One of the things that they neglect to mention to you at university is that you need to plan your own career. No-one is going to manage your career for you. Too many people make the assumption that if they work hard then the hard work will get noticed and this will result in the next amazing opportunity. This happens to a degree, but you should never bet your career on it. Organic opportunities will arise but to get where you want to go you need to create the opportunities you want.
As the old adage goes, life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans. The same applies to your career. If you are not taking the time to strategically plan your career then where you end up might be a long way away from where you want to be. If you don’t take charge of your future you’re at the mercy of other people who don’t have your career as their priority.
Just because you have a plan doesn’t mean it needs to be tattooed on your forehead. All plans can be revised and updated at any time. But having a plan for where you want to go will make it easier for you to communicate to others what you want and you will be surprised about how many people will try to help.
Another reason to have a plan is so that you train your own brain to look for the activities and opportunities that will get you where you want to be. If something unexpected comes up, you at least have a framework against which you can evaluate the opportunity.
So, what does planning your own career look like? It looks like deciding on what you want and going after it by breaking the journey to your ultimate destination down into steps and then communicating what you want to others.
After you know what you want and where you want to go, you need to train yourself to be open to the opportunities. If there are any special projects that are going to get you closer to where you want to go, consider participating. Get some experience that is outside your immediate job function so that you grow your versatility and understanding of the business as this will increase your opportunity options. Put your hand up for acting or secondment opportunities.
For example, if your five year goal is to be a project manager then you will need project team experience first. If there is a particular project coming up within your company, tell your boss that you are interested and tell the person heading up the project that you want to be on the project team. If no-one knows you’re interested in the opportunity you might not be considered. Even if you don’t get a look in on this project you’ll likely be front of mind for the next project.
For example, you have a finance background but you’re keen for a management role. There are no immediate opportunities in your department but one of the procurement managers is going on maternity leave for six months and the company is looking for an internal secondment for six months. Put your hand up! If you get the job you will not only get people management experience but the procurement and supply chain experience you also gain will come in handy one day. Even if it’s not for a decade, learning new skills is never a waste of time.
For example, if you want to hold an executive level role before you turn 40, then you will need a considered strategy and you’ll have some hard work to do. You will need to decide which functional capacity you want to work in such as operations, finance, HR, marketing, etc. What experience or qualifications are you going to need? To get an exec role there are things like profit and loss (P&L) accountability, managing large teams and board exposure that will help you get there. Whilst you can’t know the exact stepping stone opportunities in advance, at least you know what experience you are looking for. You can say things like “I am keen to get P&L responsibility”. It’s a lot easier to hunt for opportunities if you’re specific. Make it easy for other people to help you by telling them what you want help with.
If you are offered an opportunity that is going to take you away from where you want to go then there is no rule where you have to say yes to every opportunity. Just make sure that you evaluate the full scope of the opportunity. You might think that the task is boring but if it gets you visibility or working closely with some key people in the organisation it can be a great relationship building opportunity. You will also be able to strategically demonstrate your capability to the right people. This will pay off.
Some companies have a formal process for employee development plans, but the days of 40 years at one company with a gold watch and pension are gone. Most people nowadays will have what are called “portfolio careers” which can include over a dozen different roles. This means your employee development plan with your current employer is only going to be part of your career plan. If you know what your long term goals are it makes it easier to formally map out your development within the company. Your boss might be able to make some development suggestions but it is unreasonable to expect that your boss plans and manages your future (and the futures of everyone else in the team). If your company doesn’t have a formal development plan process there is no reason you can’t just work informally with your line manager but it becomes even more incumbent upon you to keep your eye out for opportunities.
There are going to be occasions where you have a terrific boss who is really good at developing people and can see your true potential but these bosses are few and far between. There are a lot of bosses who have no idea how to develop people, and there are some bosses who are so insecure that they can’t stand the idea of their team members developing as they might find themselves being leapfrogged. So you need to plan your journey.
If there is a promotion that you are after then you need to determine how you are going to differentiate yourself from the pack and get to the next level. There is an abundance of resources at your fingertips. Read, watch, learn. Find people that can give you advice in return for buying them a coffee. Throw your hat in the ring. If you get it, great. If you don’t, reflect on what happened, learn from the situation and plan what you will do differently next time.
I once worked with a person who spent 10 years at a company aiming for the CEO position. They set the goal early, clued key stakeholders into their long term objectives, and then they learned everything they could about the company. Each time they got an opportunity to act for a role above them, they performed as if the whole secondment were a job interview, and subsequently they inevitably got the promotion when it came around. Yes, they finally made it to CEO. You might not be comfortable with displaying such unfettered ambition but being clear on where you want to go is the surest way of making sure that you get there.
That’s the Career Advantage. Good luck!
