Running head: CAREER PLAN 1

Module 6: Core Assignment (Career Plan)

Amy E. Harris

OGL 482

Arizona State University

December 2, 2020
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Section 1: Creating Your BHAG

My long term BHAG is to have a career that will allow me the flexibility to have a

work/family life balance. My first mountain to climb will be to find a position within an

organization that will take me outside my comfort zone of Starbucks. I have been with Starbucks

for 20 years, it was my first job and basically the only job I’ve ever had. As great of a company

as it is, I feel that I stayed because it was something that I not only loved, but because I was

comfortable. I feel that in order for me to grow professionally, I need to get out of my comfort

zone of Starbucks and venture out and develop new skills in a different organization. As easy as

this may seem to some, this will be a task that will not be so easy for me.

After reaching to the top of my first mountain, my goal is to become a leader within an

organization that will work with management to tackle gaps and obstacles to reach goals.

Working together, brainstorming, looking at financials to get a better idea of what is holding us

back from exceeding goals, and making a plan of action and training employees on new

procedures. I want to be known within the organization as someone who is approachable,

knowledgeable, and can help remove barriers that may be in their way. I’ve always enjoyed

training and helping people grow within their current position and potential promotions.

Knowing that someone comes to me for advice on what areas they need to work on and having

that open and honest conversation not only builds my confidence as a leader and trainer, but I

feel that it helps build theirs as well. Again, this may seem miniscule to some, but this is

something that I am passionate about and would be a dream position for me.

Lastly, my ultimate goal is to find a position at an organization that values work/family

life balance as much as I do. I want to have a position where I can attend my children’s school
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plays, sports games and have financial stability so that I can not only help provide for my family,

but have the opportunities to go on family vacations, preferably out of the country. I want my

children to experience different cultures, I want them to see where their ancestors came from.

This is something I wish I had the privilege of doing when growing up, but we didn’t have that

kind of money. I was finally able to go to Ireland and England when I was in my early 20s and I

learned so much about the histories and cultures and I wanted to learn more.

I think that these BHAG goals align with my purpose and mission because my ultimate

goal is to have a work/family balance. I think that if I find an organization that has the same

family values as me, then this will be achievable. These goals take me outside my comfort zone

which is something I really need to do. After 20 years of being in my protective bubble of

Starbucks, I feel it is time to go out into the world and experience and learn different ways of

doing things. Pushing myself to experience a new organization will be challenging and it would

build my self-confidence as a leader. I learned so much with Starbucks that I want to incorporate

the leadership style that I have developed into a different organization in hopes that they will

embrace it and we can together be successful.

Section 2: Career Vision

I see my future career as one that I start at the bottom and work my way up. Not that

promotions have ever been something that was my ultimate goal, but I feel it is important,

especially starting at a new organization, to start at the bottom so that I can learn the mission and

values of the organization and how different departments are run, this is how I learn best. My

biggest fear is to go into an organization in a higher position that I don’t have much experience

in, and automatically be seen as someone that should know what they’re doing. Once I feel that I
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have gained the knowledge I need I will then feel comfortable pursuing promotions within my

department.

I see myself moving up quickly and being in a leadership role which will train

employees, help them grow in their current roles, and eventually help them promote into

positions that they are passionate about. Helping others realize and reach their potential gives me

joy, which is what I strive for when looking for potential future career. I feel that Linda Hill’s

“creating a success syndrome” had some great points that really resonated with me, such as;

“find the right balance between assignments where you are learning but also contributing”,

“don’t just think about moving up, think about how lateral moves can broaden and build your

skill set”, and the one that really hit home for me was “focusing on salary, promotions, and titles

is fine but you must also look at other intangible factors that will significantly influence your

long-term success. Things to consider: Am I learning? Am I building my support network? Am I

building a solid reputation? Am I increasing my self-confidence” [CITATION Har07 \p 105 \l

1033 ].

As I mentioned earlier, I want to be known as being approachable, knowledgeable, and

can help remove barriers that may be in the way, but I also don’t want to be seen as a “know-it-

all”. I’ve always told my team members that I don’t know everything, so if they need help with

something or have a question and I don’t know the answer, I will help them find the appropriate

resources and we will learn together. I think by doing this has made my team member feel more

comfortable approaching me as well as building trust and cohesion.

When I took the Career and Life Orientation Index I was moderately organizational. I

want to be part of an organization that has structure, creates a positive, safe, learning work

environment. An organization that cares for their employees, treats them with respect, and
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acknowledges their contributions to the success of the organization will create employees who

are motivated and loyal. I don’t necessarily want to make my own career path, I want to go into

an organization and support them and help make them successful. I want to learn, I want to lead,

I want flexibility as far as my family is considered. I am not willing to relocate my family for a

promotion, I would rather have consistency for my family and stay in my area of specialty. I

have never wanted to be my own boss, I like following procedures that are laid out for me, I like

having security in my job, so being an entrepreneur was something I have never been interested

in pursuing.

Section 3: Long-term Strategy

My first milestone of my BHAG is to find a career outside my comfort zone of

Starbucks. To do proper research to identify an organization that aligns with my values and will

give me the opportunity for growth to accomplish my BHAG goals will take a few months.

Updating my resume, connecting with my references about what position and company I am

applying for, interviewing and hopefully making a great impression to secure a job might take

another few months. Overall, I feel that my timeline for this mountain will be 6-8 months. Once

this first milestone is accomplished, I will feel relief, excitement, and quite honestly, I will be

very nervous. This is going to push me outside my comfort zone that I have been hesitant to

leave for the last 20 years, but I am excited to venture out and learn and grow within another

organization.

After securing a position in an organization that aligns with my values and goals, I

want to learn as much as possible about the organization. I feel that proper training and becoming

comfortable enough in my new position will take about 2-3 months. I want to have some sort of
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leadership role where I can work with management to help problem solve and remove barriers

that may be in our way of achieving goals. To do this I will need to network and build

relationships with my superiors and management, show them that I am willing and able to do

what they hired me to do. Building trust and showing that I am a hard worker can vary

depending on the person. Some are harder to impress than others, so I feel that this can take

anywhere from 3-6 months.

I also want to help train employees and future leaders about different approaches and

styles to help motivate their teams as well as help them grow in their current positions. My

BHAG in this area I said that I wanted to be known as being approachable, knowledgeable, and

helps remove barriers that may be in the way. This will also involve networking with my team

members and building trust. I need to get to know my team members on a professional and semi

personal level so that they know that I am there for them. Building trust and cohesion with my

team, again depending on the person, can take another 3-6 months. Overall, this timeline can

take anywhere from 6 months to a year to build a reputation with both management and my

peers.

Within this same mountain, I want to help the organization be successful by looking at

gaps, financials, and training procedures. Taking on new challenges after every project and

striving for better will be an ongoing battle that will last for the rest of my career. By the end of

my career I would like to be known for the work I did and how I contributed to the success of the

organization while being personable, respectful, and someone everyone enjoyed to work with,

this goal will take the rest of the 20 years to accomplish.

Lastly, financial security and work/family balance is my ultimate goal. Until 2 years ago,

I was the sole provider for my family, and it was extremely stressful. My husband and I had
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agreed that he would be a full-time student and I would work, then when he finished school I

would go back to school and he would work, it was definitely a struggle. My husband got his

AA, then his Bachelor’s in history, then a Master’s in education. I continued to work full-time

until he found a teaching job at a private middle school. I was then able to go to part-time at

work and focus more on school. It was still a struggle financially because private schools do not

pay as well as public schools. After his school was permanently closed due to COVID-19, he was

offered a teaching job in South Carolina, so I took my sabbatical from Starbucks and we moved

across the country. The struggle continues as we have to dip into our savings to help pay bills

since I cannot work since we have no one to watch our kids until I finish school and we find

proper daycare. With years of having no financial security, this is what I strive for. I’m not

looking to find a position that will give us wealth, but something that we are not living paycheck

to paycheck. I want enough financial security where we can live in a nice, safe neighborhood

with a good school district so that my children can have a safe learning environment.

Section 4: The 1-2 Year Plan

My SMART goals for the next 1-2 years are:

 Find a job outside of Starbucks

 Financial stability

 Take a family vacation

Goal 1:

Find a position in an organization outside of Starbucks

Benefits:
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Help build my self-confidence and push me outside my comfort zone. It will help me

grow my leadership skills and expose me to new experiences.

Action Steps:

1. Update my resume by December 15, 2021

2. Start researching organizations that fit my values and goals by January 1, 2021

3. Reach out to my references to keep them updated on positions I am applying for by

January 2, 2021

4. Apply to organizations by January 20, 2021

5. Interview and accept position at new organization by March 1, 2021

Goal 2:

Financial Stability

Benefits:

Able to live without worry that I can’t help provide for my family. I will be less stressed

which will make my family time that more enjoyable. I will be able to help get my family

into a nicer neighborhood in a good school district which will give my children a safe

learning environment.

Action Steps:

1. After obtaining a position in an organization, create a financial plan to pay off bills by

March 30, 2021

2. Pay off credit cards by January 1, 2022

3. Start another financial plan for saving money for a house in a nicer neighborhood by

March 30, 2021

Goal 3:

Take family vacations

Benefits:

Creates new memories and experiences with my husband and children. It will expose

my children to different cultures and teach them about the history of different places

around the country/world.

Actions Steps:

1. Open savings and put money aside each pay period for vacations by March 30,

2021

2. Research places that will be educational for my family and that my children will

enjoy by June 1, 2021

To some, these goals may seem miniscule and it may seem like I don’t have the

ambition that others think that I should, and that is not the case for me. I take great pride in

everything I do, I am a hard worker, I get joy out of helping others succeed. I have spent my

entire working career in a protective bubble because I was scared to venture out and

experience new things. I was comfortable with Starbucks and I liked the security I had with

them. I have come to realize that I have the potential to grow in other areas and help other

organizations with the knowledge and experience that I have. My goals are my goals because

I know that they will ultimately make me happy. Family time, financial security and helping

others realize their potential and give them the tools to succeed, these things make me happy.

Going outside of Starbucks is going to push me outside my comfort zone, it will challenge

me, it will expose me to new experiences, this is what I want for my future career.
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References

Harrington, B., & Hall, D. T. (2007). Career Management & Work-Life Integration. Thousand

Oaks: Sage Publications.