Career Mastery

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.