Career Failure: Repeat Offenders or Singular Episodic Event?
Career failure has many twists and turns that can cause each of us to go into a deep reflective space. Questions you ask might include:
Did I make the wrong employer choice?
What did I miss in the interview?
Would I be more successful with a different boss?
Can I pick my board of directors next time?
Should I have listened more?
Should I have been clearer in defining expectations?
How would an executive coach help?
Why was I such a jerk?
I deserved that promotion. Why did she get it?
What if I had fired that executive who caused the original problem?
I worked so hard . . . Why?
Will anyone ever hire me again?
It is often easy to blame someone else for a failure in our career, using the Blame Game rational. The more difficult and effective approach is to look in the mirror for what we missed, took advantage of, did not prepare for, and mismanaged relationships. There are two sides to the coin.
Career failures often come about because of mismanaged and miscommunicated expectations. Your manager has expectations that were not clearly understood by you and, an outcome is a lack of performance ending in job loss, a hoped for lost promotion or reassignment.
Five tips to managing career success include:
Monthly check-ins proactively managed by you
Check in with your supervisor, and peers, once a month and find out how you are doing from their perspective. You may think everything is perfect, and yet, they perceive a misalignment in expectations and performance. Ask questions such as: How am I doing? From your perspective what is working? What needs more attention? If you had to choose today, would you still hire me? Be open to listening, not being defensive. Thank the speaker for their assessment and, if appropriate and relevant, ask for more details on the components of success.
Write your resume for three to five years in the future
What new responsibilities, achievements, accomplishments are on your resume in the future? How is your current career aligned with that vision of the future? What resources do you need? Who supports our success that has a say in resource allocation?
Engage in Executive Coaching
Converse with your manager about the advantage of engaging with a certified leadership/executive coach. A coach sees your blind spots, helps you craft your career and appropriately challenges you in ways that peers or your supervisor are not able.
Participate in a 360° leadership assessment
It provides direct and honest feedback that your peers and supervisors may not be equipped to do so in person. Work with your coach to review and make meaning of the results.
Commit to advancing your leadership presence
At this stage in your career it is not your intellect or expertise that gets you promoted or in trouble; it is how you lead. Leadership presence is 93% of why others follow you! Hence, a compelling reason to get the help that is not successfully derived from a leadership book or PowerPoint. Learning new practices of self-awareness can support you with new leadership practices that result in a successful career.
What tips do you have for Career Success?
Deedee Myers
