Don’t know how to start owning your career?

Leaders talk a lot about their employees owning their own careers. What a lot of leaders don’t think about is many employees don’t know where to start. It is important for an employee to own their career but it’s a leader’s responsibility to show them how.

What do the most successful employees do on a daily basis to make themselves successful and own their career?

Let’s start with 5 ways you can own your career starting tomorrow.

Speak up in meetings

• There are two big mistakes you can make in a meeting. One is sitting there not saying anything. The other is being really negative in the meeting. You can share your concerns without being negative.
• Instead, prepare for the meeting by thinking about something productive to share. Believe it or not, leaders want employees to share their challenges so that they can fix them. Some challenges are things like workflows, systems, or how the team can improve their culture.
• If you can’t think of something to speak up about then speak up to support a co-worker who expressed a well thought-out point or question.
• Meetings are a great platform for you to advocate for your current job and are also a great networking opportunity many people don’t take advantage of.

Dress for the job you want

• Although we’d like to think our work speaks for itself, the image you project says a lot about you and where you want to go. I’m not saying dress in a full suit every day but make sure you look in the mirror in the morning and ask yourself if your boss or your boss’s boss would wear what you are wearing.
• That being said, dress for the job you want isn’t just about clothing but is also about interacting with others in a way that someone in the job you want would represent themselves. Be friendly, professional and caring.

Think like a leader and not an employee

• Many employees have what I call “blinders” on where they only looks at things from their current positions perspective. Employees wait to be told and leaders think strategically about what needs to be done.
• Employees are dedicated to doing their own jobs well and leaders are devoted to the team doing well. Showing that you care about the team by mentoring others, pitching in when OT is needed and going the extra mile are things that show you are a team player and you care about the bigger picture.

Record your accomplishments

• You know when it’s that time. Monthly one on one’s, mid-year reviews and year-end reviews come at the same time of the month or year. Prepare for those conversations by documenting your accomplishments as they happen.
• It’s impossible for you to remember everything you’ve done throughout the month or year. It’s also impossible for your leader to remember everything you’ve done when they have multiple employees to keep track of.
• Keep an ongoing document on your desktop and capture your accomplishments real time as they happen.
• When that document is lacking this, it is also a good way for you to realize that you aren’t going above and beyond as much as you should.

Don’t compare yourself to others

• One of the biggest mistakes we make at work and in life is comparing ourselves to others. It’s human nature to compare yourself to those around you, but I caution you that in doing so you may bring your drive and energy down.
• We don’t always know what is going on beyond the surface and you’ll waste a lot of precious energy worrying about what others around you are doing.
• You’ll make a very positive statement about yourself by staying out of that type of gossip and focusing on the only thing that can really make a difference in your career… you.

Be patient and take the time to try these things. When we don’t own our career it owns us. When we don’t take the initiative things almost never jump in your lap and then you can then become stagnant. Jumping from job to job when you don’t get a promotion won’t allow you to develop the expertise you need to advance your career. With time and persistence, and by taking the initiative, you’re far more likely to thrive in today’s workforce.

~Dale