Planning a career move? Three key tips for a successful strategy

Whether you’re switching jobs, changing careers, or transitioning into retirement, a few guiding principles can make all the difference in your success.

In the latest episode of The Toughest Call podcast, Rishad Tobaccowala, futurist, and author of "Restoring the Soul of Business," shares how he approached his shift into something completely different.

In this video analysis, Chaz Thorne discusses Rishad's guiding principles for a successful career move.

After 30 plus years of building a career as a leader within Publicis, the third-largest global communications group, Rishad decided it was time for him to take on a new challenge.

With the decision to leave already made, he then switched to HOW he would leave and broke that process down into three guiding principles:

1. Consult people you trust
2. Make an elegant exit
3. Practice patience with yourself

Consult people you trust

Consult people in your professional network about your plans for the future. They may have done similar things and have wisdom to share. If they are close colleagues, they also have some perspective on your strengths and weaknesses. Ask them to provide honest and critical feedback.

Also, consult those in your personal life who know you well. Work changes are highly disruptive, and friends and family are the ones who know how you cope with change best. Your family and partner are also likely to be significantly affected and emotionally invested in the outcome. Rishad’s wife was very clear with him that he could do whatever he liked, as long as it didn’t mean he would be sitting around the house all day.

Make an elegant exit

Making an elegant exit is incredibly important. It can be tempting to want to have what Rishad calls your “Jerry-Maguire-moment” and burn it all down on your way out the door, especially if you’re leaving a negative situation. However, over a 40-year career, there will be many entrances and exits. So think about your reputation and relationships over the long term and keep it classy.

Practice being patient

Once you move on to your ‘something new’, practice being patient with yourself; it takes a while to build competence if you’re moving to something completely different as Rishad was. Even if you’re just moving companies, learning new systems and processes and establishing new relationships takes time. Though setting goals is a positive thing, being too hard on yourself during that learning process won’t help you achieve them any faster.

To hear more about how Rishad successfully made the leap, listen to the episode now.