Career Fitness
by Barry Davis, Senior Consultant and Director of Career Services
The news isn't good. If you have work, be grateful. There are people out there who would be happy to do the job that you find so boring and unfulfilling. Even so, can you really guarantee that your contributions to the company are so significant that the only way you would lose your job is if the company nailed the doors closed and shuttered the windows? And what if they DO lock the door and throw away the key? Are we all at the mercy of a horrible job market, or are there actions you can take to get your career in "better shape?"
There is certainly a reasonable argument that unfulfilling (or less fulfilling) work is better than no work at all, but do we all need to resign ourselves to purchasing that well known bumper sticker I" owe, I owe, so off to work I go" and just deal with it?!
We hope not! Taking charge of your career is something that we all should do, regardless of the economy or personal situation.
Understanding the nature of careers is a good start. Many see a career as a situation where you (1) dress up, (2) work 9 to 5, (3) go home clean, (4) supervise other people, (5) work in that corner office, (6) have your name on a parking space, or (7) [insert your description here]. We respectfully disagree. A "career" can be any vocational involvement that engages what we like to call your "best stuff" - provides areas that interest you, allows you to accomplish tasks you find worthwhile and requires you to use the skills that energize and enthuse you.
Sadly, careers are often seen as a progression of positions and titles that move forward on a steady path towards retirement. But, to quote an interviewee from Road Trip Nation, "The path is never linear going forward. It's only linear in the rearview mirror."
So, what is the hapless employee to do, and can it even be done when every news source is decrying the death of the "American Dream?" Or is it a "Global Dream?"
Here are some suggestions on how to get your career into "tip-top shape."
1. Be sure you're in the right job. Invest time and energy in discovering your personal "best stuff" and seek to cultivate it in your work and life. The result is a win-win experience for all concerned. Just because you are good at math doesn't mean you should be an accountant! Your work should be, to quote Marsha Sinetar, "a gift of self."
2. Invest your time and energy at work wisely. Seek to do more than you are asked to do. The best way to make sure you don't advance in your job is to simply do what you are told and nothing more. Practice what we like to call "Professional Dissatisfaction." Always ask yourself how you can do things better. Read. Learn. Never stop.
3. Cultivate the critical skills for success. And what are they, you ask? The informal term for them is "people skills." Learn to listen, observe, play well with others. Seek opportunities to improve your EQ (Emotional Quotient). LMA is never asked into companies to help them use Microsoft Excel, but to help people get along with others.
4. Take charge of your career.
Here is the true "takeaway" of this article: Your career development is entirely too important to be left in the hands of your employer.
We're not saying that your employer is ignoring you, but that even in the best of times (and this is NOT the best of times) they must focus on keeping the doors open, not on you! You must be responsible for your professional quote. One more quote: "If you don't ask for what you want, you'll simply have to take what you get!"
Think your career is a "bit out of shape?" Call us.
Barry Davis, MS, CTC, MCDP, is Head of Career Services and a Senior Consultant at LMA Consulting Group. He is a Certified Talent Consultant and Master Career Development Professional. Contact Barry at 717.509.8889, ext. 226 or via email bdavis@lmaconsulting.cc.
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