The Best Time to Plant a Tree

The best time to plant a tree was twenty yearsthought than you are giving theirs! So you may
ago. The second best time is today. If you havehave told a colleague you want to be promoted.
never heard this before read it a few times andYou may have sat with your boss and talked
really think about it. The best time to plant a treeabout your ambition. But neither of them are
was twenty years ago; the best time to train forgiving thought, time or attention to what you
the career of your dreams was twenty yearswant and how best you can get there. The only
ago, wouldn't you be an expert and even leader inperson that would do that for you, other than
your field by now? The second best time isyou, is your coach.
today! Of course, if you start today, twentySo it seems that your work, is your work. It is
years from now you will be an expert andyour job to work on yourself. To plan your
possibly even a leader in your field. If you don'tcareer. To work on making it happen the way
start... well, twenty years on you might still beyou want it to happen. Any other route is going
where you are now; is that an acceptable optionto be haphazard and unpredictable. You might be
to you?the best in your team and you might get offered
When you want things to be different, you havethe role of team leader. You might be the only
to be different. The next step on the ladder hasone that knows the role and company inside out
different responsibilities, which is one of the thingsand get offered the role of manager. If you
that you find attractive about it. But of coursewanted to side-step into something more creative
different responsibilities require different skills.and move up at the same time you might be
Don't wait for someone to notice you before youunlucky, unless you go out there and make it
take action. When you take action people willhappen.
notice you.Start really thinking about how you can get to
How high does another person's career figure inwhere you want to get to professionally. What will
your thoughts? You might give some thought toyou need by way of skills, experience,
your spouse's career plans because it impactsqualifications? Then even if you have to self-fund
your time together and household income. Youeverything get going on your plan; you are the
might think about your children's career plansonly one who has a vested interest in the
because you want them to find something tooutcome. It may be you are the only one willing
passionately enjoy that gives them the financialto invest in your getting there. One thing is for
freedom to have fun. Do you ever think aboutsure, if you don't invest in yourself, with time if
your boss's career hopes, dreams and plans?not money, then no-one else is going to. You can
What about your colleagues? Even if they discusscreate anything you want, but accept that you
it with you do you give it any thought the minutemight need to go out and do something different.
after the conversation is over? What about theIt will probably be outside your comfort zone,
minute after that? How about an hour later?because it is new and you haven't done it before.
If you answered 'zero thought' then you are withDo it anyway.
the vast majority of people. There is good andGet excited. Now you know it is your job, it is
bad news now. The good news is, that not givingwithin your control. Get planning, get hopeful, get
any thought to someone else's career gives youpersistent. You are never too old, you are never
so much more mental time and space to thinktoo far away, you are never anything other than
about yours; that's the good news. The bad newsfull of potential waiting to be realised... Get going!
is that no-one is giving your career any more