Many clients, who come to me for guidance to improve their career, often come from the state of “unconscious incompetence.” Here they do not even know what they don’t know, often letting their career “happen” to them. In one of my earlier blogs I had analogized this way of managing one’s career to how a jellyfish exists: It is the only species in the entire animal kingdom that does not move to go after either its food or to save its life from its predators. It floats in water letting the currents take it wherever they might, surviving on any food that floats its way! When it comes to your own career management you do not want to be a jellyfish; you must be a shark, instead!
Taking charge of your career is important if you want to move in the direction and with a velocity that you define, not by something or by someone else. This requires changing your mindset and then making a plan that is realistic. A realistic plan entails following a process for career management that fits within your constraints, such as time, energy, and resources at your disposal. Once you decide what you want to go after or get, then making a plan and following a disciplined course of action are important to achieve the goals that one sets in a career.
In this blog I am providing some tips on how to put together a plan that can be worked on a regular basis to achieve the goals you set for yourself. Although it would be good to set milestones in one’s career (Director before I am 35, VP by 40, etc.) and achieve them, often such goals elude most because of the many factors that they cannot control. This can get frustrating. Instead, managing a disciplined process and achieving process goals (as means) towards an end are a much better approach. So, here are my suggestions:
- Create a plan for your career growth and have a clear vision of how you want to grow your career. Do not merely focus on a certain title to seek or a salary to attain, but focus, instead, on your development goals. Such goals can be stated in terms of professional standing (being the best architect in network design, best creative copy writer, etc.), publications, or patents. People often blame “politics” for not attaining their career goals, but if you set goals based on your own achievements then politics cannot usually vitiate such goals and you have much more control over them.
- Spend a planned and minimum period every day on your career management no matter how “busy” you are. You must find time to invest in your career development. Such time can include increasing your network meaningfully on LinkedIn or other social media, getting LinkedIn Recommendations for your work or writing them for others; getting introductions to influential people, etc. This time can also include reading material relevant to your professional growth. Writing blogs and posting them on your website or publishing them in appropriate outlets can create visibility that goes well beyond doing great work and keeping quiet about it for someone to notice. This “strategy” does not work in most cases.
- If you do not write blogs or articles at least take some time and post comments on articles and blogs that appear on LinkedIn and other postings. This will increase your visibility. Google yourself and find out how many hits you get from the search results. Is this how you want to be known?
- Identify some hidden or ignored opportunities at work and propose to your boss or higher-ups as an initiative that you want to shepherd. Make a plan and show the benefits to the organization, team, or to the customer by executing this on your own, outside your assigned work. Taking this approach also will require you to better manage your assigned work.
- Catch someone at work doing great things and write an email about their great work to their boss and others to give them visibility. You’ll get noticed by providing visibility and recognition to others. Also, this is free!
- Before any significant assignment of work to you, first discuss with your boss what will it mean to your career to deliver on this assignment. If the assignment is particularly challenging and is such that it will make a difference in the way how the business is conducted as a result, set some demands (in an appropriate way) with your boss, so that when you succeed you can hold your boss accountable for giving you what you initially asked. Most wait until it is completed to stake their claim. This approach rarely works because after all the hard work and delivery of what you promised the value of your work does not remain the same in the esteem of the beholders. You must extract this promise beforehand! Confirming in writing (from your end) generally cinches the deal.
- Identify some courses that will enhance your professional standing or leadership capability. Many HR departments often offer some courses and trainings. Others can be availed online or locally. Many companies often will fund your efforts to complete certain certifications in your line of work.
- Find opportunities to speak at conferences. These opportunities will provide you visibility outside your company and will increase your marketability.
- Keep updating your résumé with your accomplishments, not just your assignments or responsibilities. Keep your LinkedIn Profile updated at all times and look for the numbers on your Home page that tell you how many people searched you and how many viewed your Profile.
- Find yourself a mentor and be a mentor to someone. Both ways are excellent avenues for professional growth.
Managing one’s career is not a spectators’ sport. Take charge and learn how to stay in the driver’s seat when it comes to managing your own career! Stop being a jellyfish!
Good luck!