Far too many professionals today look to their managers to manage their career path and trajectory. However, in fact, this is yours and yours alone to manage. It’s so easy to get caught up in our work that we lose sight of our career. So, how do you manage your career with confidence? Here is what Jack Welch taught me about career planning.
Is there a secret to why some people have successful careers and others don’t? Research shows that IQ or abilities often have no cause and effect relationship. Certainly, the socio-economic background does have significant influence but no guarantee.
You are accountable for your success. As such, it is your responsibility to discover your special gifts, attributes, and capabilities that can give you a competitive edge and the greatest probability to have a flourishing career.
Career management requires quality networking, being in the right place at the right time, earning a voice at the table, knowing your unique value proposition and how to use it, managing your personal brand, being influential – to name a few essentials.
But in the end, all of these factors require one important thing: a personal commitment to manage and invest in your career the right way.
On the surface, this sounds simple – but it is quite time-consuming and requires strategic thought and planning. Making an investment in your career requires you to know what you should invest your time, money and resources in.
Think of it like the stock market; most people rely on financial experts and online tools to help them manage their portfolios.
They are based on a multitude of factors that include: the amount of money they are willing to invest, how much risk they are comfortable taking, what type of commitment they will make to manage their investment decisions and keep track of their desired outcomes – amongst many others.
Similarly, when you invest in your career and personal development, you must do it with the end game in mind.
For example, what performance improvements and career advancement outcomes do you expect, and when will you be able to see favorable financial results and lifestyle changes as a result of your investment?
I have seen too many people waste time and money on making career investments that don’t align with their passionate pursuits and ultimate career ambitions.
They can’t see the opportunities around them that they can effectively seize for their advancement and personal satisfaction.
This is what initially happened to me when I started my career. My older brother (a successful executive in his right) wanted to direct and guide my career. He wanted me to be like him.
What he failed to realize was that we were different people, with different skills and completely different personalities and character traits. This is an example of why many people get career anxiety.
They begin to hate their jobs and become dissatisfied with the succession track they are on – because they are now regretting the career choices they made based on how they were influenced by others along the way.
In my case, I soon realized that my brother’s well-intentioned attempts didn’t make sense for me as I began to lose touch with my goals and aspirations.
To invest properly in your career, you must know yourself extremely well. Knowing yourself requires you to understand the factors that positively inspire you to achieve something substantive and relevant – with passion – every day.
For some people, this takes a long time to discover. For others, they know themselves well enough to make good career investment decisions.
What do you believe are the most important areas for your career investment? What areas have you already invested in and what were the outcomes? What areas are you currently focusing on now?
As a one with many years of leadership experience, I’ve talked to scores of experienced executives and managers about their careers over the two decades. They’ve shared their innermost fears, secrets, and hopes for the future with me.
A constant theme for both high-performing and high-potential professionals has been the pitfalls and promises of corporate politics and finding the keys to career success.
Jack Welch management philosophy.
Here are seven ways Jack Welch taught me to start managing my career:
Jack Welch taught me … set measurable goals
The key to getting what you want is knowing what you want. You must know what you want out of your career, and you should be clear about these goals with your manager and your mentor.
These goals are also great ways to measure your progress through the year and years in your regular performance reviews.
Think about what you want to achieve in your career
Study the trends that are shaping your industry and niche. Pay attention to what the experts are saying. Know your strengths, and which skills are marketable?
Take an assessment test if you have to. Map a path to get to where you want to go in your career, knowing that you will have to make changes as the work environment changes.
Based on what you are seeing and hearing, what skills do you have to acquire to become more valuable to yourself and future employers? Acquire those skills and make learning a part of your day.
Jack Welch taught me … take responsibility for managing your career
Don’t wait until you’re fired, laid off, burned out or fed up to revitalize your career. Manage your career on an ongoing basis, particularly through the good times.
This reflects a belief you should embrace—“take responsibility for everything that happens in your life;”
Jack Welch taught me … be open to volunteering for new tasks
When a new project comes up, and it aligns with your goals, raise that hand. Let your manager or HR team know that you want to learn some new skills or gain new, more advanced experience. Be clear on what you can offer to the project and get involved.
Apply to speak at industry conferences
This is another opportunity to build your networks, but it also allows you to build your personal brand. And more importantly, when you speak at a conference, people will view you as an authority in the field.
Another possibility is to host a webinar on behalf of your organization, which is good both for the company and yourself.
Engage online which is an essential part of building your brand. Go one step further than most people who use social media – create a LinkedIn and Facebook group, publish on the LinkedIn publishing platform, or host a Twitter chat.
Do what most people are not willing to do – invest in your career. And take the time to grow the number of connections online.
Jack Welch taught me … maintain an open feedback loop
The hardest thing to do is to hear honest feedback because it isn’t always positive. But, the ability to listen to all feedback and adjust accordingly is what will elevate your career.
Be sure you are open to the good, the bad and the ugly feedback. This will help you adjust your work and your goals.
Jack Welch taught me … seize the initiative
Never stop learning. This begins by investing your time to acquire the right intelligence and know-how that will accelerate your career advancement.
For example, most people want to build their personal brand – yet don’t invest in the process of developing one and thus miss opportunities along the way.
Never assume that you don’t need to get smarter, wiser and more strategic about how to better manage your career.
Be proactive. Get to know the goals the industry you are serving desires to achieve and how you can contribute. Build relationships with key thought leaders.
Identify the best executive search firms that can support the career path you seek – and get to know what your direct competitors are doing to secure the position(s) you may be targeting.
Jack Welch taught me … be ready
If you don’t have the right skills (public speaking, social media, whatever) for the next big job in your sights, get them.
Also, check out online the jobs you think you want. What are the full descriptions and necessary requirements? How can you position yourself to be a better candidate for those jobs?
Take on one thing a week that nurtures your success
For instance, attend a speech by someone in your industry or write a blog about your field. Go on YouTube to hear a motivational speech by someone wickedly successful, like Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg. And use this kind of time, too, to develop your “Big Mouth list” (all the people you email with important professional news about yourself).
The bottom line
There are no magic potions or formulas for career success. It requires sustained effort, street smarts, and insightful strategies, much like the focus of successful organizations.
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Mike Schoultz is a digital marketing and customer service expert. With 48 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. Find him on G+, Facebook, Twitter, Digital Spark Marketing, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
