What comes to mind when someone mentions the “Yellow Brick Road”? Do you think of the path that Dorothy followed to the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz? Or maybe you think of the 1973 album by Elton John titled Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (yes, I’m dating myself)?
Over the years, the term Yellow Brick Road has come to mean a path to something good or worthwhile. In the book The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum it symbolized the dream of many immigrants coming to this country at the turn of the 20th century that the roads were paved with gold in America and there was a better way of life and more opportunities.
What if we looked at our careers as travelling along a Yellow Brick Road? Ever-seeking the wonders of the Emerald City.
Our careers are journeys full twists and turns, hills and valleys and lots interesting people we meet along the way. Our careers will travel a long distance during our lifetime. We’ll come to many forks in the road and have to make decisions on which way to go. We may at times have to double back because of significant obstacles. And at times we may have people that guide us and that travel with us.
Sometimes the path may not be as clear as other times. We may make the wrong decision on which way to go. The good thing about a long journey is there is plenty of time and opportunities to adjust our direction and get back on that yellow brick road.
How far are you on the trip? Half-way? Just starting? Toward the end? Know where you are, recognize the good decisions you have made with respect to your career and maybe acknowledge any that weren’t quite as good. Now where do you want to go? What skills do you want to enhance or develop to make that road wider and have fewer peaks and valleys?
Write these things down.
Studies have shown we are much more likely to accomplish the things we write down. Recording them as goals is an excellent way to write them down. Share them with the people that can help you achieve them on your journey. Make a partner or two in your development. Identify people you can touch base with and check in on your progress.
Be realistic in your plans. Take on enough but not so much that you set yourself up for failure.
Write your plans down and put them in a place that you can refer to from time to time. Occasionally take them out and review them. Put a reminder on your calendar once a quarter to review your plans. Edit them and celebrate your progress. Add to them as needed. Make it a living document. Don’t throw it away because you accomplished the goals, cross them off but keep them on the list to show all that you have done. It’s important to look back and appreciate your own efforts. It’s like building your own yellow brick road.
Write things down. It’s a simple act, but an important one. Let’s all start the new year out by writing down some things we’d like to accomplish related to our leadership development and commit to ourselves we will review these things on a regular basis.
There is an old saying that “today is the first day of the rest of your life”. It’s true for your career. Today is the first day of the next stage in your development. Make 2019 the year you took significant action for yourself, and worked hard to avoid any flying monkeys.