Our career is our own responsibility, writes Wanda Wallace, managing partner of Leadership Forum. It’s time to take control.
While good managers help to develop their people, the ultimate responsibility for each person’s career trajectory falls on their own shoulders. So what can we do for ourselves?
We must try to look at our careers holistically. Given our increasing longevity, our career “isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon”.
What we do at work needs to fit into the entire context of our lives over the long run if we’re going to fulfil our sense of purpose, live by our values, meet our financial needs and factor in our other life goals and commitments.
Our career is just one part of life. We also need to consider other elements such as our current (and future) family commitments, our travel ambitions and social life, and our health and wellbeing. We cannot just focus on what we want today; we need to factor in what we may want in all of those areas three to five years from now.
For example, when we have a young family, we may decide that we are not in a position to take a stretch in our career. But things can change swiftly, so we need to think long term and keep opportunities as open as possible.
If we don’t take risks, we may not gain exposure to new experiences or opportunities; we may fail to gain the skills and capabilities we need to remain relevant and broaden our horizons.
When I interviewed Marc Howze, vice president, global human resources and employee communications of John Deere & Co, he explained that when considering job moves, he asks himself four questions:
1. Will the new role offer me an opportunity to learn something new?
2. Will it give me a chance to develop new relationships?
3. Could I make an impact in the role?
4. Would the role make me more marketable?
Each ‘yes’ answer points towards taking the risk and seizing the opportunity.
The skills that make us successful today may not be important in the long run. Given the pace of technological and societal change, there will inevitably be new skills that we need to acquire throughout our careers.
This means keeping track of what matters in our industry (and beyond) and taking responsibility for our own development. Adaptability and learning quotient (LQ) will be vital capabilities going forward.