Hello and welcome back to the People Mentor Podcast. I’m Nicola. Today we’re zooming out to look at the bigger picture, how to build long-term career resilience and continue growing throughout your professional life.

So we’re going to explore the foundations of resilience and strategies for sustainable career growth. So let’s begin.

Let’s start by focusing on something fundamental: building a strong foundation for resilience. This foundation is built on three key pillars: your values, your strengths, and your self-belief.

Values: Your Internal Compass

So values are like an internal compass guiding your decisions and actions, especially when the path ahead isn’t clear.

So here’s a quick exercise to help you identify and then align with your values. So, reflect on times when you felt most fulfilled at work.

What was happening, what made those moments meaningful?

Next, from those reflections, try to identify three to five core values. These might include things like integrity, creativity, teamwork, or continuous learning. For each value, ask yourself. How can I honour this value in my current situation? Next, we all have natural strengths, things we’re good at and energised by.

So, try this one for your strengths.

• Reflect on your past successes.
• What skills or qualities contributed to those achievements?
• Ask trusted colleagues or mentors what they see as your key strengths.
• Consider what lights you up as well.
• What makes your day go quickly?

That will also help you identify your strengths because what were you doing on that day for it to go so quickly?

Lastly, consider taking a strengths assessment like the Clifton Strengths or the VIA Character Strengths survey. They’re both really good. Now, let’s talk about your self-belief. Building self-belief is an ongoing process, but here are some strategies to boost it. So first of all, practice positive self-talk.

When you catch yourself being negative about yourself, pause and reframe it. Next, celebrate your wins, no matter how small. Keep a wins journal and review it regularly. So many people don’t do this. When you receive assessments and feedback, if something lights you up, copy it and save it in a document for future reference.

Set realistic, achievable goals. Each time you reach a goal, it reinforces your belief in your abilities. And don’t forget to seek feedback and focus on growth. View constructive criticism as an opportunity to improve rather than a judgment on your worth.

Now that we’ve laid that foundation, let’s think about some strategies for long-term career resilience and growth.

A Learning Mindset

So in today’s rapidly changing work environment, the ability to learn and adapt is crucial. So here are some ways to cultivate a learning mindset. Set time aside each week for learning. This could be reading industry publications, taking online courses or attending webinars. I’ve even attended a day at a university where they were hosting events, which I thought would improve the work environment. I took it back. Seek out stretch assignments that push you out of your comfort zone.

And practice reflection. After each project or significant task, ask yourself, What did I learn? What would I do differently next time? I think it’s a great idea to conduct an after-action review with your team at the project’s end, as it helps you all learn as a team.

Your professional network can be a source of support, opportunities, and new perspectives. So think about how you’re going to nurture it. Make it a habit to reach out to one person in your network each week to check in, attend industry events, or join professional associations to expand your network.

I used to attend the Chartered Management Institute’s regular events, held near my location, where I could learn new things and meet new people. This was great, and I also looked for opportunities to help others in my network. Building relationships is about give and take, so it’s always a good idea in your business to look wider, to see how you can support other people in your network there as well.

Career Success and Emotional Intelligence

Now, another thing that’s essential for career success is emotional intelligence. So here’s how you can develop it. So first of all, practice self-awareness. Regularly check in with yourself about how you are feeling and why, and then work on your active listening skills. In conversations, focus on truly understanding the other person rather than just formulating your response.

And learn to manage your emotional reaction. Use techniques like mindfulness, such as concentrating on your breathing or the sensation of your fingers, or wiggling your toes. As I’ve discussed previously, it is essential to respond thoughtfully rather than react impulsively. Change is constant in today’s work world, so building your capacity to adapt and bounce back is crucial.

Start with practising cognitive flexibility. So when faced with a challenge, try to look at it from multiple perspectives and build your problem-solving skills. Instead of getting stuck on obstacles, focus on finding creative solutions and involve others when you’re working on them. And develop a growth mindset.

View challenges and setbacks as opportunities to learn and improve, not as failures. And remember, long-term career success isn’t just about what happens at work. It’s about creating a sustainable, fulfilling life. So regularly reassess your priorities. Are your career goals aligned with your personal values and life goals?

Remember to set boundaries. Learn to say no to demands that don’t align with your priorities or values, and practice self-care consistently, not just during high-stress periods, which we discussed in the last episode. Staying aligned will connect your work to a larger sense of purpose, providing the motivation and resilience you need.

During tough times, so regularly remember to reflect on your values and how your work aligns with them. Look for ways to bring more of your purpose into your current role. So my key motivator is learning and development. And that’s interesting because I used to bring this into my work, educating my team by doing sessions with them in team meetings.

And that motivated me. So it works if you can tap into what inspires you as well. If you find that you have a persistent misalignment, be open to making changes, whether that’s within your current organisation or looking elsewhere for new opportunities. So we’ve talked about strengths; continuous improvement relies on you understanding your strengths and areas for growth.

So seek regular feedback, not just during formal reviews, and take that time to self-reflect. Keep a journal to track your progress, challenges and insights, and remember. Be open to constructive criticism. See it as valuable data for your personal growth, not as a personal attack. Before we wrap up, I want to share a few more key strategies that can enhance your long-term career resilience.

And these are areas that often get overlooked, but they can make a huge difference in your professional journey. So let’s think about developing a strong personal brand. This is essentially how you present yourself professionally and how others perceive you. It’s not about creating a false image, but about effectively communicating your genuine strengths and values.

So to cultivate that strong personal brand, define your unique value proposition. What sets you apart from others in your field? Be consistent across all professional platforms, including LinkedIn, and if you have a website, your professional website, remember to share your knowledge through blog posts, articles, or speaking engagements.

Remember to seek opportunities to showcase your expertise, such as leading projects or mentoring others. And regularly update your skills and achievements on your resume and online profiles. Remember, your personal brand should authentically reflect who you are and what you bring to the table.

Financial Resilience and Career Success

Now, it’s something that’s not often discussed. It’s financial resilience, but let’s consider it. While we usually focus on professional skills and emotional resilience, financial resilience is also crucial for long-term career success. Consider creating and maintaining an emergency fund to cover three to six months of expenses. Continuously update your skills to support your market value.

And consider in this day and age having multiple income streams, such as investments or something as a side hustle. Bearing in mind that you need to take into account what the rules are on second jobs, where you work. Understand your company’s benefits and regularly review and adjust your budget to ensure you are living within your means.

And consider working with a financial advisor to create a long-term financial plan. Financial resilience will give you the freedom to make career decisions based on your goals and values, rather than out of financial necessity. Now, let’s think about mental toughness, because it’s a key component of career resilience.

It’s about maintaining a strong mindset in the face of challenges. So here are some ways to build mental toughness: practice visualisation. So imagine yourself successfully managing challenging situations, painting that picture in your mind. Set challenging but achievable goals and persistently work towards them.

Remember to learn from setbacks after a failure, analyse what went wrong, and how you can improve next time. Develop a routine that includes physical exercise, which can boost both your physical and mental resilience. One practice I’d highly recommend is mindfulness or meditation to improve focus and emotional regulation.

Remember, mental toughness isn’t about never feeling stressed or anxious. It’s about being able to acknowledge these feelings and push through them to achieve your goals. Another aspect that often gets forgotten is the importance of regularly innovating and thinking creatively in a rapidly changing work environment.

Expose yourself to new ideas, read widely, attend diverse events, or try new experiences. Practice brainstorming techniques like mind mapping or the six thinking hat method from De Bono. Collaborate with people from different backgrounds or disciplines to gain fresh perspectives and set some time aside for blue sky thinking, where you allow yourself to imagine without constraints, but imagine the broader picture.

Learn techniques for lateral thinking, such as looking at problems from unexpected angles. When working with your team on issues, this approach will help you gather diverse viewpoints, which will benefit you in the future. Don’t be afraid to propose unconventional ideas. Innovation comes from challenging the status quo.

So, as technology continues to reshape the workplace, maintaining strong digital literacy is crucial for career resilience. So, stay informed about technological trends in your industry, and regularly update your digital skills. This might include learning new software and understanding data analytics or exploring artificial intelligence applications in your field. Be open to new digital tools that can increase your productivity or effectiveness.

Remember to understand the basics of cybersecurity to protect yourself and your organisation. Consider taking online courses or obtaining certifications in relevant digital skills. Remember, the goal isn’t to become a tech expert in all areas, but to maintain a level of digital literacy that allows you to adapt and thrive in an increasingly digital workplace.

For these additional strategies —developing a personal brand, building financial resilience, cultivating mental toughness, creating innovation, and developing creativity—building digital literacy is a crucial component of long-term career resilience. They complement the strategies we discussed earlier, creating a comprehensive approach to navigating your career journey.

As we wrap up, I want to encourage you to reflect on all the strategies I’ve discussed today.

Which ones resonate with you?

Which areas do you feel you need to develop further?

Remember, small, consistent steps in these areas can lead to significant growth over time. You have the power to shape your career journey, so use these tools to understand how to build the resilient, successful career that you imagine for yourself.

Well, that’s it. Thank you for tuning into the People Mentor Podcast. If you found this episode helpful, please share it with a friend or colleague who might benefit, and don’t forget to subscribe, so you never miss an episode. Until next time, keep growing. Keep learning, and keep building that resilience.

Thank you for listening. This is the People Mentor signing off for today.