PERSONAL SPECIAL....................... Have a life plan?

PERSONAL SPECIAL Have a life plan?

Living in the moment may be a good idea but it may not be the best approach for your career. Here’s how you can devise a long-term ‘life plan’

Most of us become so used to living from one job to another that we sometimes lose sight of the big picture. We allow the tide to decide where our lives head rather than taking charge of our own destinies. When you started out, did you see yourself becoming the CEO of your dream company one day? Then, what you need is a ‘life plan’.

“It is important to have a life plan because a goalless venture leads only to accidents. Success can only be achieved through design and not by default. If one has to measure one’s professional success, one can only do so in reference to a well laid down personal growth plan and related milestones. Otherwise, one will be like a ship without a rudder/anchor - lost in a wide ocean waiting for something to happen,” says Sanjeev Dixit, chief people officer, Allied Blenders and Distillers.

Once you’ve decided to make a life plan for yourself, spend time perfecting what you list in it. “The first thing you need to do is a detailed self-reflection and, as obvious as it may seem, it pays to give yourself plenty of time. Once that is complete, it's time to start exploring the career options that interest you the most. With the career exploration done, it's time for you to select possible career paths. While you do so, it is also good to take regular feedback from your family, friends and peers,” advises Sumit Mitra, EVP, HR, Godrej Industries. “Creating the life plan is about understanding yourself, recognising your capabilities and working towards making yourself a successful as well as a gentle human being. Once you’ve identified these, all you need to do is to bring together the synergies and have a vision and mission for your life. Once you have that in place, it’s about questioning and continuously reminding yourself about ‘Why you wrote the plan?’, ‘What it means for you?’ and ‘How are you going to go about executing this?’ In this process, it is important to assess your strengths and weaknesses, identify attributes, which make you positive and attributes which drain you,” suggests Nikhil Arora, VP and MD, Intuit India.

However, spontaneity is always advisable when it comes to unforeseen opportunities that you might miss out on if you’re too rigid. As Reto Wittwer, president & CEO of Kempinski Hotels says, “At every stage of my career, I’ve reassessed where I wanted to go, what I wanted to do, and eventually, ended up where I am today – with a respectable amount of experience in the business, and no regrets. I didn’t start out as a young trainee already aiming to become CEO.”

The ideal life plan does not restrict you. Rather, it gives your life purpose and allows you to acknowledge the things that matter most to you and the things that you seek from your career. Arora lists the three elements that should constitute a well-rounded life plan:

·         Functional/career: This element is what drives your professional growth and satisfaction. It helps you address what exactly you want to do and achieve in your professional life;

·         Mental: It’s all about developing mental fitness and ability to overcome obstacles to achieve your life plan. You should develop your ‘courage quotient’ to have a free-flowing life plan;

·         Emotional: This is all about connecting with your inner self.

“An effective life plan should ideally include a long-term goal supported by short-term goals that help you achieve it,” adds Siddhartha Pahwa, CEO, Meru Cabs. In conclusion, your ideal game plan should be the combination of a well-thought out long-term plan supplemented by a healthy dose of flexibility whenever required.

Pahwa on how to create a ‘life plan’ and stick to it:

Create it:

·         Define and prioritise your roles;

·         Define the purpose for each role;

·         Define your goals keeping in mind the current realities;

·         Review frequently and amend when necessary.

Follow it:

·         Create a deep desire to achieve your goals that lead you on the pathway of your life plan;

·         Visualise yourself achieving the goals;

·         Follow the path consistently;

·         Review yourself at regular intervals and revise the plan as per the surrounding realities.

Ankita.Shreeram@timesgroup.com