Client Tony Asks: In today’s environment, it seems so many careers get derailed. Things start out promising, then bam! You’re taking a nose dive. What can I do to accelerate my career smoothly—without interruptions?
Coach Joel Answers: We live in a roller-coaster society with booms and busts. But there are ways to safeguard your career and make it much more likely you can keep it accelerating on an upward trend.
Take a look at these seven critical areas of business expertise. As you increase your skills in these areas, you become more valuable to your employer—or any employer.
These skills can super-charge your career to ensure that you give more and more value, and in turn, are appropriately compensated.
1. Become an Expert.
Look at the work you currently do—or what you want to do. Find ways to become more skilled and effective in this field. Research, implement, get mentored. Do what you need to do increase your expertise until you become the person everyone naturally turns to for answers. Your expertise will only grow more in-demand in the future workplace, as specialization becomes increasingly more important.
2. Communicate Well.
Businesses run on clear communication. Mistakes and miscommunication can sink careers. So to keep yours moving forward successfully, master good communication skills. Choose methods that work best for you—in person, email, text, reports. Ask for responses so you can be sure your messages have gotten through as you intended.
3. Invite Feedback.
You need to know the quality of your work. When you ask for feedback you can be assured you’re working to the expectations of your boss and others. When you invite frequent assessments, you can stop potential problems when they start.
4. Align Your Vision.
Make sure you are focusing on what your boss or the company sees as most important. It’s terribly frustrating to work hard and produce excellent results—only to discover that what you’re doing isn’t part of the core competencies of the company. It isn’t valued as you expected.
5. Team Work.
Every job is part of a team effort to create the products of the business. Your ego needs to be neither too big nor too small to work effectively as a team member. Support others. Give credit. Be generous. People enjoy being around and want to work with those who are likeable and produce results.
6. Ensure Ethics.
When you compromise your integrity you run a deep risk of placing your career in recession. To accelerate your career, choose a company that matches your ethics. Then monitor your actions to make sure they fit that standard. One of the most important reasons people give for their decision making is trust. Be trustworthy.
7. Customer Service.
Even if you are not dealing with the public, you can give great customer service to those around you. Make sure you are giving good value for what you are earning. Think of management and your peers as your customers and serve them appropriately. This will help accelerate your career.
Stephen R. Covey says leadership is not a position, it’s an action. Regardless of your position in a company, you can practice leadership skills. You can make yourself responsible, forward thinking, and you can empower others.
As you do this, you accelerate your career—without any interruption or slow-down—and you reach the goals that define your success.
If your career is not on the upward path you’d envisioned for yourself, contact Joel for the strategy and skills necessary to accomplish your dreams.
