Leaders know the importance of designing their careers and not letting them default into something that wanes in value. Career design takes commitment and work, but it should be an enjoyable journey. Finding a career that you get excited about and designing it to meet your, and your organization’s goals is part of the joy of leadership. There’s no time like the present to start your career design process. Here’s how to begin…
Career Development by Default or Design
Have you ever heard of a “conveyor belt career?” You get a job, then plug along over the years focusing and growing, but never really changing things up. Then after a decade, or several decades, you look back and wonder how time, and opportunities, slipped right by. As coaches, we meet with clients who’ve share this lament time and time again. They wanted more out of their careers, but life got in the way.
A few points of clarity.
Career change doesn’t necessarily mean a new job, or new occupation. Change can mean growth in your professional bandwidth. In other words, you’ve stretched yourself, learned new skills, re-designed your role, and jumped into new opportunities that improved your career and joy in your work. Change can also mean growing up the ladder, taking on new responsibilities, and garnering a new title.
Keep in mind, a “conveyor belt career” path is not necessarily something to look down upon. Many people are quite content staying the course and committing to where their current role takes them. But if you’re a leader, that’s unacceptable. Leaders are tasked with growth and change and must model this for their team.
Here’s how and why:
- Careers Are Owned. The key difference between default and design is ownership. Taking ownership means being deliberate around reflecting on your choice of career, the impact it has on your life and goals, and the value it has in the marketplace. This also includes self-examination. Your ability to perform and meet the growing needs of your industry is critical for a long-term sustainable career. If you don’t see yourself in this particular field for very long, then it might be time to release your hold on this career and take ownership of another.
- Careers Are Meaningful. The opportunity to work for an organization and make an impact is a blessing and a gift not to be taken lightly. If you consider “just a job” then you’re in the wrong industry. So, knowing that you’ve been given this meaningful opportunity, make it meaningful. Design a career path that excites you. Whether that involves growing up, out, or just widening your role, you need to set some aggressive goals that excite you.
- Careers Are Designed. Jobs go on by default, but careers are designed. In addition to the goals that you must meet at work, you need to set time aside to design your personal career plan. A fun way to do this is by designing your ideal job description. Start by collecting job descriptions that have appeal, they don’t have to be perfectly suited for you, but they should have qualities and tasks with appeal. After you’ve collated several, highlight the “duties” that appeal to you then manufacture one that includes all of the “ideal duties.” Then evaluate what training and experience you’ll need to be able to perform them. Finally, look at what organizations seek this talent. Maybe your current one would benefit from this re-design of your career. If so, then you need to work on a pitch plan to make it your career reality.
- Careers Are Driven. When you step into the driver’s seat, you are more likely to achieve your dreams then relying on someone else to do it for you. Time and time again, coaches and supervisors hear “No one gave me the opportunity.” Guess what? No one will. You need to move your career forward and up. You need to be the one who figures out where you want to go and then make it happen. Sometimes this requires asking for opportunities to learn or change roles, but no one will do this for you. Once you’ve designed your ideal career, it is up to you to drive it forward and make it a reality.