Would you like to move forward in your career but need to know where to start? Here are seven critical steps to unlock your full potential:

1. Identify your internal resources, strengths and weaknesses. Self-awareness is crucial in unlocking your potential to progress in your career and life.

Take a moment to reflect on your skills, knowledge, and experiences. What are you good at? What do you enjoy doing? These are likely your strengths. On the other hand, think about areas where you struggle or have received feedback for improvement. These are your weaknesses that require attention and development. Once you identify your strengths and weaknesses, you can leverage them to achieve success in your career by enhancing the former and improving the latter.

2. Set clear, time-bound, achievable goals. Identifying what you want to achieve and creating a plan for getting there is essential to progress in your career. Break down your larger goals into smaller milestones that are easier to achieve and track progress towards (yes, it requires work and attention). Regularly review your goals and adjust them if necessary. Celebrate your successes along the way and learn from any setbacks or challenges.

3. Develop a learning mindset. Be open to new ideas, seek opportunities for growth and development, and embrace challenges as learning experiences. One way to cultivate a learning mindset is to set goals that push you outside your comfort zone and require you to learn new skills or knowledge. Stimulate your brain by engaging in various learning opportunities and be open to learning from others.

4. Seek feedback from others and be willing to take constructive criticism as an opportunity for improvement. By adopting a growth-oriented mentality, you can continually enhance your abilities and achieve tremendous success in your career.

5. Build a solid network of professional relationships to maximise your potential in a work environment. It involves connecting with colleagues, mentors, industry leaders, and other professionals through networking events, social media platforms, and conferences. By building a network of trusted individuals who can offer advice, support and guidance, you can access new opportunities for growth and advancement.

Maintaining these relationships over time can also lead to referrals for new job openings or introductions to influential people in your industry. Building a solid network takes time and effort but can pay off immensely in the long run.

6. Take risks and embrace challenges: It may seem daunting, but stepping outside your comfort zone is necessary to succeed. Consider taking on new responsibilities or projects that challenge and push you to grow. Embrace challenges positively, learn from setbacks, and keep moving forward. Remember that taking calculated risks is necessary for personal growth and career progression.

7. And last but not least: continuously adapt what you do and learn to your needs, personality and system of values. Watch your integrity instead of comparing yourself to others. Finally, it is about you and your life, so do not try to become someone you are not. Great leaders are fearless in showing their unique personalities.

Sounds overwhelming? If you need support, consider getting a coach who will help you build a roadmap, unlock your potential and facilitate your journey towards achieving your desires, one step at a time.