My Struggle
There are several times in my life that I have wondered if doing things across industries and disciplines reflect the ideal nature of a true career professional. I have often wondered about the concept of creating niches for career success. Why should I remain an academic because that was where I got my first expression for work? Why should I remain a consultant in Human Resources and People Management when Corporate Planning and Strategy is something I excel at effortlessly? These curious comments drove me to searching for what truly is a career.
What Exactly is a Career?
I believe very strongly that a career is a person’s long-term journey of work.
It consists of your personal growth because it involves continuous learning, skill development, and self-improvement. I counsel people to embrace self development as the basis for determine the quality of their contributions to others. Your greatest gift to people, groups, institutions, societies, and nations, is your self development. When you become better, your outputs and contributions become enriched.
a career is a person’s long-term journey of work.
I also think that your career involves advancing through roles, responsibilities and even industries. It won’t be a career if it is static. Careers are known by their dynamism. They would evolve over time as they adapt to changes in the job market, industry, and even personal interests.
Your greatest gift to people, groups, institutions, societies, and nations, is your self development.
A career often time is driven by long-term objectives that can span from attaining a specific position to earning a certain income or even making a specific meaningful impact. Our careers are marked by their multifaceted nature. They are springboards for the fulfilment of our dreams and ambitions.
Your career is not to be static, it should always be dynamic because of the cycles and changes of life.
One major thing that we experience but don’t really talk about is that our career intersects with our personal lives. I have seen people take different jobs because of their family, and even marital relationships. Many people have moved into new fields of engagement because they have prioritised their well-being.
Careers are springboards for attainment
The Professional’s Playbook: Meet the Shapers of Your Career
I said earlier that a career is a person’s long-term journey of work. I also believe that this long-term journey of work is shaped by certain forces.
My intention in this article is to help you identify, describe, and maximise each of these shapers and influencers of your work life. Your career is shaped by:
- Aspirations. Your aspiration is the picture of your future that you have captured in your mind. It defines your career direction and the heights you seek to reach. Many professionals have dreams of what the future should look like. These imaginations have shaped the choices we make about work. Imaginations are great influencers of our direction in life. You can make the most of them by setting clear and measurable goals, aligning them with your personal values, and regularly reviewing them to be sure they are still relevant.
- Beliefs. Your guiding principle in life is another great shaper of your career decisions and pathways. They define your response to opportunities and challenges. They form the basis of your transitions and considerations. You have a responsibility to ensure this force doesn’t limit you. You must ensure you confront limiting beliefs, surround yourself with empowering relationships that are growth-centric, and ultimately ensure it aligns with the ethics of the organisation you are a part of.
- Capabilities. Another force that shapes your career is your capability. The things you can do and the extent at which you can do them to produce results often time is a critical determinant of your career. Take time to do a personal SWOT Analysis alongside a capabilities gap analysis (I can help you with these). Embrace continuous learning and a lifestyle of practicing what you have learnt.
- Determination. Sometimes life hits us so bad that we rise by a resolution to prove a point that we are capable of doing what life has said you could not do or threatened you not to see through. For certain people, it is this resolution that drives and sustains them in roles and responsibilities where they have made their mark. If you must lean on your determination to produce results in your career, then by all means develop resilience amidst difficult situations, cascade your dreams into manageable bits your mind can carry and draw inspiration from those who have overcome incredible odds in life to do remarkable things in the world.
- Experiences. The things that we have been exposed to also shape our careers. If you have been a part of projects that inspire you, you will most likely gravitate towards them for work. If you have been exposed to best practices in certain industries by virtue of travel or education, you will mos likely want to replicate it where you are. The key to maximise this factor is by leverage. Look to it and let it help your navigation.
- Faith. Sometimes we have confidence in the unseen possibilities of life. Faith provides the courage to take risks and take on new career paths. Most times, you get a hunch or a nudging to follow a path and that becomes the beginning of a whole new work life for you. Trusting the process as you step out into the unknown is one thing you have to do as you make the most of this factor. Never lose connection with divinity as it is your surest guide if this factor is deliver maximally for you in the years to come.
- Growth. Simply because you believe in the mantra that says “you are not good enough to remain the way you are,” you find yourself seeking other career expressions. Growth is essential for career longevity. If you develop a lifelong learning mindset and challenge yourself with stretch assignments.
- Hard Work. When you see the effort you put into work and the rewards that follow after it, you are most likely going to be influenced to make a change of your career’s direction. You know that consistent effort leads to excellence and recognition. When you get it, you are likely to stay, but when you don’t get it, you are going to move. You must begin to work smarter and not harder, set priorities and work on high-impact tasks, and remain focused even in trying times.
- Innovation. Innovation is your ability to think creatively. It sets you apart in problem solving and influences your career decisions. When you work in an environment that prioritises innovation and increasing improvements, you are going to feel at home and build your career nest there. However, if your creative juices aren’t allowed to flow, you will look for greener pastures where they can be engaged.
- Judgement. Sometimes the move we make in our careers rides on our decision making abilities. A strategic move is sometime delayed because of indecision. Good judgement is a much needed requirement for wise career choices. Those who are decisive are never stranded. The quality of your decisions will most invariably be defined by the quality of information at your disposal. Your career moves will also draw maximally from the lessons you can glean from your past decisions. Wise decisions also come from wise company. If you will keep seeking counsel, you will not make poor decisions because it is in the multitude of counsel that you find safety nets for your career.
Close Out
I am hoping this will help you gain clarity and focus for your career advancement.
In Part 2, I’ll look at other shapers of your career.
OAO