By Michael DeVenney:
The first point: surveys report that approximately 75% of management positions will be vacated in the coming seven to ten years.
There are tremendous opportunities for smart, young professionals to grow and be promoted.
The second point: surveys also show that less than 5% of young professionals believe their employers actively help them manage their careers.
The takeaway: you are responsible for managing your own career to be selected for promotion and be successful.
What is most important to remember is that a successful career is not the result of one event – it is the outcome of a progression of achievements over time. With turnover reaching all time highs (particularly in management positions) and the business environment being increasingly competitive and turbulent, you need to take charge of your career to build sustainable success. The opportunity is there to realize your potential.
In our work and research, we see professionals following eight steps in building successful careers.
First, successful careers that last over the long term are founded on the ability to lead. More than any other characteristic, the competency of leading others is what separates promotions that work from those that fail. Regardless of your position, working as a leader makes a positive impact.
Leadership can be learned. Smart people invest in their own development and not just technical expertise. Often seen as a “soft skill”, leadership has a hard impact on the bottom-line. The lack of leadership skills costs the organization and the individual greatly in money, time, and stress.
Making the shift from individual work to coaching the performance of others is the greatest obstacle people will face in their career advancement. Organizations are not necessarily helping either - only 29% of organizations have invested in leadership development programs and mostly with little effectiveness. A recent study revealed that 94% of organizations feel their young professionals are not prepared for promotion to management positions.
Young professionals should seek to understand the strategy of their organization and industry and assess what leadership skills will be needed to support that direction. The skills most desired in future leaders have been identified as building teams, developing others, relationship building, leading change, dealing with uncertainty, and strategic thinking. Many options are available in-person and on-line and people should make an investment in developing their leadership skills to support their careers.
Secondly, when you perform well and deliver results, you are recognized and promoted. It is critical for success that you add value in your position. Concentrate on what is required in your position (what is needed now and not what you want to be doing next), appreciate what is expected of you and deliver it.
Meet with your boss and clarify his or her expectations for excellence in your position. Every position has value and meaning. Too often people are so busy looking to the future that they don’t take care of the present. If you can’t photocopy a page correctly, your boss will not see your “wasted” potential. Make your current position important by seeing the value of what you do and do it well.
Spend 80% of your time focused on the priorities of your position to deliver the results desired by your boss. It is not doing what you think is most important – it is doing what is required from your position. Most of us live undisciplined lives – put in place habits like a “daily to-do” to focus your time and energy on your priorities. Spend another 15% of your time learning what you need to know to move forward.
Third, invest time in developing your network both inside and outside of your organization. A recent survey showed that a main reason people achieved a position was due to personal connections.
Build a “bigger future network”. Invest time in developing your relationships with key people throughout your organization and also in your professional community. Looking to others and seeking feedback and insights is a great direction for staying fresh, informed, and gaining needed perspectives to make the right decisions.
Think about a mentor as part of your network – look to someone who is where you want to be 10 to 15 years from now and ask for their input.
Fourth, learn how to think strategically and have innovative ideas. The best route to develop your thinking abilities is to see how actions impact the bigger picture and the organization. Know who the customer is and understand their needs and how they use your organization’s products and services. Keep in touch with customers and talk to them about their challenges, opportunities, and capabilities. When you understand the customer you understand your audience. Innovation succeeds when it is based on customer understanding and insights.
Bosses look for people who solve problems and provide new ideas. Look at how you and your organization can provide greater value for your customers and bring your thoughts to the decision-makers. They may not always more forward on your idea, but they will pay attention.
Fifth, make yourself a team player. Strong individual performance may get you noticed but it will also limit your potential. Learning how to play well in the sandbox and work as a team is critical to career success. With the Millennial Generation entering the workforce, the need for a participative and collaborative approach is vital for young professionals who want to build their careers. We work in a negotiating society. Command and control methods do not and will not work.
Experience is often mentioned and not always available within your company. Look for it. By joining project teams and volunteering for non-profit boards and committees, you build your ability to work with various people and types and enhance your people skills. Emotional intelligence is one of the separating skills for successful people. The opportunities are not always available in the organization and to build experience the charitable community provides a tremendous avenue for gaining skills in this area.
Part of the solution is finding the opportunities that others do not see. Problems and difficult areas are wonderful platforms for participating in teamwork and building people skills and recognition.
Sixth, understand your business. Develop your expertise by reading and learning about your industry and profession. Subscribe to industry journals, read books about your profession and leadership in general, and attend programs that develop your specialty. It takes 10,000 hours to build your expertise and it generally takes 10 years to build your proficiency to be a successful manager. Support your growth by continued learning. More than anything else, consistent learning builds new ideas, perspectives, and growth. We are attracted to people who have useful knowledge.
Lastly, don’t forget to shine up your boss. There is an old saying that covers the importance of helping your boss to succeed, “It’s not only what you know or who you know but also who knows what you know that counts.”
Take time to understand your boss’ expectations for you – don’t guess what he or she wants, ask and be clear. At the same time, find out what your boss needs to do to succeed in his or her position – then you can see how to help.
Develop a solid relationship with your boss – it is not up to your boss, make it your responsibility. Identify and appreciate your boss’ strengths – and challenges – and find ways to add value. Help your boss first by performing well in your own job and bring solutions and ideas. Be willing to do what needs to be done.
Know the priorities for your boss and connect with his or her interests. Understand your boss’ personality and learn how to fit.
Communication is the key to a successful relationship with your boss. The promotion rarely happens if you do not have that connection. Meet and talk regularly. Make it time well spent – don’t just drop in and chat. Prepare before you meet with your boss so you can be relaxed and confident.
Connecting with your boss does not mean sucking up – it means being real. Assmosis is a term used to describe the process by which some people gain success by kissing up – other ways work better.
When you take a planned approach to investing and managing your career, opportunities present themselves and you are in a position to take advantage.
“Ability is of little account without opportunity”
Napoleon Bonaparte
Connecting ability and opportunity is a result of planning. Invest in developing a career goal plan, outlining the actions you need to take to get there, and measure your progress to make the right decisions.
Having a written career plan with measurable and specific goals is the extra step you take to succeed. Without a plan, it is just luck.
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