Camiel Schoonens

Product and Technology enthusiast

Work

3 questions I ask myself and others when thinking about career progression

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The questions fall into three categories: (1) career vision & personal purpose, (2) personal strengths and traits, and (3) growth choices. Think about them deeply, discuss with others close to you, and take your time writing down your answers.

  1. If anything were possible, what would your ideal career look like in the next decade? Don’t limit yourself to your current employer when answering this question.
  2. What unique strengths or qualities do you want to be known for in your professional life? How much are you already using these strengths today?
  3. The year is January 2029. What would make you proud of the choices you’ve made starting today?

How I stay productive and go through my tasks

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I received a text message from a former colleague and friend about how I stay productive and avoid procrastination. This colleague is not the first to notice my strengths in this area and ask for tips, tricks, and book recommendations. So here I go.

First things first, there is no silver bullet to doing things right. Many things that work for me might or might not work for you. Ultimately, you need to design a system that works for you. Staying productive in my work and private life comes down to building habits, being consistent, and optimizing what needs improvement.

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Strategic ambiguity

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I heard a good reflection on the ambiguity that employees experience regarding the company’s direction/strategy.

As a manager, you are often confronted with employees who say they do not understand the business strategy. Your manager’s default reaction is to clarify the strategy again through a 1:1 explanation or by creating the next version of your strategic PowerPoint, which you then put on the agenda in a team meeting.

Usually, the problem is much simpler.

The employee understands the company’s long-term direction but does not know how they can contribute to it today.

Don’t forget, as a manager, it is often better to focus on the following action(s) for the employee (and yourself) instead of returning to work on the next version of your strategic plan.