Winning the career war

Behind the secure walls of corporate fortresses career warriors are relentlessly fighting -- at times with their own selves -- the battle to succeed. Victory and defeat have different connotations in this war, but the rules, the challenges, and the strategies are like any other, and although winning the battle may sound elusive, it really is a game of good timing, great strategy, and powerful allies (smart networking).

 

Consider the following tips:

 

 

Sally held a lucrative job at a career development firm. Despite a comfortable salary, plush office, and enviable flex time benefits, she was dragging herself to work every morning. After a few coaching sessions she realized she was in a profession that was in sync with her interests and talents. What was missing then?

 

Many individuals approach their work with a need-the-job-to-pay-my-bills attitude -- not a winner’s strategy. Adhering to employer-laborer dynamics, reminiscent of the nineteenth century, provides very little motivation to the workforce. Work becomes a forced endeavor with such a mindset and there is no desire to make a difference or to go the extra mile. The end results of this approach are minimal professional growth and a lack of satisfaction.

 

What if the perspective were reprogrammed?

 

Let’s visualize a scenario where the employee is a self-employed independent consultant selling professional services to the employer. The relationship undergoes a dramatic transformation due to the ensuing desire to please the client (employer), outperform the competition (peers), constantly upgrade offerings (professional development), and deliver the best service (performance) possible. Such employees will always find creative solutions to satisfy and benefit the customer (employer) and, thus, themselves.

 

Sally adopted this attitude and soon found herself energized and motivated. Empowered by her [self-imposed] promotion, she metamorphosed into an “idea machine” that constantly generated newer ways of improving efficiency and profitability. She worked with her superiors to launch several new programs and was soon promoted to a bigger and better role.

 

 

Jim was a business analyst at a leading pharmaceutical market research company. He was drawing a comfortable salary and was very content with his work until he realized that despite all the hard work he had not grown much in over three years. He knew something wasn’t right and immediately embarked on an honest self assessment.

 

The first outcome of the exercise was the realization that Jim was not working toward a clear goal. Further work revealed his interests in a brand management position. Once the goals were defined, the next step involved the development of a game plan, a roadmap that entailed working extra hours (voluntarily) with the brand team and a detailed strategy for developing brand management competencies. He participated in numerous marketing projects and undertook training programs and MBA-level courses. Jim is now interviewing for positions with brand teams.

 

 

It may be lonely at the top but those who reached there did not walk alone. Networking is a crucial component of any career development campaign. From growth prospects to new job offers, opportunities always knock at the doors of the well-connected.

 

Start building alliances within the organization. Supervisors, peers, team members, vendors, customers -- all of these are potential networking contacts. Even better, each of these contacts may know many others, and if one were to tap into this pool of “friends of friends,” the list of allies could snowball to sizeable proportions within a very short period of time.

 

In addition to internal networking, opportunities for networking outside the organization are virtually infinite. From subway riders to presidents of industry associations, almost everyone is a potential ally. Serious career warriors recognize this secret and will not lose the opportunity to win friends. They will be omnipresent at networking events.

 

 

Gone are the days when PR strategies were the exclusive domain of commercial enterprises. We live in times where individuals, too, can leverage PR tactics to their advantage.

 

With a plethora of publishing and speaking opportunities, it is very easy to boost visibility and establish one’s image as an expert. Blogs, articles, trade journals, teaching opportunities, seminars, webinars, conferences -- all of these are excellent avenues to showcase professional expertise and to generate some buzz.

 

 

During my MBA program, our marketing professor initiated us into a very powerful mantra: “To be successful, be different”. Almost every successful brand would swear by his words.

 

Speaking of brands, ever wonder why popular brands are more successful than their competitors? It is no secret that these brands have worked very hard to position themselves as being unique and a cut above the competition.

 

Great lessons for career stalwarts desirous of developing their own positioning strategies.

 

In order to stand out from the crowd of “me too” professionals career warriors, need to carefully evaluate and understand their signature strengths and leverage them to develop an effective positioning strategy. A manager, for example, may choose to position herself as a “growth-focused team leader who specializes in turning around failing divisions”. An administrative assistant may, on the other hand, position himself as an “extremely efficient administrative ace who can ensure seamless operation of highly-complex, multi-million dollar organizations”.

 

Success in the career war -- it is like a war, after all -- is a carefully planned enterprise where rewards come to those who patiently, but smartly, persevere in the “right direction”. It is, after all, a game of good timing, great strategy, and powerful allies (smart networking).