I am an ardent advocate of constant personal development. It stems from the realisation that having goals and ambition is one thing, achieving them is another.
How do you ensure you’re making progress? What checks do you have in place to check yourself? The worst way to measure progress or success is by comparing yourself to people around, because people in your circle are most likely doing the exact thing you’re doing, it’s called a circle for a reason! In what way are you constantly bettering yourself?
The major pointers to bear in mind when developing yourself are to find a mentor, find what works for you, network, find people you can talk about your business or career with, make time for yourself, exude confidence, and most importantly get your own money! I elaborated on a few of the points below.
Find A Mentor
A mentor does not necessary have to be someone older than you, but someone that takes out time to listen to your ideas, give you honest feedback and holds you accountable to achieving your set goals. A mentor could be your colleague or friend (P.S. one that you’re not romantically involved with), that checks that you are getting closer to your goals. For me, I recently set up weekly check-ins with my colleague, Kemi that we call “strategy sessions” where she tells me her ideas and I tell her mine, then we both go over steps that need to be taken during the week to achieve our goals. Basically, someone that holds you accountable and calls you out when you are slacking.
However, a mentor in the traditional sense of the word, is someone with more experience, who can help you build your career, climb up the corporate ladder, put together a business plan or write a proposal. For example, Arese Ugwu, the Smart Money woman always credits Tara Fela-Durotoye as one of her mentors who helped her craft and launch her brand. To be honest, it all comes down to your drive and passion, a mentor would not baby you all through your career, but would offer advice and guidance when necessary.
Network!
A great network is the fastest way to build a solid foundation for your business or career. I am always open to networking opportunities, because that “your network is your net worth” cliché is a tried, tested and effective principle. Who you know can be instrumental in getting you closer to your goals, especially in this part of the world. I know some people may not socially active like I am, but you just have to figure out how to meet the right people, maybe try networking online. Nigerians may not be eager to respond, but when networking, don’t focus on what the other person can do for you, focus on building a relationship with that person.
I read somewhere that 70% of jobs are gotten through networking, certainly, walking into a room full of strangers can be daunting, however it can lead to great friendships and fruitful business opportunities.
Prepare your networking strategy before you do any anything. Invest time into perfecting your elevator pitch and do a little research on the career of the person you want to connect with. If you are always on your networking game like I am, you would most likely make connections in the most unexpected places, like in a restaurant or at the airport. Be open, you never know who you’ll meet and how they’ll impact on your life.
Keep Learning Constantly
Just because you’ve graduated doesn’t mean you shouldn’t learn something new. Learn a new language – Halo, Duolingo! Learn how to code – Codeacademy! Take online courses on management or branding or any subject area related to your field – Coursera.
Also staying aware of current events and reading as much as possible is vital to your constant learning process. Sign up for a book club – I am subscribed to the @TheReadClub on Twitter, where I get sent four free books monthly :). Signup for newsletters like @naijastartups, @thestarta to keep yourself updated. If your career isn’t going as planned, read a book about it, Sheryl Sandberg, Hillary Clinton and Richard Branson have all written books to help you with your career and business.