CAB 2. Tell your boss your 5-year plan

Azhar Ahmad
June 03, 2023

Hallo again. It’s not a typo. Hallo is hello in German.

Last week I asked you about your 5 year career plan. Did you manage to do that and write it down somewhere?

It is important to write it down somewhere. It can be your personal diary, your notebook or even just the note app on your phone.

When you write it down, it becomes real. It becomes something that exist. It is not just an imagination in our head.

This article gives you the scientific explanation why you should write down your goals.

Neuroscience Explains Why You Need To Write Down Your Goals If You Actually Want To Achieve Them

Being able to describe your goals vividly, in written form, is strongly associated with goal success. People who very vividly describe or picture their goals are anywhere from 1.2 to 1.4 times more likely to successfully accomplish their goals than people who don’t. And neuroscience tells us why...

www.forbes.com/sites/markmurphy/2018/04/15/neuroscience-explains-why-you-need-to-write-down-your-goals-if-you-actually-want-to-achieve-them/?sh=141678347905

The next step is to tell someone about your goal. Tell it to your spouse or your close friend. Then it becomes even more real and you will feel the accountability to achieve it.

The most important person that you MUST share it with is YOUR BOSS.

You have to sit down with your boss and let your boss know your 5 year career plan.

Then ask for his or her feedback.

What does he/she think about it? Is it realistic?

What is it that you need to do to achieve your goal?

Why is this step important? Because if your boss doesn’t know what you want, then they cannot help you. If your boss ask you where you want to be in 5 years time and you answer ‘anything’ then he will do ‘nothing’ for you.

But if he knows that in 5 years time your ambition is to move to the Regional Office in Singapore, then he can work with you towards it. If he knows that you want to switch department and move from medical department to marketing department, then he can start the discussion for that.

For example, when I realised that my mother was not getting any younger and I needed to be closer to Malaysia, I told my boss that my future plan was to work in Asia. At that time, I was working in the US. He then informed the Global boss about my intention and now the Global boss knows that if any suitable job in Asia comes up that I should be taken into consideration. He then also advised me about who do I need to contact in Asia to establish some early connections.

About 6 months later, I got an interview for the Head of Medicine in another country in Asia but didn’t get the job. But about 4 months later the Head of Medicine role in Malaysia became available and I got the job.

So all in all, it took me about one year from letting my boss know of my plan to me getting the job in Malaysia. If I didn't tell my boss about my plan to work in Asia, I don't think that I would be here working in Malaysia today.

Things take time in the corporate world. Career moves doesn't happen overnight. That’s why it is important for you to discuss your 5 year career plan with your boss. Both of you can start working on it, making sure other people including the decision makers know about it so that when there is an opening, your name will be the first one to be considered.

Be patient with your career moves and progression

>> Arrange a meeting with your boss to discuss your 5-year career plan.

>> Finalise 2 things that you need to start doing from now to help you get there