As I mentioned in my previous blog, success in the new economy is going to be about stepping-up and taking charge. Your career is your own and it will be up to you to decide how you are going to make it happen.

I truly believe that success in any endeavor requires having a plan, a plan that is custom created by YOU and for YOU. This is why the focus of my upcoming book, The YOU Plan, is on creating a personal career plan designed to meet your needs, as YOU see them, instead of meeting the needs of some generic boiler plate prototype.

The YOU Plan is based on the VIPER approach. VIPER stands for Values, Intrinsics, Passions, Essence (brand), and Roadmap. The idea is for you to think through these five areas and really ask yourself to what extent are you actually in command of yourself, your assets, and your direction.

The idea behind the VIPER approach is to get you back to the fundementals. Whether you are new to the job market or back out on the hunt for the first time in years, the task is daunting and your sense of urgency is high. The new economy has created a norm of uncertainty, which can be tremendously stressful. As reality sets in, you may panic and find yourself moving too fast and not strategically picking your battles. This is where having a plan helps. When faced with ambiguity and uncertainty, the best thing you can do is create your own certainty through planning.  

Over the next couple of weeks I will spend time walking you through each of the five VIPER steps and challenging you to push yourself by asking those tough fundamental questions to get you started on creating your very own “YOU Plan”.

Stay tuned!

Dr. Woody

To find out more about The YOU Plan go to www.DrWoody.com

Welcome to the new economy! The Great Recession has created a pervasive sence of uncertainty that has affected all of us. This sense of unceratinty has made it easy to fall prey to the trap of hopelessness and desperation. The purpose of this weekly blog series (and my upcoming book, The YOU Plan) is to help you cerate your own certaintly through planning! If you want to shine during this holiday season you will need to step up and take control!   

Trained as an organizational psychologist, I believe there are three ways you can react to the challenge of uncertain times: 

          – you can cower and hide,

          – you can buckle down and survive, or

          – you can step-up and thrive

For those looking to step-up and thrive, it’s time to start planning. Whether you are seeking to get that next job or just trying to guide your business forward, you must find your edge. To get that edge, you need to step back and take stock in yourself. To be successful you must know who you are, what you have to offer, and how to let others know about it! It all starts by answering the following five questions i like to refer to as VIPER:

          1) What are my Values?

          2) What are my Intrinsics?

          3) What are my Passions?

          4) What is my brand Essence?  

          5) What is my Roadmap?

Whenever I give workshops or work one-on-one with clients, i always find they struggle tremendously with answering these questions! If you want to get back in the game, you are going to have to step back and do some serious planning!

Each week I will be exploring one of the above questions and looking to get feedback from those of you out there fighting to get back in the game! 

If you want to take back control, it’s time to step-up and start planning.

-Dr. Woody

To see morw, check out: www.DrWoody.com