We change and grow through the things we read (or watch) and the people we spend time with.   Who are you allowing to influence you?

• Get CDs, Audios etc of international gurus that you admire.   Pick one guru from each of the areas you want to learn more from and get lots of their material - focusing on that guru for a set period of time (e.g. Dan Kennedy for direct marketing or Tony Robbins for personal development), and then once you have absorbed their material, move onto another guru in that field to get another perspective.
• Read autobiographies of those people to figure out their success secrets
• Join networking groups where you will find people that have succeeded in your chosen field
• Create your own monthly or quarterly group of people where you set goals, discuss strategies to reach them, and celebrate action and progress
• Be careful about who you accept advice from.  We all have lots of people in our lives who love to give us advice.  And sometimes those people are right, but they also often have their own agenda.  They may love you, but they may not have the right answer for you.  Ask yourself - are they successful in the area they are giving you advice on? Weigh up the advice that you get, and only act on what will take you closer to your goals.
• Pick a mentor who is successful in your area, and take them out for lunch or coffee quarterly.  Get their ideas and thoughts on your career goals - and try their advice. There is no point in asking for advice, if you don’t give it a go.

Constant learning is a key career success strategy.  By not doing this, we don't just stand still, we go backwards.  Keep the momentum going in your career - open your mind to new possibilities and proactively source new learning and watch how this will help you succeed.

If you want our assistance to maximising your career success visit our online career centre at www.careeranalysts.co.nz or contact us at jo@careeranalysts.co.nz- we’d love to help! 

The nature work is changing and this change is accelerating all the time. We can no longer expect "the job for life" that previous generations experienced.

The concept of career entrepreneurship is that each of us is responsible for our own careers – we need to read the market, anticipate trends, innovate, do things differently and as discussed in previous blogs, build our own personal brand.

In the old world, we could leave responsibility for our career growth with our employers, these days no-one but you should be taking responsibility for your career. Careers are no longer linear, and are far more like a lattice or a "snakes and ladders’ board where we are moving sideways, down, and across every bit as much as up. Those entering the workforce today are more likely to change jobs, and even careers, far more frequently than generations before us.

It is therefore essential that all of us be able to anticipate change, to be innovative in our approach, to think ahead what our "customers" want and to be able to deliver it with speed and quality.

• Career entrepreneurs own their career and build it with vision and imagination. No-one has your unique set of talents and skills. While that vision of the future may be hazy, the career entrepreneur moves ahead regardless. The end of a working relationship with a company is not seen as cataclysmic, rather it is seen as part of a natural progression towards a new and more interesting opportunity.
• As an entrepreneur does, you can also benefit from a board of advisors. Who would you like as part of your Board of Directors? Who can you learn from? Choose people with specific expertise, knowledge or contacts to help you. Include dreamers and efficiency experts and those who will help you keep on track as you build your career.
• Think carefully about building your own brand identity. What do you want to be known for at your place of employment and with those you deal with beyond the organization. Do you want people to think of you as the person "who delivers ahead of promise and with a smile everytime"? or perhaps "Bring it to me if you want it done!".

We have seen many people offered exciting opportunities by their suppliers and customers once their commitment, attitude and quality of work is perceived by others.

Thinking like an entrepreneur means you need to view your career as your own business, build a vision, be prepared to adapt, move fast on your feet and also reap the rewards of daring to be unique.

If you want our assistance to become a career entrepreneur and build your own brand visit our online career centre at www.careeranalysts.co.nz or contact us at jo@careeranalysts.co.nz- we’d love to help!

A core career success strategy is getting yourself organised.

• Spend 10 minutes before each meeting pulling together your thoughts and notes. Make sure you appear professional (check your hair, teeth, clothes) and spend one minute relaxing before the meeting so you are calm when you walk in that door.
• Always get places early - leave 10 minutes earlier than you think you need to be there. Take a notebook with you so you can always use extra time to plan or think through business problems.
• Speak slowly and calmly. Don't rush your speech and use a low tone. It will convey calmness.
• Walk purposefully but calmly - stop rushing.
• Clear your desk. Put your paper in files, a drawer, in your briefcase, anywhere that people can't see it. Only have out you are working on that moment.
• Make sure your Meeting folder (compendium or briefcase) is new looking, tidy and has a zip so your papers don’t spill everywhere. Take out anything that looks messy.

• Figure out what are the real 'fires' that you have to fight.  Write down the urgent tasks that perpetually come out and figure out if you can manage them differently. If not, leave time in your schedule each day to manage them.
• Leave space to do nothing in your diary.  Our best ideas often come from ‘downtime’.
• Get some help with organising your filing and desk - make it easy to use and to remember.
• Spend 10 minutes each day sorting your paper and filing or binning. Don't let it build up.
• Add a decent time buffer to projects wherever possible to account for emergencies.
• Read First Things First by Stephen Covey and get your priorities in order.
• Ask yourself how you could do certain tasks more efficiently (e.g. sign up on Internet banking, create automatic payments, order some of your groceries over the net and have them delivered, hire a student to clean your house… )
• Cross out things that you don’t need to do (Say NO).
• Focus on what is important. When you are considering an additional commitment don’t say yes right away. Consider how it fits in with your bigger goals and the way you want your life to be. 
• Delegate as much as you can (Can you share duties with other family members? Anyone else going to the post office? – can they post it for you? etc…)