Archives for "Career Management"

1. Court visibility. Make yourself visible to your peers, top management, and colleagues in the industry.
2. Become well-known to recruiters. Otherwise, if you ever need a new job, you’ll start job hunting from scratch.
3. Sharpen your coaching skills. Lead your people in a agreed-on direction.
4. Rethink your reading habits. How often do you say, “what did you say? I don’t think I’ve heard of that.”

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These are some general rules to remember in order to succeed and climb up the corporate structure:

1. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. A little risk is necessary; nothing ventured, nothing gained. Encourage and welcome ideas from those who work for you. Good ideas from your people reflect favourably upon you as well as the suggester. Never feel threatened by a good idea, whatever its source.
2. Never underestimate others. Good ideas come from unexpected sources. Fertile minds are not confined to those with a fistful of degrees.
3. Learn to be sensitive in dealing with others. Treat your co-workers as you would like to be treated.
4. Keep in touch with key people in your area. Don’t shut yourself up in an ‘ivory tower’ or depend upon others to do all your legwork.
5. Delegate responsibility and authority to subordinates. You’ll lighten your workload, train others for bigger jobs, and groom a competent successor to facilitate your move up the ladder.

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Watch out for some signals that can mean that your career is heading into serious trouble. If you heed and do something about them, perhaps you can minimize the risk of losing your job:

1. Your subordinates are are receiving raises and promotions, but you aren’t.
2. The good projects are going to someone else.
3. No one is asking your opinion.
4. Another manager or newly hired consultant has been ‘pumping’ you for details of your job.
5. The company has cut raises or made pay cuts and your salary has suffered more than others.
6. You are making more money than others at your level.
7. You are given little new work.
8. Your boss is overly critical of your work – or has stopped criticizing you entirely.

Obviously, these warning signals would have no reason for being if you are competent, effective, and discerning of opportunities and your strengths as well as limitations.

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If you want to get ahead, being good at what you do is only half the battle. You’ve also got to know how to market yourself. Some suggestions:

- Make yourself the CEO of your career. Develop both short and long term goals, then measure these goals.
- Treat the boss like a client. Cater to his/her needs and go out of your way to make him/her look good.
- Become the person others can rely on. Volunteer to accept additional assignments that makes others’ job easier.
- Make yourself visible. Be seen in professional, civic and cultural circle outside your job. Offer to speak to local service clubs. And publish in both the industry and the local papers, which often accept opinion pieces on valuable topics.
- Watch your “packaging”. Make sure your non-verbal language – including clothing – projects a successful image.

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