8 Reasons Your Career Development Could Be Better

Far too many professionals today look to their managers to manage their career path and trajectory when 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, what can you do if your career development is not succeeding?

Check out our thoughts on team leverage.

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 a 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.

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.

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.

Here are eight ways your career development may not be succeeding:

career development is not succeeding — Career development is not succeeding.

No well developed, 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.

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.

Career development … limited 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.

Try to imagine how your boss might describe you to someone. If the description is less than fabulous, consider why and then kick your butt quickly into gear.

Start going to meetings with big, bold ideas, give your full attention to projects, volunteer for new assignments or stuff your boss is too busy for—and then knock it out of the park. Get a new haircut and a couple of great outfits to signal that you have your mojo back.

And don’t be afraid to verbalize your intentions to your boss. I got a note from a staffer after she received a promotion, and she ended it with the phrase, “Someday I want to be you.” It was the first time I realized how fiercely ambitious she was—and I liked that.

Career development activities … not seeking new experiences

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.

not working with a career mentor — Not working with a career mentor.

Weak in building your network

Cultivate networks inside and outside the organization you work for, and both online and offline. Find ways to be of service to the people in your network. It could be as simple as introducing them to each other or sending them articles and other information that are meaningful and valuable to them. Attend worthwhile events to continually build and expand your network of contacts. When you hear of an event that’s worth attending, pass on the information to people who might benefit from attending as well, and let them know why you thought of them.

When you’re starting out, you network out of necessity to find a job. But further along in your career, it’s easy to let networking fall off because of time constraints. You need to keep it going at full throttle.

Ahead of any event, research key people who might be there. Approach them with specific talking points. (For instance, start with “Your article in X trade publication was terrific” and then ask a question about it.) Join conversations by first listening to what’s being talked about and then being inquisitive. Later, send new contacts links to info relating to what you discussed.

Not working with a career mentor

A coach holds you accountable and forces you to manage your career so that you won’t lose momentum.Managing your career is important because it encourages you to take proactive steps to make better choices about your career, and the seven strategies offered above will get you started.

Staying focused can be difficult with so many different responsibilities to manage. This is why most people lose momentum when attempting to advance their careers. Most people start and stop the career management process – finding it difficult to manage their time.

Make career management a new best practice; a process that becomes an embedded part of your daily activities, goals, and objectives. If possible, invest in a career coach to increase your commitment levels and hold yourself accountable. Today’s competitive landscape requires you to stay on track by investing in someone that can provide you with the tools and perspective to keep you focused.

Not taking 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;”

Not building on strengths

Do what you’re best at, and what you have a passion for. Don’t spend an inordinate amount of time trying to make your weaknesses strengths;

Become increasingly aware of your natural strengths that allow your skill sets and capabilities to thrive and make the commitment to invest in them. For example, if you are a good negotiator, never assume that your technique doesn’t require fine tuning. Take a negotiations class, enhance your abilities and then put them to work more frequently.

To get your mindset in the right place, try this: the next time you are in a meeting, carefully observe your colleagues. Notice the dynamics in the room – and begin to ask yourself: what are other people doing to invest in the betterment of their careers?

The ultimate prize is to find happiness in your career and your work by fueling your strengths and passion.

Not seizing 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.

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.

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).

Need some help in capturing more improvements for your staff’s leadership, teamwork, and collaboration? Creative ideas in running or facilitating a team or leadership workshop?

Call today for a FREE consultation or a FREE quote. Learn about some options to scope your job.

Call Mike at 607-725-8240.

All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.

When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step. Call today.

Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.

Are you devoting enough energy continually improving your continuous learning?

Do you have a lesson about making your learning better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?

Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he blogs on topics that relate to improving the performance of your business. Find them on G+, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way. Call us for a free quote today. You will be amazed how reasonable we will be.

More reading on mentoring from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:

In 1995, psychologist and science journalist Daniel Goleman published a book introducing most of the world to the nascent concept of emotional intelligence,

The idea–that an ability to understand and manage emotions greatly increases our chances of success–quickly took off, and it went on to greatly influence the way people think about emotions and human behavior.

Learn more: Success Enablers of Highly Creative Leaders

What Is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others.

It is generally said to include three skills: emotional awareness; the ability to harness emotions and apply them to tasks like thinking and problem solving; and the ability to manage emotions, which includes regulating your own emotions and cheering up or calming down other people.

But what does emotional intelligence look like, as manifested in everyday life?

Emotional Intelligence … think about feelings

Emotional intelligence begins with what is called self- and social awareness, the ability to recognize emotions (and their impact) on both yourself and others.

That awareness begins with reflection. You ask questions like:

What are my emotional strengths? What are my weaknesses?
How does my current mood affect my thoughts and decision making?
What’s going on under the surface that influences what others say or do?

Pondering questions like these yield valuable insights that can be used to your advantage.

Self-regulate emotions

We all have emotions which drive us, and there is nothing we can do to avoid them. People who are good at self-regulation, however, can manage their emotions so that they do not control their words and actions.

While they feel bad moods and impulses as much as anyone else, they do not act upon them. People who act upon their negative feelings create havoc, disruptions, and lasting bad feelings all around them.

We feel before we think and people who constantly react from an emotional state never wait long enough to allow their thoughts to override their emotions.

People who self-regulate have the ability to wait until their emotions pass, allowing them to respond from a place of reason, rather than simply reacting to feelings.

The signs of someone who is good at self-regulation are a reflection, thoughtfulness, comfort with ambiguity, change, and not having all the answers. In an interview, look for people who take a little time to reflect and think before they answer.

Emotional Intelligence … pause

The pause is as simple as taking a moment to stop and think before you speak or act. (Easy in theory, difficult in practice.) This can help save you from embarrassing moments or from making commitments too quickly.

In other words, pausing helps you refrain from making a permanent decision based on a temporary emotion.

Control your thoughts

You don’t have much control over the emotion you experience at a given moment. But you can control your reaction to those emotions–by focusing on your thoughts. (As it’s been said: You can’t prevent a bird from landing on your head, but you can keep it from building a nest.)

By striving to control your thoughts, you resist becoming a slave to your emotions, allowing yourself to live in a way that’s in harmony with your goals and values.

Emotional Intelligence … learn from criticism

Nobody enjoys negative feedback. But you know that criticism is a chance to learn, even if it’s not delivered in the best way. And even when it’s unfounded, it gives you a window into how others think.

When you receive negative feedback, you keep your emotions in check and ask yourself: How can this make me better?

Show authenticity

Authenticity doesn’t mean sharing everything about yourself, to everyone, all of the time. It does mean saying what you mean, meaning what you say, and sticking to your values and principles above all else.

You know not everyone will appreciate your sharing your thoughts and feelings. But the ones who matter will.

Create empathy

The ability to show empathy, which includes understanding others’ thoughts and feelings, helps you connect with others. Instead of judging or labeling others, you work hard to see things through their eyes.

Empathy doesn’t necessarily mean agreeing with another person’s point of view. Rather, it’s about striving to understand–which allows you to build deeper, more connected relationships.

Does This Warren Buffett Advice Often Startle You?

Emotional Intelligence … give praise

All humans crave acknowledgment and appreciation. When you commend others, you satisfy that craving and build trust in the process.

This all begins when you focus on the good in others. Then, by sharing specifically what you appreciate, you inspire them to be the best version of themselves.

Give helpful feedback

Negative feedback has great potential to hurt the feelings of others. Realizing this, you reframe criticism as constructive feedback, so the recipient sees it as helpful instead of harmful.

Make apologies

It takes strength and courage to be able to say you’re sorry. But doing so demonstrates humility, a quality that will naturally draw others to you.

Emotional intelligence helps you realize that apologizing doesn’t always mean you’re wrong. It does mean valuing your relationship more than your ego.

Emotional Intelligence … forgive and forget

Hanging on to resentment is like leaving a knife inside a wound. While the offending party moves on with their life, you never give yourself the chance to heal.

When you forgive and forget, you prevent others from holding your emotions hostage–allowing you to move forward.

Keep commitments

It’s common nowadays for people to break an agreement or commitment when they feel like it. Of course, bailing on an evening of Netflix with a friend will cause less harm than breaking a promise to your child or missing a major business deadline.

But when you make a habit of keeping your word–in things big and small–you develop a strong reputation for reliability and trustworthiness.

Emotional Intelligence … help others

emotional intelligence examples — Emotional intelligence examples.

One of the greatest ways to positively impact the emotions of others is to help them.

Most people don’t care where you graduated from, or even about your previous accomplishments.

But what about the hours you’re willing to take out of your schedule to listen or help out? Your readiness to get down in the trenches and work alongside them?

Actions like these build trust and inspire others to follow your lead when it counts.

Protect from emotional sabotage

You realize that emotional intelligence also has a dark side–such as when individuals attempt to manipulate others’ emotions to promote a personal agenda or for some other selfish cause.

And that’s why you continue to sharpen your emotional intelligence–to protect yourself when they do.

We’ve learned that emotional intelligence is a critical skill for both leaders and employees. But several studies point to just how important EQ can be to success, even trumping IQ and experience.

Research by the respected Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) in the U.S. found that the primary causes of executive derailment involve deficiencies in emotional competence.

Each year, CCL serves more than 20,000 individuals and 2,000 organizations, including more than 80 of the Fortune 100 companies. It says the three main reasons for failure are difficulty in handling change, inability to work well in a team, and poor interpersonal relations.

International search firm Egon Zehnder International analyzed 515 senior executives and discovered that those who were strongest in emotional intelligence were more likely to succeed than those strongest in either IQ or relevant previous experience.

Research that has been done on the relationship between emotional intelligence (EQ) and IQ has shown only a weak correlation between the two.

The Carnegie Institute of Technology carried out research that showed that 85% of our financial success was due to skills in “human engineering,” personality, and ability to communicate, negotiate, and lead.

They found that only 15% was due to technical ability. In other words, people skills or skills highly related to emotional intelligence were crucial skills. Nobel Prize winning Israeli-American psychologist Daniel Kahneman found that people would rather do business with a person they like and trust rather than someone they don’t.

People would rather do business with a person they like and trust rather than someone they don’t, even if that person is offering a better product at a lower price.

The bottom line

The next big thing always starts out looking like nothing at all. If it was easy to see coming, everybody would be doing it already and the market impact would be minimal. So you can never create something truly new based on what you already know. The only way to find it is to start looking.

Not all who wander are lost. The trick is to wander with a purpose.

WINNING ADVERTISEmeNT DESIGN — Want to build a winning advertisement design?

Need some help in capturing more improvements for your staff’s leadership, teamwork, and collaboration? Creative ideas in running or facilitating a team or leadership workshop?

Call today for a FREE consultation or a FREE quote. Learn about some options to scope your job.

Call Mike at 607-725-8240.

All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.

When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step. Call today.

Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.

Are you devoting enough energy to innovating your social media strategy?

Do you have a lesson about making your advertising better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?

Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way. Call us for a free quote today. You will be amazed at how reasonable we will be.

More leadership material from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:

Build an Effective Team by Being a Talent Hound

Secrets to Becoming a Remarkably Mindful Leader

Leadership Characteristics That Improve Influence

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 a small business. Find him on G+, Facebook, Twitter, Digital Spark Marketing, and LinkedIn.

No well developed, measurable goals

Career development … limited feedback loop

Career development activities … not seeking new experiences

Weak in building your network

Not working with a career mentor

Not taking responsibility for managing your career

Not building on strengths

Not seizing the initiative

The bottom line

In 1995, psychologist and science journalist Daniel Goleman published a book introducing most of the world to the nascent concept of emotional intelligence,

The idea–that an ability to understand and manage emotions greatly increases our chances of success–quickly took off, and it went on to greatly influence the way people think about emotions and human behavior.

Learn more: Success Enablers of Highly Creative Leaders

What Is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others.

It is generally said to include three skills: emotional awareness; the ability to harness emotions and apply them to tasks like thinking and problem solving; and the ability to manage emotions, which includes regulating your own emotions and cheering up or calming down other people.

But what does emotional intelligence look like, as manifested in everyday life?

Emotional Intelligence … think about feelings

Emotional intelligence begins with what is called self- and social awareness, the ability to recognize emotions (and their impact) on both yourself and others.

That awareness begins with reflection. You ask questions like:

What are my emotional strengths? What are my weaknesses?

How does my current mood affect my thoughts and decision making?

What’s going on under the surface that influences what others say or do?

Pondering questions like these yield valuable insights that can be used to your advantage.

Self-regulate emotions

We all have emotions which drive us, and there is nothing we can do to avoid them. People who are good at self-regulation, however, can manage their emotions so that they do not control their words and actions.

While they feel bad moods and impulses as much as anyone else, they do not act upon them. People who act upon their negative feelings create havoc, disruptions, and lasting bad feelings all around them.

We feel before we think and people who constantly react from an emotional state never wait long enough to allow their thoughts to override their emotions.

People who self-regulate have the ability to wait until their emotions pass, allowing them to respond from a place of reason, rather than simply reacting to feelings.

The signs of someone who is good at self-regulation are a reflection, thoughtfulness, comfort with ambiguity, change, and not having all the answers. In an interview, look for people who take a little time to reflect and think before they answer.

Emotional Intelligence … pause

The pause is as simple as taking a moment to stop and think before you speak or act. (Easy in theory, difficult in practice.) This can help save you from embarrassing moments or from making commitments too quickly.

In other words, pausing helps you refrain from making a permanent decision based on a temporary emotion.

Control your thoughts

You don’t have much control over the emotion you experience at a given moment. But you can control your reaction to those emotions–by focusing on your thoughts. (As it’s been said: You can’t prevent a bird from landing on your head, but you can keep it from building a nest.)

By striving to control your thoughts, you resist becoming a slave to your emotions, allowing yourself to live in a way that’s in harmony with your goals and values.

Emotional Intelligence … learn from criticism

Nobody enjoys negative feedback. But you know that criticism is a chance to learn, even if it’s not delivered in the best way. And even when it’s unfounded, it gives you a window into how others think.

When you receive negative feedback, you keep your emotions in check and ask yourself: How can this make me better?

Show authenticity

Authenticity doesn’t mean sharing everything about yourself, to everyone, all of the time. It does mean saying what you mean, meaning what you say, and sticking to your values and principles above all else.

You know not everyone will appreciate your sharing your thoughts and feelings. But the ones who matter will.

Create empathy

The ability to show empathy, which includes understanding others’ thoughts and feelings, helps you connect with others. Instead of judging or labeling others, you work hard to see things through their eyes.

Empathy doesn’t necessarily mean agreeing with another person’s point of view. Rather, it’s about striving to understand–which allows you to build deeper, more connected relationships.

Emotional Intelligence … give praise

All humans crave acknowledgment and appreciation. When you commend others, you satisfy that craving and build trust in the process.

This all begins when you focus on the good in others. Then, by sharing specifically what you appreciate, you inspire them to be the best version of themselves.

Give helpful feedback

Negative feedback has great potential to hurt the feelings of others. Realizing this, you reframe criticism as constructive feedback, so the recipient sees it as helpful instead of harmful.

Make apologies

It takes strength and courage to be able to say you’re sorry. But doing so demonstrates humility, a quality that will naturally draw others to you.

Emotional intelligence helps you realize that apologizing doesn’t always mean you’re wrong. It does mean valuing your relationship more than your ego.

Emotional Intelligence … forgive and forget

Hanging on to resentment is like leaving a knife inside a wound. While the offending party moves on with their life, you never give yourself the chance to heal.

When you forgive and forget, you prevent others from holding your emotions hostage–allowing you to move forward.

Keep commitments

It’s common nowadays for people to break an agreement or commitment when they feel like it. Of course, bailing on an evening of Netflix with a friend will cause less harm than breaking a promise to your child or missing a major business deadline.

But when you make a habit of keeping your word–in things big and small–you develop a strong reputation for reliability and trustworthiness.

Emotional Intelligence … help others

One of the greatest ways to positively impact the emotions of others is to help them.

Most people don’t care where you graduated from, or even about your previous accomplishments.

But what about the hours you’re willing to take out of your schedule to listen or help out? Your readiness to get down in the trenches and work alongside them?

Actions like these build trust and inspire others to follow your lead when it counts.

Protect from emotional sabotage

You realize that emotional intelligence also has a dark side–such as when individuals attempt to manipulate others’ emotions to promote a personal agenda or for some other selfish cause.

And that’s why you continue to sharpen your emotional intelligence–to protect yourself when they do.

We’ve learned that emotional intelligence is a critical skill for both leaders and employees. But several studies point to just how important EQ can be to success, even trumping IQ and experience.

Research by the respected Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) in the U.S. found that the primary causes of executive derailment involve deficiencies in emotional competence.

Each year, CCL serves more than 20,000 individuals and 2,000 organizations, including more than 80 of the Fortune 100 companies. It says the three main reasons for failure are difficulty in handling change, inability to work well in a team, and poor interpersonal relations.

International search firm Egon Zehnder International analyzed 515 senior executives and discovered that those who were strongest in emotional intelligence were more likely to succeed than those strongest in either IQ or relevant previous experience.

Research that has been done on the relationship between emotional intelligence (EQ) and IQ has shown only a weak correlation between the two.

The Carnegie Institute of Technology carried out research that showed that 85% of our financial success was due to skills in “human engineering,” personality, and ability to communicate, negotiate, and lead.

People would rather do business with a person they like and trust rather than someone they don’t, even if that person is offering a better product at a lower price.

The bottom line

The next big thing always starts out looking like nothing at all. If it was easy to see coming, everybody would be doing it already and the market impact would be minimal. So you can never create something truly new based on what you already know. The only way to find it is to start looking.

Not all who wander are lost. The trick is to wander with a purpose.

Need some help in capturing more improvements for your staff’s leadership, teamwork, and collaboration? Creative ideas in running or facilitating a team or leadership workshop?

Call today for a FREE consultation or a FREE quote. Learn about some options to scope your job.

Call Mike at 607-725-8240.

All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.