A 6-Step Approach to Tidying Up…Your Career
Do you remember when Marie Kondo, the Mary Poppins of home improvement and organisation, landed on our TV sets over a decade ago? (Or, for any younger readers out there, you might know her from the popular Netflix show: Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.)
Her six-step approach is focused, practical, and aptly tidy:
Commit yourself to tidying up.
Imagine your ideal lifestyle.
Finish discarding first.
Tidy by category, not location.
Follow the right order.
Ask yourself if it ‘sparks joy.’
I came away from a recent career intensive weekend with the IMD MBA Executives and realized that our approach was much the same. As a coach, while the results might not always be outwardly visible, there is a big opportunity to help people clear out the inner mess.
This particular career weekend was about exploring and identifying where individuals stood in relation to their careers. For some, it was about a change they were hoping to make; for others, simply an opportunity to fine-tune their profile, explore ways to get promoted, etc. They passed the first step with flying colours…
1. Commit yourself to tidying up
The simple fact that these participants sacrificed a weekend to spend time in career exploration spoke for itself. And to Marie’s point: the first step to getting organized is actually being ready to take the step, by being curious to explore what might be in need of a fine-tune or an overhaul.
Ask yourself: am I ready?
2. Imagine your ideal work scenario
We had each participant, through a series of prompts, explore what they were after professionally: in this instance, they thought about their pivot, pause, reset, etc. What had brought them into the workshop in the first place, and what were they looking to gain?
Ask yourself: What would I like to be doing professionally, what skills would I be using, and in what environment would I want to be doing this type of work?
3. Finish discarding first
After having thought the above through, we invited them to detach themselves from their current role in service of thinking outside the box. Exploring action verbs allowed for the opportunity to get creative.
Ask yourself: Which action verbs speak to me?
4. Tidy by category
We dove into the R.A.K.I. model to help with more structured thinking.
Ask yourself the following:
Role: What role am I curious about exploring or what do I want to do? (Explore a few different versions and play around with what feels right.)
Activities: What activities do I do/want to do?
Keywords: Whom do I do this work for? (The people, the industry, the cause, etc.)
Impact: What footprint do I leave behind? What do people say about me? What is different about this trajectory?
5. Follow the right order
Here is an example of the R.A.K.I. model in action:
“As an event manager (ROLE) specializing in the music industry, I harness my proficiency in strategic planning, venue logistics, and artist relations to curate unforgettable live experiences (ACTIVITIES) that not only entertain audiences but also amplify brand presence, foster community engagement (KEYWORDS), and maximize revenue streams for clients and partners (IMPACT), ensuring seamless execution and lasting impact in the music world.”
6. Does it spark joy?
We then had the group workshop their value propositions and peer coach each other, considering what they had developed. Did their R.A.K.I. statements reflect what they wanted and spark joy?
One of the likely challenges of this activity is finding the one and only value proposition — but the reality is that we are forever changing and exploring new ways of being, which impacts our career paths. This activity may not yield the perfect value proposition, but it offers a chance to do a career deep clean. Bear in mind that possible selves can come into play and lead you to develop a few different value propositions — that’s okay! The goal is to land on any versions that spark joy and reflect who you want to become.
Don’t forget: just like the seasons, profiles change, as do you! A little spring cleaning is always in order.
