Future proof your brain towards career progression

Frederique Murphy offers three practical action steps to help you rewire your brain for success in your career trajectory

You, better than anyone, know what to do to future proof your career; indeed, you made the decision to upscale your skills by embarking on a further education programme. And I’d like to complement this by providing you today with actionable strategies you can execute to future proof your brain towards career progression.

These scientifically proven action steps will help you – when consciously and regularly planned – rewire your brain for success as you prepare to further climb the career ladder.

The science behind it all

These three action steps belong to what we refer to as cognitive control. Also called executive function, cognitive control is the scientific name used to describe a series of neurocognitive processes – the functions – especially required for the control of behaviour to facilitate your goals. These functions – think of them as thinking processes, such as planning, working memory, cognitive flexibility, strategising, sequencing, problem-solving and set-shifting, to name a few – develop progressively in your brain over the years. Using neuroplasticity, these can be improved and strengthened as you learn and grow.

‘Grow’ here is a key operative word, and the perfect time for me to debunk an unhelpful myth for you right now. Until now, you may have thought that some of these functions were out of your reach now that you had reached adulthood, but thanks to science, we’ve discovered that these can in fact be within your reach. By being a mindful leader, you can tune in your awareness to identify your weaknesses and your strengths to help you focus on your executive functions. From there, use the power of your mind to rewire your brain and intensify the strengths of your executive functions.

Spending time on your actions engages your cognitive control from the get-go. As you plan, you strategise, you prioritise, you sequence. It increases efficiency while reducing risks. All these action steps to manage and achieve your goal are leveraging these executive functions: planning; strategising; sequencing. In addition, when you face adversity and alter the plan of action, you are using a few more functions: cognitive flexibility, problem-solving and set-shifting.

So now, it is time to future proof your brain.

Action Step 1: Analyse

Where you are today is the direct reflection of the thoughts, decisions, and actions you took days, months and years ago, which means that where you will be tomorrow will be a direct reflection of the thoughts, decisions, and actions you are about to take now.

So, analyse where you are by using this 5-question framework to help you and your brain be at your best. Ask yourself: “What should I:

Start doing?

Stop doing?

Continue doing?

Do more of?

Do less of?”

Start writing to gain insights; ideally, plan these sessions once per quarter, that way you analyse your actions over a three-month period. This will increase your awareness, and help you lead yourself on your progression path. The insights will help you develop your career as you confidently learn and grow on a regular basis, as you analyse your every move.

Action Step 2: Align

The more strategic you are with your actions, the more effective, driven and inspiring you are as a leader, and as a result, will get  noticed by higher management. Your actions are moving you and your career forward.

Awareness leads to change. Cognitively, you are consciously aware of 5% of your neural activity. Gaining more awareness about something makes that something more tangible, thus increasing its reach and your ability to work on it.

Before jumping into a new activity, check it aligns with your BIG picture. You’d be amazed at the number of activities you might be doing that are misaligned with your goals.

Ask yourself for every single action: 

“Does that < insert the activity > bring me closer to my goals?” 

Do not hesitate to ditch distractions as well as say no. 

Action Step 3: Allocate

Add dates as deadlines for your overall goals as well as their steps. Milton H. Erickson said, ‘A goal without a date is just a dream.’ So true, isn’t it? When you think of the goals you have in mind, the things you’d like to be, do and have, it can sometimes feel vague and fuzzy. Frame these by adding a completion date – both for your overall goal and its steps along the way.

This helps you to engage better as it makes your goal more tangible. Indeed this activates your cognitive control at a high level as, thanks to your PreFrontal Cortex (PFC), you get to use the planning executive function.

In addition, studies have shown that when it comes to deadlines, we respond with a higher sense of urgency when it is phrased in a number of days, so in addition to your goal-completion date and step-completion dates, do also specify these in deadlines – in other words, avoid thinking of a quarter deadline for instance and instead think of it as a 90-day one.

BONUS Action Step: Anticipate

Know where you are going, and lead your mind there first using this amazing brain quirk of yours. Did you know your brain does not know the difference between the real and the imaginary? Albert Einstein said: ‘Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.’ and the science agrees! Scientific findings are astonishing: when you imagine achieving a goal and let yourself feel what it will feel like when you do it, your brain creates that mental imagery and stores it as a memory.

When you visualise something, you stimulate the same brain regions as if you were actually doing that something. Repeatedly imagining having achieved your desired goals in your mind first is an impactful strategy, as your brain then believes that you have done it before and eases you in when you encounter the real thing, making it easier for you. That memory becomes a beacon, helping you feel clearer and more focused about your goal, thus making it more real, approachable and attainable to you.

So ask yourself: “Where do I see myself next?” Imagine having already accomplished the career progression you desire: be as descriptive as possible, and you’ll fool your brain into believing you’ve done it, which will help reduce your fear, drop your stress levels and make you calmer. This will boost your confidence, driving you to impactful behaviours, such as your ability to empower, inspire, innovate… All of which directly impact your presence throughout your organisation, which leads you to a much richer and higher path.

And that’s how you future proof your brain towards career progression. Consciously make these strategies part of your development plan to climb along the career ladder and rewire your brain for success as you lead beyond the edge and achieve extraordinary results.