Boosting your career
At what stage of your career do you benefit most from personal development?
I’m often asked who would get the most out of the BestStepEver career journey.
It’s an interesting question. We designed our roadmap to cater to the unique needs and aspirations of professionals at different stages. We empower them to boost their skills, achieve their career goals and navigate successful professional journeys.
Now that we’ve had hundreds of members complete our unique roadmap journey, it’s been exciting to get their opinions and check whether we’re achieving what we set out to do.
What follows are some powerful success stories. You be the judge which career stage gets the most benefit!
Starting off your career
Here’s how BestStepEver supports people who are taking those first steps:
1. Develop your skills: Our program equips individuals with a wide range of essential skills for professional success. These include personal insight, communication, time management and problem-solving. We provide a strong foundation for future growth to help navigate the challenges of the workplace effectively.
Yolanda has an awesome success story that proves how career development can truly change the game. Picture this: at 23 she landed her dream job in the film industry. How’d she do it? Well, she used our program to polish her skills and nail those interviews like a pro. Once that was in place there was no stopping her. And here’s the cherry on top: her first gig brought her into regular working contact with none other than the legendary Jason Mamoa himself! And it didn’t stop there. Yvonne’s story is a shining example of what can happen when you mix skills, focus and a solid action plan to make your mark in the career of your dreams.
2. Get career clarity: Starting a career can be overwhelming, with many options and paths to choose from. Our program offers guidance and tools to help individuals gain clarity about their professional goals and aspirations. We provide self-assessment activities to help members identify their strengths, interests and values, enabling them to make informed decisions about their career trajectory.
Eleanor (25) had overcome significant barriers in her life and needed to explore career possibilities that took her health and physical limitations into account. She used the BestStepEver roadmap to get insight into her strengths and to set realistic career goals for herself. It’s been a rocky road with some detours, but she’s recently found a better position that meets her needs and that has further growth potential. “BestStepEver’s journey kept me on track to success”, she told us. “It motivated me when I was down, and the biggest lesson I learnt was to take it one small realistic step at a time”.
3. Build your confidence: Our program focuses on boosting self-confidence by addressing common challenges faced by early career professionals, such as imposter syndrome and self-doubt.
David (22) was under pressure to find a job as soon as possible after his studies, but he was stricken by anxiety and insecurity. Our program hit the spot for him. “I did all the activities you gave me and within a short space of time I started to feel good about myself. Once I’d defined my strengths and my ideal job, it became so much easier to apply for positions. I landed a job fairly quickly once my mindset had changed. If it weren’t for you, I think I’d still be hiding in my bedroom”.
Early career
Here’s how members in the early and initial consolidation stages of their career benefit from our program:
1. Deepen your skills: We provide opportunities for members to enhance and refine their existing skill set, to boost continued growth and success in their current career path. Our creative tips and techniques add that something different which sets our members apart.
“A very surprising insight came in the first part of the BestStepEver program”, Marco (27) told us. “I realized that I was seen by others as a solid contributor, but also very operational and reactive. That was a big wake-up call. I set myself the goal to work on specific skills and the “Power Up” part of the roadmap was extremely useful for this. I feel my perspective has gotten a lot bigger and I’m taking more risks to be proactive. A big learning has been to ask for feedback, regularly, to know what to improve”.
2. Become a leader: Mid-career is a critical phase for individuals aspiring to take on leadership roles. We put all the essential building blocks in place for mid-career professionals to increase their chances of securing promotions, take on more significant responsibilities, and become influential in their organizations.
Abdul (34) was someone who made every bit of the BestStepEver career roadmap work for him. His aim in enrolling for the program was very clear. He wanted to set himself apart from his colleagues and be top of mind when opportunities arose for promotion.
Four key insights he gained from the program enabled him to greatly accelerate his personal growth and boost his career. He learned to break through a mental barrier and say no when there was nothing for him to gain. He began to differentiate important from less important activities and focus on those which gave him a bigger return on investment. He developed a clear idea of his personal brand. Last but not least he broke down larger goals into bite-sized pieces to stay motivated. He greatly benefitted from his coach’s guidance which he found to be sound, precise and to the point.
It wasn’t long before others started noticing how he’d boosted his personal effectiveness and presence.
“It took me a short four months after the BestStepEver program to achieve my ultimate goal of being promoted to Sales Manager and it felt fabulous!”, he told us. “I’m going to continue to use all the tools that I gained from your program to reach my next goal”.
3. Define your personal brand: To stand out and get where you want to go, it’s important to differentiate yourself from others. BestStepEver emphasizes personal branding, teaching individuals how to effectively showcase their skills, accomplishments and unique qualities. This gives individuals a competitive edge and increases their chances of securing desirable opportunities.
Sandra’s focus was very different. “I was trying to be too many things to too many people, and was seen as not very effective”, Sandra (29) told us. “I couldn’t believe how many insights I gained from your roadmap. The topic of personal branding brought everything together for me. Now I know very clearly what I want to stand for and how I need to achieve this. My action plan is longer than most, but I know I’m going to achieve it as I’ve broken it down into the bite-sized chunks you keep reminding me about. Already my manager has noticed the difference, and I’m no longer so stressed at work because my priorities are much clearer”.
Mid-career
1. Be agile and adaptable: In the mid-career phase, professionals often face the need to enhance their existing skills set or acquire new skills to stay relevant in the face of a rapidly changing professional landscape. Our program supports members to upskill, add new tools to their career toolbox, and increase their adaptability to position themselves for continued growth and success.
“I knew I was getting a bit stale in my job and that’s why I signed up for the BestStepEver journey”, Jeroen (41) told us recently. “I saw others younger than me getting ahead and I felt stuck and resentful. Over the course of the program, I started feeling more empowered as I upgraded my skills and took risks to try different ways of working. I also became more flexible and adaptable in my approach, as I had many new options to choose from. It took a while for management to notice, but I realized they were seeing me differently when I was chosen to be part of a very futuristic new business project. That wouldn’t have happened a year ago. Your roadmap really does work”.
2. Advance your career: Our program helps position mid-career professionals looking to secure promotions by examining career stoppers and stallers, along with boosting the essential skills needed for success. A healthy dose of self-examination helps at this point too.
Nicola (39) was frustrated that she had no further career prospects in her current organization. She used the roadmap journey to re-assess her situation. She realised that she didn’t want to leave the company for many reasons; instead, she needed to look for ways to expand her existing role to give her greater variety and job satisfaction. She found a clever win-win situation and used many of the skills she learned to sell her solution to the company and get to “yes””. “I’m so happy I followed your path”, she told us. “I might have ended up resigning out of frustration but that would not have been the right thing for me. I’m very satisfied with the outcome I got to, and I added a ton of new skills to my career toolbox”.
3. Explore career transitions: Many mid-career professionals reach a point where they contemplate a career change or explore new opportunities. Often financial obligations and family responsibilities make them more cautious in taking risks. The BestStepEver program allows these members to explore these potential changes in a structured way to ensure they arrive at a high-quality decision.
Ashton (45) had left the corporate world to do his own thing, but after two business failures he was left despondent and depressed. He did the BestStepEver roadmap to “get up off the floor” as he put it. “Those daily sessions became so important to me,” he told us. “I desperately needed the motivation and structure that the program gave me. I got insight why things didn’t work out for me and clarity on what I needed to focus on in future to be successful again. I’m now on track again and feeling positive about what the future holds”.
Late career
Is there anything left to learn and do in the late career stage? Well, plenty, our members in this position have shared their path with us. Here are some ways in which they’ve benefited.
1. Mentor and build a legacy: Late-stage professionals often play a vital role in succession planning and in mentoring the next generation of leaders. Our program provides structure and resources for individuals looking to pass on their expertise and experiences to aspiring professionals. In this way late career individuals can leave a lasting impression by nurturing and empowering future leaders.
Celeste (52) decided to do our program “because there’s always something to learn”” as she put it. She got a lot more than she planned for. She identified ways in which she could mentor and train less experienced colleagues as a way of motivating herself and enriching her job. “I loved the learning journey”, she shared with us. “I got so much more out of it than I thought I would. I’m doing a lot of things differently and getting very good results. This program allowed me to stop and think about what’s important to me and to take time out to make some new plans”.
2. Transition to retire or a second career: Managing transitions is never easy. It’s important to explore changes and options in a deliberate and meaningful way. Our program can be used to assist late-stage professionals in preparing for a smooth transition, leveraging their skills and experiences in new and meaningful ways, whether through consulting, entrepreneurship, volunteering, or pursuing personal passions.
Raelynn (59) used our program to clarify her post-retirement plans. “I’m planning to retire in three years’ time, and I used the BestStepEver roadmap to explore my options. Initially I was a bit all over the place, but your program helped me to get back in touch with my biggest strengths, what I’m passionate about and what my values are. I explored different options and now have a clear idea what I want to do when I retire. There are things I need to do in the upcoming years to set the stage for a successful post-retirement career. I’ve seen a clear gap in the market where I can use my expertise in a flexible way. I’m excited to get there!”.
So, what's the verdict?
Conventional thinking tells us that younger people have more to gain from personal development programs. That’s simply not true. At every stage of our career lifecycle, we can create change and opportunities for ourselves, based on new insights, clarity, skills and a focus on where we want to go.
What we’re delighted about at BestStepEver is that we’ve created a roadmap that’s now been tried and tested at every stage of the employee lifecycle – and it’s providing powerful results.
Isn’t it time you joined us for the ride?
