As I was getting
ready to graduate post secondary school I was advised by school faculty that changing
careers or jobs every one-to-two years was the new norm. Long gone - from generations ago - are the days
of finding a job, sticking with, and climbing the preverbal ladder until
retirement.
Job-hopping, or
moving from one career ladder to another, seems to have developed into an
accepted route for elevating one’s career.
Evidence of this can be seen through staying one-to-two years in a role then moving on, and usually not in the same company.
Granted there are
valid reasons for moving on after short tenures, such as a lack of advancement
opportunities, bad bosses, under par compensation, and toxic team members. However, I highly doubt these reasons can be
strung together to justify a comprehensive hopping-filled work history. After all, wouldn’t you want to be vetting
these things during the interview process?
In my humble
opinion, job-hopping should not be considered the new career-path norm and to
be followed verbatim. Moreover, jumping
from one career ladder to another is more likely the result of a lack of good
leadership and/or working for a company that is not growing or dynamic.
Undoubtedly, this
practice of moving out to move up has done well for many people, however, I've
taken a different approach: Career Mastery.
The journey along the path towards career mastery has meant staying focused within my
circle of influence while not getting caught up in the drama and minutia of my
circle of concern. Ultimately, I will control/change/affect
what I can, and merely be aware of everything else and how it may affect me without letting it consume me. With this approach I firmly believe the scope
of things within my circle of influence will grow over time.
Challenge, not comfort. When faced with a challenge, whether small or
big, we all have a choice. We can either
face it or flee it and I choose the latter. Facing a challenge
means we have to deal with others and/or ourselves and address realities that
either may not want to change. But
growth only comes from overcoming the odds and rising to the challenge. I’ve battled through many tough situations in my career thus far, some people and some process related, and when
given the choice I didn't run when it got tough.
Evolve. For
career mastery to work, the person you are today is not the person you need to be tomorrow, next year or at the end of your career. The leader I
was in a small company is radically different from the leader I am needed to be
now. Systems and processes had to
change, in some cases people had to change, and I had to change in order to
ensure I remained relevant and able to lead a growing team. The most critical component to career mastery
for leadership is developing the ability to grow more leaders as the business accelerates;
then give away the power to those leaders. My leadership mission: Serve…Align…Grow.
Eyes open. You
never know when the next opportunity to advance closer to career mastery will
present itself; these opportunities can come from anywhere. Additionally, the more you are prepared for
the next opportunity, the more likely the next opportunity will present itself. Pick your opportunities carefully and fully vet them.
For me, the above has been
fuelled by the power of a never-ending curiosity that drives me to always be
reading and learning, networking, and getting involved with varied industry associations.
Career mastery
needs to be facilitated by working for a company that is aligned with your own
values and growth aspirations; career mastery isn’t going to happen at a
company where status quo is the goal.
That said, good company or bad, we all have the choice to focus on mastery and make the best
of what we have (leadership and positivity), or lament and complain (victimhood
or negativity). Which one of these do you think is a better choice for career mastery?
Success = Choice
& Discipline. The choice is yours.
