Are you in charge of your career advancement?

Posted on February 11, 2022 by Neelima Chakara, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.

Do you play an active role in managing your career?

Playing an active role does not mean focusing on your work and waiting for your boss to reward you with next-level roles. This can only lead to frustration & discontent. When things are not going well, and we are feeling stuck, it is easy to retreat to our desks, go within our shells, and focus on what we do best – our work. But this is a passive approach. It means giving away our power and falling into the victim mode, which does not help at all.

Career Management is a joint responsibility between an employee and a manager, but the ownership for designing the career rests with the employee. When employees take proactive actions, they help their managers support their progress.

Given below are some of the signs that you show up for yourself to design the career you want –

You have clarity about the direction you want your career to take.
Your boss knows your aspirations.
You have clear conversations with your boss regarding your strengths and the next steps you need to take to get the role you want.
You are known outside of your team for what you do well and how you make a difference.
Decision-makers in your organization know you and trust you.
You do not let yourself slide into your comfort zone. You seek opportunities that stretch you.
You invest in yourself to be future-ready for the kind of work you want to do.
You have mentors and sponsors that support you.
You have an active and supportive network within and outside your team and organization.
You play to win rather than being focused on not failing.
Successful professionals take charge of their careers. They realize that no one is more accountable than them for their career growth.

They take intentional actions to support their trajectory, and above all, they believe that they are in control of their career to achieve their aspirations.