The Investments of Career Management

Career Management can be defined as the combination of structured planning and the active management choice of one's own professional career. The outcome of successful career management should include personal fulfillment, work life balance, goal achievement and financial security.  

Career management is a concept of future planning for achieving ones career goals within the acceptable time limit. One needs to invest in their future to ensure a steady harvest of right opportunities professionally. Career Management focuses on our best investments assets namely,  Learning Management and Relationships Management.

Learning Management

Learning never stops, in fact if it does, then so does growth. To ensure that our career aspirations are achieved one must keep increasing their learning index. This can be achieved through advancement in academic knowledge base through Training Programs, Advanced courses, specialization programs and refresher courses. In addition to this one must expand their professional knowledge through literature, books, tutorials, supplements etc.

Relationship Management

As we have moved to an information and service economy, relationships have become an increasingly critical asset. Not only do our relationships help us accomplish our day-to-day tasks with colleagues, vendors, customers and competitors, these relationships will be the source of information about how fields and industries are evolving. We also have relationships outside of our work environments that may be affiliated with our hobbies, children and spiritual or community networks. These personal and professional relationships will transcend specific companies, industries and communities. How we interact, respond and connect in all our relationships will impact our present performance and future opportunities. Very little is accomplished in isolation. Networking uncovers more than 70% of current job openings.

Keeping connected and knowing how to build good relationships are more important than ever before. These skills can be developed in applied communication courses, mastering contact management software, effective listening and genuine desire to get to know people better.

Integrating Learning and Relationship Management

Learning and Relationship Management form the backdrop of successful career management. Creating a vision and plan are also essential to guiding informed investment decisions and establishing annual goals. The career vision we establish  should be broad enough to be flexible, but specific enough to be actionable. This career vision, built on a profile of our unique traits, directs our choices to develop what we need to be satisfied and be able to successfully contribute in different work environments over the years. To maintain our adaptability and employability, habitually establishing annual learning goals and nurturing our relationships are the keys to productive career management.

The key to a successful and fulfilling career is how well we are able to nurture Learning and relationships in our professional lives and how well we are able to integrate them to achieve our career goals.

Good Communication for Happiness

Communication is the process of sharing information and It has been practiced since time immemorial. We communicate our needs, desires, knowledge, perceptions and much more every day, with one another. Human beings are social animals, we live in societies that are formed of relationships which in turn are nurtured by communication. This is the extent to which communication is required by us. Naturally, effective communication makes all the difference.

A Great Escape

You know how it is when a lecture stimulates us and makes us understand the intended concepts and content, whereas another lecture just makes us fall asleep. It is nothing but a great example of a good & bad communication. A lecturer, who understands the finer nuances of communication, makes the lecture interesting enough for all of us to pay attention and maybe even contribute, but a bad lecture would only inspire us to escape to another world even if it means sleeping.

The Gift of Gab

Words That Matter

Communication is effective when it results in desired action. Words are the most powerful tool to accomplish that. It is pertinent to use clear, coherent and relevant words that leave no room for misunderstanding. It is extremely important to choose words wisely, before speaking, as it is impossible to take back the words once said. 

It’s a Gesture That Counts

In addition to the content, the manner in which it is communicated, the gestures, the tone, the expressions and finer visual details leave a lasting impression on the listener. They have the power to completely change the meaning of the spoken words, which makes it immensely important to pay attention to these finer details while speaking.

Feelings & Emotions

However it is not only words that need to be communicated but also emotions and feelings. Many times these are communicated without a spoken word, and this is the power of expressions and gestures. One must pay extreme attention, not only to the content, but also to connect the words with relevant expressions and gestures, while communicating.

A Good Listener

Another important dimension of effective communication is listening. To be a good communicator one also has to be a good listener. It is by listening that we are able to understand the needs, requirements and expectations of others. The most important advantage of listening is that by listening, we are able to get feedback that makes us improve upon our actions. 

The Golden Words

So good communication will not only lead you to success but will also improve your relationships, given a chance of course!

Entertainment for Management

Student life is that time in one's life, when hard work and determination goes a long way. Students have important deadlines to meet as far as academics are concerned. In addition to this, there are various other important aspects of a student's life, that includes  peer pressure, college life, pressure of future aspirations, etc that are forever on a student's mind.

Management students in India are extremely involved in the academic activities and have little time for pursuing hobbies and interests, let alone indulge in entertainment.

However, there are certain Indian movies that are very inspiring and important management lessons, can be learnt through their portrayal of various characters, situations and plots. Here are some movies, that have even been taken, as case studies, to simplify various aspects of Management.

The List

Rocket Singh

A movie about Harpreet Singh, a B.Com graduate setting up his own parallel sales company, while working with another sales company. The story revolves around the challenges he faces starting from setting up his company & then day today functioning. The important Management lessen to be learnt from this movie is the importance of risk taking in making business decisions. The movie also celebrates the competitive spirit of aspiring managers. Harpreet Singh treats his customers as kings and that makes  them, prefer him over other big companies in the same field.

Band Baaja Baraat

This movie has plethora of Management Lessons. The story of a young boy & girl, who are ambitious and extremely passionate in their work. The lessons in this movie are that of team playing, responsibility sharing and passion being a driving force much more than degrees and qualifications.

Lagaan

The Oscar nominated Indian Bollywood film, written and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker teaches that one should dream big and the dreams do come true with hard work and determination. A clear vision and teamwork always leads to success. Even when a hand full of villagers decided to stand up against the mighty British, with a clear plan in hand, grit, determination and team work led them to success.

Swades

The beautiful movie celebrated our roots, the cheerful portrayal of characters, breathtaking landscapes  and soul stirring music, make it a very interesting watch. The movie showcases how teamwork and unity can lead us to our goal in spite of various challenges the environment throws at us.   

Entertainment for Growth

Management inferences can be drawn from movies, books, and even day to day life. These are just handful of movies that have been included, but the list goes on. One must take inspiration in entertainment, to make the entertainment worthwhile. Personal growth can be achieved by innumerable activities that include studying, reading, interacting with others and even sports and entertainment.

One must make entertainment their own zone of personal growth, the efforts are minimal and the rewards multiple. Movies are a very good way to start this, as the depiction of reality and that of dreams of human beings cannot be better defined than the silver screen.