Spearhead Your Career

Who’s in charge of your life?  When it comes to decisions around your house, with your family, your finances and free time, who is the decision maker?  YOU are (at least that’s what I hope you answered.)

Next question; who is in charge of your career?  Is it your manager, your company, your co-worker, your college (if you’re getting your degree or going back for one)?  NO!  It’s none of those entities.  Just like you are in charge of your life, YOU are in charge of your career.

So how is your career going?  Do you have an end-game in mind with a vision, goals set to achieve your vision, and a plan to reach those goals?  Have you even given this any thought, or are you just waiting for your co-workers, manager or upper management to notice how hard you work, and either recommend you for, or give you, a promotion?  If you aren’t focused on your career advancement, and only working hard on what’s right in front of you, you can count on staying in exactly that same place for a long time.

The 21st century business world is very different from the one our parents worked in.  Holding a 25 or 30-year career in the same company is a thing of the past.  According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics news release in May of this year, the baby boomers (born 1957-1964) have held an average of 11.7 jobs in their lifetime.

This means that you cannot expect your employer to be loyal or faithful to you because you have seniority.  Workers that expect loyalty from a company because they have ‘put their time in’, or because it’s ‘fair’ are positioning themselves to be dis-empowered.  These same individuals typically take on a victim mentality when things don’t go as they expect.  This mentality expects ‘the boss’ to take care of them.  Employers are now used to a transient workforce, and only reward skilled employees who possess strong leadership skills and greatness, and who have the ability to bring out those same qualities in others.  The competitive economic and business environment of our times forces companies to continually seek efficient streamlined processes and the best talent.  So ‘working hard’ and seniority in and of themselves don’t cut it anymore.

So, how do you get ahead?  Instead of thinking like a ‘worker’, think of yourself as a ‘free agent’ or a ‘freelancer’ who wants to bring just as much value to your ‘client’ (employer) as you do to improving yourself, your skill set and your career.  This mindset positions you for building your own personal ‘brand’, which consists of your abilities, leadership skills and unique things that you bring to the table.  Here are a few ways to spearhead your career and build your personal brand at the same time.

1. Don’t expect the workplace to do it for you.  Treat your career advancement like other areas of your personal life, where you take control and spearhead the situation because you are seeking a desired outcome.  For example, if you want to develop better sleep or eating habits, you don’t wait for someone to tell you when to go to bed, or what to eat.  Likewise, your savings and investments aren’t going to manage and grow by themselves, you need to keep abreast of them and fine tune along the way to ensure good returns.

Be self-responsible all the way around by not only doing your required work, but making sure it aligns with both your company’s goals and your personal goals.  One way to do this is publicize completed projects and achievements to your manager by outlining the strategies and skills used, and demonstrating how it helped the company.  This can be done via a simple power point or in an email, and is an effective way to showcase your abilities versus just submitting the project or report upon completion.

For example, instead of just submitting a completed marketing ROI report showing dollars spent versus new customers or sales, go a step further.  If you taught yourself how to use pivot tables in Excel to analyze the data, tell your manager – especially if you shared the knowledge with a co-worker.  This demonstrates your ability to seek and learn new things as well as leadership skills.  To add value, augment the report by suggesting where the money could be spent more effectively, or how if funds were increased in a new area, it would result in a more significant ROI.  This framework can be applied to any area of business within a company, and demonstrates your greatness.

2. Identify what you want – for yourself, and then to your employer.  If you are currently in an entry level or middle management position, have you envisioned where you want to go next?  Whether it’s with the same company, or in a completely different industry, it’s important to be working with that next step in mind.  Today, workers have many projects to manage and juggle.  If you know where you want to go next, it makes it easier to prioritize and publicize important projects and their outcomes.

Using the same example, perhaps you want to become the next marketing manager at your company.  Prioritize and execute with excellence the projects that showcase your skills, and keep details records of your accomplishments.  During your review, or sooner if the time is right, share your collective accomplishments and state your desired goal to your manager (or upper management if appropriate).  You will get an immediate sense if your vision can take shape with your current company, or if you need to go down another path to accomplish it.

This is where spearheading comes into play again.  If your dream is realistic where you currently work, forge down the path with continued passion and commitment.  If after a reasonable amount of time, your sense is that your goals will not be realized, gather your accomplishments and seek another company where your vision can come to life.  In both scenarios, you are spearheading the outcome and in control of your destiny – not your employer.

3. Continually educate.  Whether it’s teaching yourself a simple new trick in PowerPoint, or pursuing your MBA, continual skill and knowledge development is one of the strongest ways to spearhead your career.  Below are some additional forms of education that will build your personal brand:

  • Join a local business women’s group.
  • Attend local networking events relating to your current industry or role.
  • Find a ‘Meetup’ in your area that relates to your job, or a new area of interest.
  • Go to an industry conference relating to your line of work, or one that will help you to work smarter.
  • Take a night class to improve or learn a new skill.
  • Join a Toastmasters club.
  • Look for webinars to enhance your skills, communication, leadership style or industry knowledge.
  • And my personal favorite – attend a High-Heeled Success Workshop, or work with me to learn how to make a career breakthrough if you are struggling in any of the areas mentioned in this article.

©Copyright 2015.  Kay Fittes.  All Rights Reserved.

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