Mapping your Future: 4S Model

Thinking about how to move forward in your career?  The 4S Model is a way of crafting your career approach in discrete, actionable steps.


Begin with Self, discovering who you are, where you’ve been, and where you want to go.  Know your strengths and weaknesses, what you like and what you don’t.  Create your guiding missions and vision.

All of the things happening around you, as well as how you engage the world, are part of your Surroundings.  This includes the macro level around world events and currency fluctuations, as well as the micro level of teams, daily interactions, and your personal connections.  Create a plan for gathering, managing, and analyzing information about the world around you.

Skills are gained through three methods:  formal learning and education, informal learning and education, and your experiences.  Your capability is the combination of your knowledge, skills, abilities, and other intangibles you possess.  Create your development plan.

The final S is for Steps – these are the things that actually move you (the new, prepared you) towards your career goals and aspirations.  Create your own personal marketing plan.

There is a lot more behind this simple model.  For instance, in thinking about Self, it’s helpful to consider the following questions:

• Who am I?


• What can I do?


• What can't I do - yet?


• What things do I enjoy?


• What don't I like to do?


• Where have I been - what is my history?  What lessons can I learn from my history?


• Where will I go in the future?


• What are my personal goals?


• Do my goals make sense?


• What are my professional goals?


• Do my professional goals make sense?


• Am I happy?


• What makes me happy?

There are several tools that help in the Self portion of the 4S model, many of which are question based.  The list can be pretty extensive, and there will be more in a future post.Just created a YouTube channel as well - here's my first video, on the 4S Model.  How's that for unoriginal?  :)

Best,

Bryan