Are you actively managing your own career? Or do you passively allow your employer to choose your path? No one has their focus on your best interest like you do. Take control and direct your career toward the goal you choose. Don’t leave it up to an organization which can give you a pink slip at any time.
Many of my clients come to me for career management coaching after years of allowing their careers to be directed by employers. Some are tired of waiting for their next step. Others have been laid off, and are now scrambling to get ready for an urgent job search. I would love to see more professionals take time for a regularly scheduled, sustained and careful look at their careers…not just their work.
I currently have two great clients at the VP level, who are ready to take the next step in their careers. They’ve hired me for career coaching and resume writing, but both are working such long hours that they feel they can’t put together enough time to complete the engaging, thought-provoking homework I ask all my clients to do.
I want to tell you what I have told client after client: Put your career first, and take charge of it. Yes, do the job you have now, to the best of your ability. But be courageous enough to put some time aside to work on your career, too. Check in with those goals you set so long ago. Do you still want to reach the same destination? Or have your needs changed while you have grown as a professional? Make sure you’re working toward your own goals along with your employer’s. Keep charting your course, even as you do great work for your organization. Strike a balance.
You are the captain of your own career. You must actively manage your career and not simply sit back and allow events or employers to make those choices, decisions, and even goals for you. Get moving today to set those goals, create your plan, and start moving in the right direction for you!
Leave a Reply