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The pandemic has led many of us to re-evaluate everything about our lives. Understandably, this includes where and how we spend our time each day.
We’ve been so inspired by candidates who have come to us having thought deeply about what gets them out of bed in the morning. But there comes a time when even the most motivated people grind to a halt: How can they turn those ideas into concrete plans, and how can they put those plans into action?
Even though there will likely be times when it’s best to move and when it’s more reasonable to stay on in a position, there is no wrong time to start thinking about a career change.
If you’re itching to try something new, we find the best method is first to spend time developing an approach. If you decide that it’s ultimately not the right time and you don’t go ahead with your ideas, you still have a game plan that you can put in your desk drawer for later use.
We can develop an approach to achieve our goals with GROW.
What is the GROW method?
GROW is a four-step process that gets you thinking about, writing down, and strategising your next (career) move. We’ve put ‘career’ in brackets because you can use GROW for anything. Your side hustle, ambitions for your home interior, your ideal relationship…
GROW is effective because it helps you to visualise your ambitions, and it also encourages you to make promises to yourself. You are far more likely to achieve your goal if you have fully understood what you want and how you might get it.
How to use GROW for your career
The GROW method can help you to flesh out any idea that you might have about your future. Put simply, this four-step process explores
1) What your goal is,
2) If this goal is realistic,
3) What your options are to achieve it despite obstacles, and
4) How you can commit to working towards your goal.
We’ll explore each step of the GROW method in more detail in our future articles, but here’s a top-level overview while you wait!
G = Goal
Spend time thinking about what you really want (no writing “Anything but this job” – negatives don’t count!) What would you love to see yourself doing, and why? Write these down and keep them close. You will be returning to these notes again and again, to remind you of what you’re fighting for.
(Psst! Need some inspiration? Take a look at our ‘Day in the Life’ series and read what it’s like to be a Business Development Manager, Operations Manager, and CEO!)
R = Reality
Even though it’s great in the first step to cast your dreamcatcher far and wide (figuratively speaking), step 2 helps you stay realistic. Make sure you have a firm handle on all the variables that might impact your goal – money, location, commitments. If ‘G’ involves you letting out your inner child, ‘R’ is the kindly aunt with your best interests at heart.
O = Options
This is where you start to break your goal into its components. Now that you have written down the obstacles that lead up to your goal, now you can think about how you might manage to swing your proverbial hammer at them. What tools would you need to overcome them? Will you need to gather facts or build your network? Do you know anyone who is in the career you want and who you could ask about potential obstacles you may not even have thought about?
W = Will
Making a commitment to yourself and setting a timeframe is the only way you will meet your goal. However much time you feel you can carve out, whether it’s half a day a week or twenty minutes every other day, this time is for you.
This stage is great for seeing how prepared you are to make the necessary changes and, therefore, how important your goal is to you. Am I disciplined enough to make these goals a reality? If not, how much do I actually want to achieve my goal?
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At Aldrich & Co, we use GROW to help our candidates identify what they really want for their careers. Sometimes the truth can be a real breakthrough! If you want more guidance for your career goals and you’re interested in how we can help you together with the GROW method, contact us and let’s get your career moving in the right direction!