If you want to understand the best way to manage your career, I believe you can learn a lot from how good companies run their businesses. Why? Because you should consider your career your business.
I’m always intrigued by people who do tremendous work for their employers – they’re strategic, efficient and effective. You can ask them a question about their operations, budget, organizational goals and personnel and they’ll rattle off facts and figures all day long. Yet, if I ask these same people about the operations of their career, compensation goals, career goals and who the people are that are helping them get there, I’m often met with crickets chirping and blank stares.
It is indeed a rarity for someone to bump into their success. Oh, I know we hear these great stories in the news about people who walk down the street, have an epiphany and “voi la!” their career opportunity of a lifetime walks up and introduces himself. However, for every person that may happen to, there are millions and millions of others for which it doesn’t.
If you talk to most people who are successful and doing work they truly enjoy, they are there because of a deliberate plan and making deliberate decisions about their career. In order to have a deliberate plan and make deliberate decisions, you must be able to clearly answer four questions:
- What am I doing?
You must first have a clear gauge regarding your current activities and efforts. Are you stuck doing a bunch of busy work, leading major initiatives, learning and growing or being pigeon-holed? Before deciding to make a move, you must first understand where you are.
- Why am I doing it?
If you’re in a good spot and clearly understand the “why” behind your efforts, then you can delete the rest of this post. The chances of success for you are good. However, if your answer to this question leaves you with an empty feeling or bad taste in your mouth, it’s time to reassess what you’re doing and possibly make some changes.
- Is this what I want to do, and does that matter?
On the surface, this question may sound a bit redundant to the previous one but it’s not. Let me explain. You can be doing work you want to do because it’s fun, easy or you like your boss, but it won’t necessarily help you achieve a larger career goal you’ve set. If this is the case, should you be doing it? Or, you may be doing something you don’t necessarily want to do, but you know it’s a stepping stone to helping you achieve a bigger career goal. If this is the case, should you not be doing it? Whether it matters or not depends upon what you’re getting out of it which leads to question #4 below.
- What do I want?
This is probably the main question you must ask, and anyone who’s worked with me or has heard me speak knows I preach this question like it’s a religion! The foundation for any of the other questions you can ask yourself about your career is this one. Until you have a firm handle on what it is you’re working towards, you can never accurately assess whether your current efforts make sense or not. Nor will you really know how to make future decisions (good ones, anyway!).
Conducting an assessment of the business on a regular basis is how businesses become great businesses. Conducting an assessment of your career on a regular basis is how careers become great careers! And, unlocking the mystery to your career success begins with you answering these four questions.
Until next time….