Why a Career Manager?
By Nicole Williams
I’m a big believer that we need to take an active, invested role in our development at all times, but an even bigger believer that there are points along the Quest when you need a Career Manager – someone who you pay to push your limits, guide your progress and provide information and resources that help take you to the next level.
A Career Manager is someone who objectively helps you build success. It’s someone who has the resources, the experiences and the fundamental understanding of what it takes to both create and to nurture a successful career. While a Career Manager starts with an in-depth analysis of Who You Think You Are, she will also provide you with concrete direction and resources. I created Wildly Sophisticated Media as a career-building business because I needed this kind of help in my own professional life. I wanted someone who had the resources, information and the networks to propel me further on my own Quest for Success. I want to give young women the tools I wasn’t able to access when I needed them most.
Build me up
Every second morning, I grab my DKNY duffle bag and hit the gym – not just any gym, but a personal training facility. As I open the door to the some days torture chamber, some days oasis, Barb is waiting for me like a dutiful dog (sure she’ll appreciate that description). Barb always looks refreshed, she’s always enthusiastic and she’s always ready to get started, which is both disconcerting and invigorating at 6 a.m. It’s not that I can’t work out on my own – it’s that I don’t want to, at least right now. I also know that I’ll get toned biceps a lot faster with Barb’s expertise than if I fumble around with the dumbbells by myself.
I’ve used my experience with Barb as an analogy for career management, because I think it’s the best way to explain – without boring you to tears – how professional support can boost your career. If you are considering investing in a Career Manager, here are a few of the perks:
It’s all about you
This is the thing – I don’t have to ask about Barb’s workout yesterday, I don’t have to feel guilty about taking too much of her time, I don’t have to think about what move come next. Having a manager, someone who is 100 percent focused on your success, is critical at points along your Quest. There is something both wonderfully decadent and empowering about experiencing someone focused wholly and completely on your success. This is a two-way relationship, but after you’ve signed the check, it’s all about you.
You’re invested
Before a personal trainer: Alarm blares in my ear, I roll over and hit the sleep button, wake up in another hour.
After a personal trainer: Alarm blares, roll over, consider hitting the sleep button, remember I’m going to be charged for my workout whether I’m there or not, get out of bed.
Incentive and motivation comes in all different shapes and sizes and 100 bucks is 100 bucks. When I first started my career management practice, I would meet women who needed my help but couldn’t afford it. Because I was as excited about their potential success as they were, I’d allow them to participate in a workshop for free. Only one woman had to show up the next Saturday with a new pair of Manolo Blahnik boots and a hangover for me to realize the problem: We value what we pay for. Your career development is an investment and investment requires sacrifice. Today, I will still meet women who can’t afford to participate in a workshop, but even if they can’t afford to pay in cash, we trade services. If you want to create success, invest in your career. Invest your time in learning a new skill, spend an evening in the library or on-line, or sign up for a course.
You get an objective perspective on your limits
There are some mornings when I absolutely, positively, believe with everything in me that I can not possibly do one more rep. But Barb, with exactly the same level of conviction, thinks I can. The bottom line is that you know yourself best, but in my experience, sometimes we don’t want to admit to ourselves that, “yeah, I probably could do a bit more.” A Career Manager can help you see yourself more clearly.
You have a cheerleader
“One more. You can do it!” In my mind I’m thinking, “How about you get down here on all fours and kick your fu*%$#in leg for the 100th time.” But in reality I really appreciate the support. A manager’s role is to push you on, and to motivate and inspire you to action.
You have a professional
I don’t know how muscle groups work together to build strength, I don’t know the best sequences for interval training, I don’t know how many reps it takes to exhaust a muscle and you know what? I don’t care. What I do care about is building a healthy body and I would much rather focus my efforts on performing the moves Barb has strategically designed to help me reach my goal. Your Quest is going to be filled with a million options, choices, challenges and opportunities. Hiring a Career Manager who can objectively help you define your goal, accurately assess the best way of getting you there and provide you with a level of expertise that allows you to focus your energy, attention and resources, is a an excellent way to create success.
