Practice This

Recession is not an obstacle to reach your career potential. In fact, it is a catalyst to show off your skills, time to get even better results. Say what? recessions is a catalyst for my career growth? Huh?… In Career Counsel: Follow Your Own Path published on Harvard Business Review, Robert S. Kaplan offers three basic “rules of the road”. Kaplan writes:

by laurenatclemson

1. Managing your career is 100% your responsibility, and you need to act accordingly.
2. Be wary of conventional wisdom.
3. Have faith that, although justice may not prevail at any given point in time, it should generally prevail over time.

Your Career – Your Responsibility

Kaplan writes:

Many promising professionals expect their superiors to mentor them, give them thoughtful coaching, provide them with challenging opportunities, and generally steer their development. Such a passive approach is likely to derail you at some point. While your superiors will play a role, your career is your own.

I adopted simple principle long ago “create yourself before someone else does“. Career models help a lot creating yourself, here are few that I like:

From Thinking About Career Paths:

Model#1

• Do you want more fame, fortune, time, or love?
• Do you want to be a thought leader or a people leader?

Model #2

• What are you doing that you currently enjoy?
• What do you want to do more of each day?
• What do you want to do less of each day?

Model #3

• What problems are you working on?
• Who are you working with?
• What impact are you making?

From Curphey and SourceClear Turn Blue!

What’s your model?

Conventional Wisdom Is Not For You

Kaplan writes:

It’s almost always wrong—for you. Hopping on the bandwagon may feel good initially but often leads to painful regrets years later. To reach your potential, you must filter out peer pressure and popular opinion; assess your own passions, skills, and convictions; and then be courageous enough to act on them.

Have you picked your career model? Does hopping on the bandwagon fit into it? If so, jump on it. Else, let it go, it is not for you.

Keep The Faith

Kaplan writes:

When you do suffer an injustice, you need to be willing to step back and objectively assess your own role in these events. That mind-set will help you learn from inevitable setbacks and eventually bounce back. It will also help you stay focused on issues you can control as well as bolster your determination to act like the ultimate decision maker.

I stopped accuse others in my failures. It’s not effective and it only drains my energy. When I step back and analyze my failures I try to understand my role in it and identify the pattern. That way I know how to not get in troubles next time.

“A little integrity is better than any career” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Self Test

• Do you have a clear plan for your next job or role?
• Do you follow your friends passion or your own?
• Do you think you are stuck in your current role because of your boss or because of you?

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• Motivated By Failure