Active Career Management — Get Strategic About Your Career
Gone are the days when careers were unidimensional and straight-forward; when we could allow our career to run in auto-pilot mode. That just doesn’t work in current times, though, at least not if you want to succeed and grow at a desired pace.
The world is changing at an exponential pace, industry lines are getting blurred, business models are getting more innovative and the half-life of skills keeps getting shorter. And competition is on the rise. Such an ever-changing landscape requires us to be more adaptive than ever. It keeps us on our toes and calls for active, intentional, strategic career management.
So what exactly is ‘Active Career Management’?
As the name suggests, Active career management is being intentional and managing your career systematically. It begins with Career Planning — knowing where you want to be in 5–10–15 years from now. The Career Plan can be high-level as regards the distant future, with milestones laid out for easier tracking. For the next 2–3 years thought, make it as detailed as possible. It is valuable to include skills you would like to acquire, exposure you would like to gain (in terms of projects, international assignments, roles) and the growth you would like to achieve.
A Career plan is not cast in stone. Considering the volatile environment, it should allow for revisions. However, it is great to have one as a compass, to provide directional input. On a regular basis (every quarter, perhaps), make a list of key wins, skills acquired, exposure gained and review it against the plan. Also, stay updated on the trends and future of work in your industry and in adjacent industries. This will help you refine and make tweaks to your career plan.
Let us now look at the key aspects of Active Career Management. Most of these aspects are widely acknowledged as good practices but are often neglected by majority of professionals. Each of these aspects could have varying degree of weightage based on your career stage and objectives. So, take an informed decision and prioritise these based on your individual need.
Key aspects of Active Career Management:
1) Keep learning — Constant upskilling is key to success. When you make an upskilling plan, make sure to include three distinct types of skills — Domain knowledge/skills, Soft skills and Leadership skills. This will ensure holistic development. Apart from taking courses or attending sessions periodically, make it a point to learn every day. My mantra is ‘A knowledge capsule a day keeps obsolescence at bay’. I think everyone should consume at least one knowledge capsule a day, in order to stay relevant and informed. The capsule could take the form of a book, an article, a podcast, a video or even a conversation with an expert in your field.
2) Build a professional network — We all need people to connect with, to share, learn, inspire and grow together. Make a conscious effort to build and grow your network beyond your workplace or alumni groups. Connect with people through digital networking forums, attend networking events and join professional networks. Once you make a new connect, invest time in getting to know the other person. Remember that networking is more about giving, than it is about taking.
3) Find a mentor — It pays to learn from the mistakes of others instead of making all the mistakes yourself. A mentor with experience in your industry or field can help you chalk out your career path. Owing to their expertise and exposure, they can evaluate your proficiency in the domain and guide you on the skills you need to acquire in order to grow. They have probably traversed the same path as you and their successes and failures would help you gain contextual understanding. Considering the significance of upskilling in the current era, a domain expert can guide you on your learning path. Also, given their experience in the domain, they would have a strong network that could open up new opportunities.
4) Build a strong Personal brand — If you haven’t started on Personal branding, you’re already too late…start today! We all have a personal brand, whether we know it or now. What is left is for us to determine whether we want to own and shape it or let it shape itself, thus losing control over it. Irrespective of your profession, personal branding is critical for you. Gone are the days when personal branding was a competitive advantage. It is now a pre-requisite to success in your professional life.
5) Create something — It could be a product or a piece of art or content or a business; Whatever it is you are good at, you owe it to the world and to yourself, to put it out there. It is a great opportunity to build something that becomes your legacy, something that you will be remembered for. The process of creating something, hones your problem-solving skills and offers intellectual stimulation. It is a wonderful way to build your personal brand and show the world your authentic self. This will certainly set you apart and give you a professional edge.
6) Seek Guidance — Don’t try to solve all the problems yourself — seek guidance from experts who understand your industry and the background. The advantage experts bring, is their experience in the very professional arena you’re encountering. They can leverage their professional success stories to teach you how to win and they can leverage their failures to guide you on what not to do.
7) Find a Sponsor — We all need sponsors — people who have influence and can speak for us in places that matter. Sponsorship is critical to success. Find sponsors in senior leaders who see potential in you. And keep them abreast of your work, wins and aspirations. Sponsors can help you get the right opportunities and can provide stimuli for growth.
8) Engage a Coach — ‘All battles are first won or lost, in the mind’, said Joan of Arc. There are times when you need an external perspective to help uncover your strengths and see your blind spots. A coach can help you get rid of self-limiting beliefs and unleash your true potential. Just like in sports, a coach can be your accountability partner and help you scale the heights that you are meant to.
9) Gain exposure — Move out of your comfort zone — When you look around you, at successful people and their stories, you would see that they took risks, faced challenges head on, they failed, they endured discomfort and pain, but they emerged stronger and successful. The reason is that whenever they had to step out of their comfort zone, they had to learn something new, they had to wade through ambiguity, acquire mental strength and fortitude. They literally grew as people, so professional growth and success followed. Expand your horizons by trying something new — a new project, a new geography, a new role, a new industry.
10) Keep an eye on the industry — In an ever-changing landscape, the only way to stay ahead of the curve, is by being informed. Understand which skills are in demand and what the future of work holds in your industry. Read about competition, assess the trends in adjacent industries and figure out what kind of new job roles are emerging. When you aim to land the most lucrative opportunities, information truly is power.
Remember — your professional journey is a marathon, not a sprint. So, even if you haven’t explored all the above avenues already, now is a good time to start. Being proactive about your career growth makes good business sense!
Let me wrap it up with a pertinent quote:
“The best way to predict the future is to create it” — Abraham Lincoln
