you may be in a different season from those around you - Your colleagues, neighbors, bestie and even your spouse.
While the comparison measuring stick isn't dangerous in and of itself, it's what you do with the comparison that matters. You may love the season you’re in (or hate it)! Or maybe you are waiting for "the shoe to drop," making it impossible to experience your current joy knowing dread is around the corner.
No matter where you are, it's an important time. And a necessary one. Make the most of your career season even if it isn't your favorite with these 14 DIY practices.
SPRING
“Spring: A lovely reminder of how beautiful change can truly be.”
A time of new beginnings or revival. Professionally, it can look like landing a new role, embarking on a new project or launching into a new-to-you era in your career.
Capitalize on your fresh start:
Create a vision board. Go old school with magazines and a poster board or a digital pinboard to envision what you want this fresh start to look and feel like.
Initiate a 30-60-90 day plan. This is a great idea, especially at the start of a new job. Go in with loose goals and curiosity to start your role strong.
Set up friendly touch-bases. Initiate conversations with people on your new turf. Start with a listening ear and ask good questions. Coffee is always a good idea, too.
Champion a growth mindset. As the new kid on the block, come in as a student of the organization (or your career phase). Set goals, innovate new ideas and be willing to fail.
Photo by Link Hoang on Unsplash
SUMMER
“When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too high, no trouble too difficult to overcome.”
A time of maturing and hard work is a marked season in our professional lives. Whether we’ve been at our role for a while or we are gaining the skills for our next career move, growth can take many forms:
Engage in professional development. Start that online course, certification or book. Push yourself to be curious and excellent in your craft.
Take on stretch assignments. If you are in a season of growth, ask for stretch assignments at work or look for creative ways to develop skills of interest.
Garner feedback. Ask for constructive criticism from peers (and superiors) about a specific project or skill. If you’re ambitious, do your own mini 360 review. Enlist friends, colleagues and past supervisors to give you a full picture of your strengths, skills and opportunities for growth.
Photo by Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash
FALL
“Autumn carries more gold in its pockets than all the other seasons”
It's time to gather and rake it in. This season resembles the exuberance of jumping into a large leaf pile as a kid. It’s a time of celebration and reaping rewards. Take time to soak up accolades and your accomplishments:
Track your wins (and lessons learned). Document, document, document ALL your accomplishments. Grab a journal or jot down notes in a Google doc to track your specific successes to encapsulate your impact.
Network. Pay it forward to your network. In a season of plenty offer value to your network through mentorship, touch bases and just plain look for ways to help others.
Take a pulse. Assess alignment in your career and life. As seasons change, your priorities, values and work-life integration can shift, too. Ensure you are operating on all cylinders to thrive from season to season.
Photo by Filip Bunkens on Unsplash
WINTER
“Winter is a season of recovery and preparation”
From the first smell of snow (hello Gilmore Girls fans) to the last chill in the air, winter is a season of endings, loss and grief. It can happen with or without your consent. From layoffs and restructures to career pivots and pressing pause, no one can avoid various work-life chapters coming to a close.
Handle the hiccups with purpose and poise:
Reflect and pray. Sit in your grief and loss for a bit whether you are in it by choice or circumstance. Don’t miss the lessons within suffering. Reflect. Pray. Journal. Have eyes to see how this season is shaping you.
Brush up your career collateral. If you are sensing it is time to move on from a role, start freshening up your career documents if it isn't a regular exercise for you.
Meet new people. Continuing to network in this season is not only a mood boost but a way to see new paths forward.
Track target companies. Where there are endings, there are new beginnings. If you are looking to transition to a new company, use Google Alerts and/or the ‘Follow’ button on LinkedIn to collect intel on your favorite orgs.
Career (and life) seasons can feel like a breeze or a sticky humidity that won’t ease up. No matter, they each hold lessons that shape us into the people (and workers) we are today. So don’t be in a rush to move on. Invite others in and seize the seasonal moment. There is a time for everything...Turn, turn, turn.
References: These seasonal categories are from Dr. Richard Blackaby & Dr. Bob Royall’s book, Spiritual Leadership Coaching.