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We take great care in investing time, financial resources, and focus on areas that have value for us. Your retirement plan, your home, and your family and children are good examples of the areas of your life that matter, and that you choose to invest in. As we lead into a new year, many of us are thinking about what 2017 will bring and what opportunities it will offer, both personally and professionally. What’s your investment hypothesis for yourself and your career?
The Investment Hypothesis
As someone who has worked in financial services and trained in investment management, I see many correlations between managing your investments and investing in yourself. At the core of any investment approach is a strategy. Some people are very comfortable setting the strategy themselves, while others look to have a professional offer guidance alongside them, and some turn over the investment to someone else to manage. A key success factor to any investment and its growth is financial commitments and contributions.
Most advisors would recommend a continuous contribution approach that starts early and is consistently sustained. The assumption of risk is another important consideration; investments have very clear risk-return profiles. Our comfort with the risks are individual to each of us and can change. A high performing investment portfolio represents strategy, advice, nurturing, and some risk taking. A successful investment management approach is aligned to the investment objectives of the owner. Similar to any leading investment portfolio approach, everyone should have a well defined and maintained career investment plan.
Investing In Your Career Portfolio
When it comes to the business of you, what investments have you already made, and what other investments do you need to make to meet your goals, realize growth, and achieve success? What does your current investment strategy look like? How are the growth rates and return-on-investment? Some gauges to measure your professional portfolio may be promotions, raises, praises, special projects, training, development, and job satisfaction.
To realize more growth and returns, a higher risk profile may need to be incorporated into your work to realize the returns you seek. Any risk for return can be expected to create varying degrees of discomfort for you. As you plan your risk taking actions, have a clear objective of the return you want to realize.
Your career and your brand are very important investments to manage. The return on your professional investment has to be sustainable growth for 30 to 40 years, or perhaps even longer. What is your approach to managing the high-value Portfolio of You?
Investing in you
What’s your investment strategy for you and your career?
Start with a goal in mind: Goals are foundational to any work that transpires over time and that takes effort. Set a goal, track it, adjust it, and celebrate accomplishments along the way
Seek the advice of a professional: Consider your resources for mentors, advisors, educators and executive coaches
Do your homework: Look at future trends that matter to your profession and its decision-makers
Buy the products, services, and people that meet your needs and objectives: Just because everyone is doing it, it doesn’t mean you should as well.
Customize your personal investment plan for you and your personal brand
Buy experience: Find the person with knowledge and experience, and then accelerate your returns by leveraging the insights and experience of others
Buy a proven track record: Invest wisely. Evidence of success or results are needed to demonstrate how you realize your success and results
Duplicate someone you trust and respect: There are times originality isn’t needed
Work with people who are focused on you: This can be harder than you think
Invest your money: You may be able to get some professional development for free, but the highest return and highest value comes with a price tag
Repeat: reflect, review, renew, adjust, and reinvest
Investing in Executive Coaching
Let me pitch my investment hypothesis for executive coaching as you plan your approach to investing in you
Executive coaching is a personalized investment in your professional development that is focused on you and is all about you.
An executive coaching relationship is a professional engagement created and tailored to what you want and need. Hiring a coach means you’ve found someone you trust and believe will support you in realizing your maximum Return on You. An executive coach will help you define the investments, action plans, and risks to realize your desired returns. Your return may be seen immediately, but the best and most sustainable results will take a little longer. Similar to an investment professional, an executive coach is your career professional. If you seek professional growth and increased career gains, an executive coach is the professional to co-invest with.
An executive coach is one of a number of options you can consider to help you plan and realize an enhanced Return on You.
What’s your best 2017 return on your strategy?
Take the time to reflect on what your career investment strategy should be.
If you’d like to explore what return a coaching relationship can generate for you, let’s connect for a discussion.
Lisa W. Haydon is the President and Founder of Pivotal Coaching Inc. She left her comfortable corporate career several years ago to follow her passion of helping people realize their potential and companies to realize high performance. Lisa is a growth focused entrepreneur, leadership development consultant and certified executive coach. To her clients, she brings business experience with prestigious corporations and continuous education. Lisa’s work in business operations and B to B sales expertise allowed her to create a differentiated coaching model and client experience. Lisa and Pivotal Coaching are known for 1:1 and cohort Programs in leadership development and sales effectiveness.
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