Congrats on getting through the first business week of 2017!

How did Week One of the 30 Day Challenge go? Did you invest time in your professional story or defining your legacy? We're not here to keep tabs but if you would like to share your journey and the results, we'd love to hear from you.

Now onto Week Two.

This week we'll be focusing on professional development. Everything from figuring out if it's time to engage with a career coach, skill evaluation and development, to how to deliver and receive feedback without risking professional partnerships. This week's challenge is more reflective but always be sure to set aside time for yourself to work through the process.

Make the decision to invest in your professional journey. It will be worth it.

Do you know someone who feels like they're in a professional cul-de-sac? Share TheCareerCue with them today.

Cue the Coach

Do you need a coach? We're not talking about a traditional coach with a whistle or one that has you running five miles before breakfast, but someone to help you steer your career. Whether it's solving a short-term road block or for long-term growth, it may be time to start thinking about investing in career or professional coach. It's doesn’t matter whether you're an individual contributor, a manager of managers, or the CEO of a start-up, the right coach can assist in helping identify and navigate obstacles, propel you forward with your goals, or simply get you off the start line as you embark on your most valuable investment. You.
 
Take 30 minutes this week and ask yourself whether 2017 might be a good time to start shopping for a career coach.

John McConnell, co-founder and Leadership Coach at Jempe Center, shares some tips on where to start:
 
Evaluate

• Do you feel stuck?
• Do you feel limited?
• Do you need to channel ideas and find inspiration?

Shopping for a coach

• What is your preferred learning style?
• What are some of your goals for the next 12-24 months?
• Who can you ask within my network for coaching recommendations?
• Interview 2-3 coaches:

    What are their focus areas?
    What are some results

Coaching environments

• What type of dynamic are you most comfortable in?

Intellectual:
    Ideas, thoughts, inspiration
Interactional:
    Groups, motivational

Coaching types

• What type of coaching are you seeking?

Educational:
    Skills, knowledge
Transactional:
    Behavior, actions, goals
Transformational:
    Emotional, mental, physical

Development for Adults

Comedian Paula Poundstone once said, "Adults are always asking little kids what they want to be when they grow up because they're looking for ideas." It's funny and quite honestly, it's true.

Have you ever had one of those days (or several) and found yourself asking if what you're doing is really fulfilling your professional vision or whether there is something bigger...and dare we say, better? We wish there was a magic survey we could share with you that would tell you exactly what you should be doing for the rest of your professional life so you can wake up tomorrow and get to work, literally. Unfortunately, we haven't found that leprechaun yet (unicorns are so 2016) but in the meantime, we encourage you to find a quiet corner this week and start jotting down some ideas on where you want to spend your valuable time, specifically on professional development.
 
Don't limit yourself. It doesn't matter if it's related to your current career or not. Be super creative.

• What was your dream job when you were a child?
• When you finished school, what career did you imagine yourself moving towards?
• Is there someone in your network that has what you consider to be "the dream job"?
• Are there skills you've always dreamed of acquiring?
• Can you gain some of the skills and/or experience you're looking for through community service/volunteering?
• Would you consider using personal time (one weekend a month or a short vacation) to gain a new skill?

If you're feeling like there just isn't enough time in the week, review your current schedule and see if there's even one hour that you can dedicate to the development of a new skill. It's not a race, the important thing to remember is that you just have to start. Oh, and have some fun.
 
Don't forget to check out Michelle Etchart's episode. It's her job (really, it is) to help others discern their passion and develop their potential through development, training and skill building. She has great recommendations on how to get the ball rolling, including a free personality test via The Myers & Briggs Foundation.

It Doesn't Have to Hurt

We've all had those moments where we've been given feedback or had to give someone else feedback. For some people, it's a word that kicks in the fight or flight response (you know what we're talking about). We could get into the science of it all, but for this week's challenge, let's stay on track and work on how to not only survive a feedback session, but thrive from it.
 
Molly Stehr wholeheartedly believes that feedback is a gift. It was something she learned early in her career and she's not shy in describing that when she first heard what her then-manager was saying, it stung…quite a bit. Thankfully she was able to walk away, remove her ego, and realize that her manager's intention was to truly see her succeed. This interaction and growth opportunity has stayed with her throughout her career.

On your commute, take some time to think about how you'd like to manage feedback sessions moving forward:

• Is there someone you're hoping to give feedback to soon?
• What is the valuable message for them?
• Can you break the feedback down into the SBI method (situation, behavior, impact)?
• What is your preferred method of receiving feedback?
• How can you go in to your feedback session with an open and considerate attitude? 
• How will you manage your emotional response to hearing feedback?
• Who are trusted sources that will give you an honest second opinion on feedback you receive?

Molly highlights so many great tips on how to manage feedback, whether you're the one delivering the message or on the receiving end, so be sure to queue her episode to your playlist.