Last week I had the pleasure of co-presenting a career planning session at VMworld, How to Get There from Here: Taking Ownership of Your Future [ETPD1464]. Having a professional development track at VMworld this year was a great addition. Based on some of our Twitter feedback, attendees enjoyed the opportunity to work not just on their technical skills but also soft skills.
One of the things Amy Lewis, my co-presenter, and I promised at the end of our session was links to some additional resources that we’ve found helpful along the ways. They might just help you too.
Start With Why
We discussed the importance of understanding your “Why.” What motivates you? What gets you excited to go to work every day? Particularly in uncertain times like today, understanding this keeps you grounded.
Sincerely held values and principles become a defining, competitive edge. It’s about deciding what is important, what is your North Star when you’re lost.
Sam Conniff Allende – Be More Pirate
I love this diagram from Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, it articulates well the intersection of finding something you love and turning that into a career.
When I think back to my first career in healthcare, I was paid for it, the world needed it. But I wasn’t great at it and I didn’t love it. This led to a lot of soul searching on my part. PCs were becoming commonplace and, even though managing the office computers wasn’t my day job, I started doing it. And, I loved it. So I had a light bulb moment. Here is this other thing that I’m great at, that I love, and that people want me to do. How do I figure out how to get paid for it?
Hence, I invested in myself, took night classes, got formal training, became a certified Microsoft engineer, and left a well paid full time job to start a new career in IT. I effectively put my Master’s degree through the cross cut shredder, deciding to completely pivot careers and accept that the sunk costs of my student loan debt were a small price to pay for a happier life.
Resources & Recommended Reading:
We talked in the session about the importance of understanding your strengths. What are you good at? If you’re not sure and want some additional insight, here are some places to get ideas:
- Stand Out Strengths Assessment – Marcus Buckingham
- Authentic Happiness – Martin Seligman
Develop Grit
Having a vision and understanding your Why are critical building blocks in your career journey. But it’s having the fortitude, the grit, the confidence, to take action which help you make progress on that journey. Early in my IT career I struggled with this. I didn’t have a Computer Science degree, who would hire me? I had to overcome a fear of rejection and slew of negative thoughts, applying for jobs I didn’t believe I was qualified for. Speaking up for yourself, taking credit, asking for that promotion, these become even more difficult when you’re the only woman in the room.
Confidence, ultimately, is the characteristic that distinguishes those who imagine from those who do.
Katty Kay & Claire Shipman – The Confidence Code
Resources & Recommended Reading:
- How to Build Your Confidence – And Spark It In Others – Brittany Packnett
- Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are – Amy Cuddy
- The Power of Vulnerability – Brené Brown
- 5 Worksheets for Challenging Negative Automatic Thoughts
Build Your Network
As part of the preparation for our VMworld session, I took stock of all the jobs I’d had over my lifetime to identify how I got those jobs. Hands down, the number one success factor in my career and ability to find new opportunities was having people in my network who believed in me, mentored me, and sponsored me.
As you progress in your career, the majority of your future roles will not come via a jobs board or a company newsletter, they will come from people who know you and understand what you do.
Helen Tupper & Sarah Ellis – The Squiggly Career
I know a lot of people are intimidated by the idea of networking thinking it’s all about how many events and meetups you attend, thinking that networking is only for extroverts. But in the end, networking is people helping other people. Anyone can do it.
When assessing your network, think about what you’re doing for other people. People are unlikely to care about your priorities unless you care about theirs. It’s the idea of career karma – focus on what you can give rather than what you can get.
Resources & Recommended Reading:
Take the Next Step
Traditional “career ladders” were well-suited for organizations with relatively static skills needs. But, to support the digital businesses of today and tomorrow, organizations require people with a wide range of skills and nontechnical competencies. Jobs are appearing AND disappearing at an accelerating rate. The riskiest career move is standing still and taking no risks at all.
You’re not lucky because more good things are actually happening; you’re lucky because you’re alert to them when they do.
Maria Konnikova – The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win
What are you doing to adapt and build transferable skills rather than role-specific skills?
What actions will you take to get you from here to there and take ownership of your career?
No one cares more about your success and your career more than you do. Manage it like a business, be your own CEO.