Today we're going to dig into a topic that confuses people at every level of the corporate ladder. You'll hear about it in calibration meetings, in talent reviews, in leadership offsites. Sometimes it's talked about openly; other times it's whispered about like some kind of secret scoring system. I'm talking about performance and potential.

 

Performance… sure; that part makes sense. What did you deliver; how well did you deliver it; how predictable and reliable is your output; did you solve the problems in front of you; did you create value for your team. But potential; that's the fuzzy part. Potential for what; and how do you influence a rating that sounds like it's based entirely on somebody's personal opinion.

 

Imagine being evaluated not just on the work you deliver today… but on a future version of you that may or may not exist. Most people in corporate jobs don't even know that their rating has two pieces. They think their "performance rating" is the whole story. But the real decisions about promotions and opportunities are often driven by the other number; the potential number. So the question we're asking today is simple: what is potential really measuring… and do you even want to maximize it?

 

A common tool used in end of year evaluations is the classic two‑axis grid; one axis for Performance and the other for Potential. It looks simple on paper. People are sorted from low to high on both scales, then placed into a tidy little box that supposedly determines their future. Those who land in the top right quadrant get the opportunities, the visibility, the fast track. Those in the bottom left… well, they often find themselves stalled out, sidelined, or in some cases quietly pushed out. The biggest issue is that these scales are vague and often applied inconsistently across teams. Two leaders can sit in the same talent review and have completely different interpretations of what "high potential" even means.

 

For some companies, potential means "how likely are they to produce at a high level in the next year." For others, it means "how close are they to their next promotion." Some organizations define potential as "shows leadership skills." Others look for "scalability"; meaning the ability to handle bigger, broader, and more ambiguous challenges. And a few go even further; blending curiosity, change-readiness, resilience under pressure, strong communication, and strategic thinking into one catch-all label. In other words; potential is often a company's way of asking "Do we see you becoming more valuable to us in the future than you are today?"

 

But because it's forward-looking, your ranking on this scale often comes down to something people don't like to admit… politics. Potential isn't a direct measurement of your abilities or your hard skills; it isn't even a pure reflection of your current performance. It's a perception game; a bet leaders make about how you'll behave in situations you haven't faced yet. It's assumption dressed up as science. But that doesn't mean you're powerless. Once you understand the ingredients that drive potential, you can learn how to shape the perception of your future self—and change the trajectory of your career.

 

Even though the definition of potential varies from company to company, there are several core elements that show up almost everywhere.

 

**Adaptability**. In today's fast-paced world, this one shows up near the top of almost every potential rubric. Change is constant… technological change, regulatory change, shifting priorities. I joked with my boss this week that we've moved beyond "dealing with ambiguity"; we're now just "living with ambiguity." High potential employees are the ones who don't freeze when the landscape shifts. They stay steady, recalibrate quickly, and keep moving.

 

**Leadership**. This doesn't always mean holding a formal title. Often it's about influence. Can you guide others? Do people seek your input? Do you demonstrate sound judgment? Leaders evaluating potential notice when someone consistently steps up, rallies a group, or helps drive decisions forward.

 

**Strategic awareness**. This shows up differently depending on where you sit. For individual contributors, it means understanding how your work aligns with broader goals… and making day-to-day choices that reflect that understanding. For front-line leaders, it's about setting priorities for your team that advance corporate objectives. And for senior leaders, high potential often translates to shaping those strategic directions in response to a shifting market.

 

**Communication skills**. People with high potential communicate clearly, succinctly, and in a way that resonates with their audience. They know when to expand and when to get straight to the point. Their communication builds momentum rather than creating confusion.

 

**Scalability**. This is the quiet filter behind most potential ratings. High potential employees are perceived as capable of taking on "more." More responsibility, more impact, more scope. Whether that looks like larger projects, more visible initiatives, or simply a broader portfolio of work, scalability signals that your capacity can grow with the organization's needs.

 

Now, ask yourself: do you really want to optimize for this? For some, the honest answer might not be a simple "yes." It could be "maybe," or even "no."

 

Chasing a high potential rating can change your behavior in ways that clash with your values or long-term goals. Suppose you thrive as an individual contributor; you love deep work, craftsmanship, technical excellence. But the company defines potential as "ability to lead people." Insisting you don't want that path may actually protect your career rather than hurt it. Or perhaps high potential at your company equates to larger projects or higher visibility, but your personal situation—caring for aging parents or young kids—makes that path impractical.

 

There's also a hidden risk in being labeled "high potential." The bar moves; expectations increase. Suddenly you're being measured against a future version of yourself rather than the present one. If you don't keep up, the fall can be demoralizing. Opting out isn't usually an option, since failing to demonstrate potential often brings negative consequences. The goal isn't to reject the system; the goal is to understand it and use it intentionally. So how do you make the most of a performance vs. potential model?

 

If you decide that you do want to optimize for potential, remember this: you cannot optimize for a category you haven't clearly defined. It starts with gaining clarity. Depending on your company; potential may be entirely behavioral, entirely political, or somewhere in between. Begin by asking your manager a few grounding questions… though don't be surprised if they struggle to answer. Try questions like: "How does our company define potential?" "What specific behaviors demonstrate high potential here?" "What would you need to see from me to confidently place me in that category?" "What would remove doubt about my readiness for the next level?" If your manager can't answer, it usually means the system is more political than procedural.

 

Next, observe the people who are consistently identified as high potential. Watch how they behave; how they speak; the kinds of problems they volunteer for; the way they frame decisions. This isn't about imitation… it's about understanding the signals your company rewards. And here's something that surprises a lot of people: you don't need to be the top performer to be labeled high potential. You just need to show that you learn quickly; you handle complexity; and you stay steady when things get messy.

 

Early in your career, your potential is often judged by how quickly you absorb information. Are you coachable? Do you ask thoughtful questions? Do you seek clarity instead of avoiding uncertainty? The faster you reach the level of understanding required to take on bigger tasks, the higher your potential rating climbs.

 

As you grow, the criteria start to shift. Depending on your company, this may mean demonstrating strategic thinking, showing calm under pressure, or taking on visible leadership moments. People who navigate complexity without spiraling; who frame problems in broader business terms; who help teams move forward—those individuals tend to rise in the potential rankings.

 

Later in your career, the measuring stick becomes scale and impact. Can you drive larger projects? Can you deliver outcomes that matter to the enterprise? Can you influence and persuade people who don't report to you? The scope of your contributions starts to matter as much as the quality.

 

And as a manager, your potential no longer sits entirely on your shoulders. It reflects in your team's performance and reputation. When you're well regarded, your team benefits. When you lose the trust of senior leaders, your team feels the consequences even if they're performing well.

 

Regardless of where you sit on the career ladder, potential is always about your future… or more accurately, your perceived future. If you want to shape that narrative, you need to make sure the key decision makers see the signals you want them to see—consistently and repeatedly.

 

At the end of the day, navigating the performance versus potential model isn't about gaming the system. It's about understanding the rules well enough to make intentional choices. Start by asking your manager directly how your company defines potential. Don't guess; get clarity so you know exactly what you're optimizing for. Then, look closely at the people who carry that high potential label. Pay attention to how they communicate; how they approach problems; how they position their decisions. You're not copying them—you're learning the principles your organization rewards.

 

One of the strongest signals you can send is your willingness to step into ambiguity. When you volunteer for messy, undefined projects, leaders take notice. Pair that with clear and concise communication—especially under pressure—and you'll demonstrate two of the most valued traits in nearly every rating system.

 

But before you chase the label, ask yourself whether you truly want it. If it aligns with your goals, pursue it with intention. If it doesn't, shape a career path that reflects your definition of success. The real power comes from choosing the future you want rather than inheriting one someone else imagines for you.

 

If today's episode helped you understand how performance and potential ratings really work… take a minute to leave a rating or a review. It helps others discover Managing A Career and gives social proof that this show is worth listening to. Share the episode with a colleague who's trying to navigate their own growth. And if you want more tools to get promoted faster, check out https://managingacareer.com.

 

Do you ever look around your company and notice how certain people always seem to rise together? The boss gets promoted... and like clockwork, a couple of people from their team move up right behind them. You start to wonder... are they just that good? Or are they someone's favorite?

 

Today, we're going to unpack that idea—not the shady version, but the strategic one. How do you find the right person to align with... the kind of person whose rising tide actually lifts your boat, too? Cronyism gets a bad reputation, but that's when it's paired with incompetence or favoritism without merit. The truth is, every successful career has an element of strategic alignment. It's about connecting yourself with the right leader, building trust through results, and positioning yourself as someone they want to bring along when they rise.

 

So today, I'd like to talk about how to identify whose coattails are worth riding... and how to make sure you've earned your place on that ride.

 

 

The Reality of Relationships in Corporate Advancement

 

I've long said that building a network is the single most important thing you can do for your career. Your skills will get you in the door, but your relationships determine how far you go once you're inside. Promotions, high-visibility projects, cross-functional opportunities—they rarely appear out of thin air. They come through people. Your network is the radar that picks up opportunities before they hit the job board.

 

There's an old quote from Seneca that I love: "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." The preparation part is obvious; we all know we have to deliver results, build credibility, and sharpen our skills. But opportunity? That's the piece most people overlook. Opportunity doesn't just fall in your lap—it's usually handed to you by someone who knows your name, trusts your work, and believes in your potential.

 

That's why I say the first step in becoming someone's "crony"—in the best sense of the word—is to build that relationship before you need it. Get on their radar by doing good work. Add value without asking for anything in return. Be the person they can depend on when things get hectic. When the time comes for them to move up or take on a new challenge, you'll already be positioned as part of their trusted circle.

 

In corporate life, advancement is rarely a solo sport. It's a team game—and if you're not intentionally building the right team around you, someone else is.

 

 

What "Strategic Alignment" Actually Looks Like

 

Let's start by defining a few terms. The word crony has become shorthand for favoritism, backroom deals, and people getting ahead for all the wrong reasons. But at its root, a crony is simply someone who's connected to power. That connection, in and of itself, isn't bad. It's how the connection is earned that determines whether you're a crony... or a strategically aligned professional.

 

Strategic alignment is what happens when your goals, values, and performance directly support the success of someone higher up in the organization. You're not just orbiting power; you're contributing to it. You're part of a symbiotic relationship where your wins make their job easier, their projects stronger, and their vision more achievable.

 

So how do you know which side of the line you're on? Ask yourself three simple questions:

 

Do you help this person win in a way that also helps the team?

Cronyism isolates—it creates winners and losers. Strategic alignment lifts everyone around you. If the person you're supporting becomes more effective because of your input, and the team benefits in the process, that's a healthy dynamic.

 

Do you bring something to the table they need—insight, relationships, execution?

The strongest professional relationships are built on mutual value. If you offer something that fills a gap or accelerates progress, you're not tagging along... you're indispensable to the mission.

 

Are you seen as loyal and competent?

Loyalty without competence is flattery. Competence without loyalty is risk. The combination is trust—and trust is the foundation of every meaningful professional alliance.

 

If the answer to all three is yes, you're not a crony—you're a trusted asset. You've built a relationship based on performance, reliability, and shared success. But if any of those answers are no... then yes, you might just be a crony. And cronies don't get invited to the next level; they get replaced when it's convenient.

 

Strategic alignment is about playing the long game. It's about being so valuable, so dependable, and so in sync with where your leader is heading that they can't imagine building the next chapter without you in it.

 

 

How to Identify the Right Person to Align With

 

Now that we've defined what strategic alignment looks like, the next question is... who should you align with? Not every rising star is worth following, and not every senior leader has the influence—or the inclination—to pull others up with them. The key is to find someone whose momentum, mindset, and management style create opportunity for you to grow alongside them.

 

Start by looking for people who are already on a fast track. Promotions leave a trail, and those who have moved up consistently are likely to continue that trend. High performers tend to attract new challenges, bigger projects, and broader scope. If you can earn a place in that person's circle early, their growth naturally creates lift for everyone who supports them well.

 

Next, look for someone who shares the credit and invests in developing others. You can tell a lot about a leader by the way they talk about their team. If they celebrate wins collectively, delegate meaningful work, and visibly coach others, that's a person who will recognize competence—and reward it. Those are the leaders who build inner circles, not closed circles.

 

You'll also want to watch for people who are part of the conversation, not outside of it. These are the individuals who have access, who get looped into strategic discussions, who are in rooms where decisions are made. You can spot them by the projects they're trusted with, the visibility they have across the organization, and how others defer to their input. Proximity to power isn't about politics—it's about access to the flow of information and opportunity.

 

And finally, make sure your values align. The higher someone climbs, the more their decisions reflect their core beliefs. If you're aligned with a leader whose ethics, management style, and goals match your own, you'll move forward with integrity and confidence. But if your values don't match, success will come with discomfort... and eventually, conflict.

 

One last word of caution: be careful not to attach yourself to someone who's approaching a terminal position. Every company has them—the senior leaders who've likely hit the ceiling of their upward mobility. They may be respected, even powerful, but they're no longer ascending. If their career has plateaued, so will yours if you tether too tightly.

 

The goal isn't to find anyone influential. It's to find the right person—someone who's still climbing, who builds others along the way, and whose rise opens doors you're ready to walk through.

 

 

How to Build a Genuine, Strategic Relationship

 

Finding the right person to align with is only half the equation. The real magic happens when you learn how to build that relationship in a way that's natural, professional, and mutually valuable. The approach looks a little different depending on where you are in your career, but the principles stay the same: earn trust through performance, create value before asking for it, and always keep the relationship grounded in results, not flattery.

 

Early Career: Earn Proximity Through Performance

 

When you're early in your career, your best strategy is to make yourself visible through excellence. Every project, every deliverable, every presentation is an opportunity to show that you're reliable and capable. Leaders notice people who make their lives easier. That might mean volunteering for a stretch assignment, being the one who spots potential problems before they escalate, or simply being the person who always delivers high-quality work on time.

 

At this stage, proximity is the goal. You want to earn a seat in the room—not by talking your way in, but by performing your way in. Reliability builds access, and access builds relationships.

 

As You Begin Your Ascent: Anticipate Needs and Add Value

 

Once you've established yourself, your focus should shift to strategic contribution. Don't just do what's asked—start seeing around corners. Learn your manager's priorities, their pressure points, and their success metrics. When you can anticipate what they need before they ask, you're no longer just an employee; you're a partner in execution.

 

At this level, small gestures can carry big weight. Send a concise summary after a meeting to clarify action items. Offer data or insights that make decision-making easier. Look for inefficiencies you can streamline. These small actions add up to a reputation of someone who thinks like a leader—and that's exactly the kind of person rising leaders want close by.

 

Senior Levels: Become a Strategic Sounding Board

 

By the time you reach senior levels, alignment shifts from execution to perspective. Leaders at this stage don't just need doers—they need thinkers who help them see blind spots, validate ideas, and shape direction. You can strengthen your relationship by becoming a trusted sounding board. That means you're not just agreeing with everything; you're respectfully challenging assumptions, offering alternative views, and contributing insights that make their strategies stronger.

 

Credibility becomes currency here. The more thoughtful and data-driven your input, the more likely you'll be invited into strategic discussions. This is how you evolve from being part of someone's team to being part of their inner circle.

 

Transitioning from Manager/Director to Executive: Build Alignment at the Organizational Level

 

When you're preparing to move into executive ranks, your relationship-building focus must scale beyond one person. You're no longer aligning with a leader—you're aligning with the leadership ecosystem. This means cross-functional collaboration, strategic visibility, and building trust horizontally as well as vertically.

 

Still, one key ally can make all the difference. Find an executive who embodies the leadership style you aspire to, and look for ways your growth can directly reinforce theirs. Support their initiatives, lead projects that expand their influence, and deliver outcomes that make their leadership more effective. At this stage, you're not just someone's protégé—you're part of their leadership legacy.

 

 

How to Avoid the Traps of Cronyism

 

Loyalty is one of the most powerful traits you can bring to a professional relationship... but it's also one of the most dangerous if you don't manage it wisely. The same loyalty that earns you trust early in your career can hold you back later if it keeps you tied to the wrong person or situation.

 

Let's be clear—loyalty matters. The people who advance together are often those who've proven they can depend on each other through pressure and change. That kind of professional trust isn't built overnight; it's earned through consistency, discretion, and shared wins over time. When your leader knows you've got their back, they're far more likely to bring you into opportunities, conversations, and rooms you wouldn't reach on your own.

 

But loyalty has limits. There will come a point where you may have to ask yourself whether the person you aligned with is still the right one to stay tethered to. Maybe their values have drifted. Maybe their leadership style has changed. Or maybe their career has plateaued—or even started to unravel—in a way that could drag you down with it.

 

When that happens, you can't let nostalgia or misplaced loyalty compromise your own trajectory. Staying loyal to someone who's no longer aligned with your principles or your potential isn't loyalty—it's stagnation.

 

If your values no longer match, that's your cue to respectfully create distance. Protect your reputation, maintain professionalism, and quietly redirect your energy toward relationships that reflect where you're headed, not where you've been. Similarly, if someone's progress has stalled—or worse, they've made choices that could tarnish your credibility—you have to make the hard call to step away.

 

The key is to do it with grace. Don't burn bridges, don't gossip, and don't make it personal. Just reposition yourself in a way that keeps you moving forward. True strategic alignment is never blind loyalty; it's a partnership built on mutual growth. And if that growth stops, it's okay to move on.

 

The best professionals know how to stay loyal and self-aware. They understand that integrity and momentum go hand in hand... and that sometimes, the most strategic move you can make is knowing when to cut ties.

 

 

 

So let's bring this full circle. Every organization has those people who seem to rise together... the boss gets promoted, and a few key players move right along with them. From the outside, it might look like favoritism; but from the inside, it's usually the result of trust, consistency, and shared success.

 

That's the essence of strategic alignment. It's not about currying favor—it's about creating real value for someone whose growth creates opportunity for you, too. It's about recognizing who's going places, showing up as someone who helps them get there, and earning your spot through performance and integrity.

 

When done right, this isn't cronyism—it's partnership. And it's one of the most powerful ways to accelerate your own career, provided you keep your eyes open, stay true to your values, and know when it's time to pivot.

 

Because in the end, the relationships you build are the single biggest differentiator between a career that stalls... and one that soars.

 

This week, I want you to take a closer look at your own network. Who are you aligned with right now? Are those relationships fueling your growth—or holding you back?

 

And while you're thinking about that, I'd love your help shaping future episodes of Managing A Career. Take a minute to complete a quick survey at https://managingacareer.com/survey . Your input helps make sure each episode stays relevant, actionable, and valuable for wherever you are in your professional journey.

 

If this episode gave you something to think about—or helped you see your relationships at work a little differently—share it with a friend or teammate who's also trying to move up. The more people who understand how to navigate these dynamics with integrity, the better our workplaces become.

Reframing the Premature Promotion

Back in Episode 58, I tackled the tricky terrain of getting promoted too soon—when the title lands before the readiness does. That episode unpacked the complications that can follow a premature promotion: skill gaps, team tension, imposter syndrome, and even layoff risk. This week, I'm flipping the script. Instead of focusing on the pitfalls, let's talk about how to turn that early promotion into a strategic advantage. Because if you play it right, what starts as a stumble can become your fastest leap forward.

 

The Risks Beneath the Ribbon-Cutting

Getting promoted is thrilling—new title, new responsibilities, and a shiny new chance to flex skills you may or may not have yet. Maybe you lobbied hard for the role. Maybe someone senior left and you were the warm body in the right place. Either way, the promotion landed. But if it landed before you were ready, you're not just stepping into a new job—you're stepping into a minefield. You might be missing key skills. You might face tension from teammates who wanted the same role. And you might feel the creeping dread of Imposter Syndrome (I unpack that in Episode 83 – Faking It). If you let those complications define your leadership, they'll quietly sabotage your credibility. But with the right mindset—and a few tactical moves—you can flip the narrative and turn this shaky start into a career catapult.

 

Why Early Promotion Is a Hidden Advantage

Here's the twist: being promoted before you're ready can actually be a massive career advantage—if you know how to use it. You've just been handed a high-leverage moment. Expectations are low (or at least forgiving), visibility is high, and you've got a built-in narrative arc: the underdog who rose fast and figured it out in real time. That's catnip for senior leaders watching from above. Most people wait until they feel "ready" to stretch. You? You're already stretching. And that means you're learning faster, building resilience, and proving you can grow under pressure. It's not about faking it—it's about accelerating your readiness while the spotlight's already on.

 

Defuse the Drama Before It Starts

Let's be honest—people are hard. Every person you work with comes with their own expectations, insecurities, and preferred operating system. And when you get promoted ahead of someone else, the emotional stakes spike. Resentment simmers. Doubt lingers. That's why one of your first moves should be proactive one-on-ones with the folks who might be most resistant. Not to justify your promotion—but to listen, understand, and build trust. Ask what they need. Ask what they worry about. Then take visible action to show you're not just a good fit for the role—you're the best possible choice. This isn't politics. It's leadership. And the sooner you lean into it, the faster the tension turns into traction.

 

Use the Low Bar to Build a Launchpad

When expectations are low, exceeding them is almost too easy. The leaders who promoted you likely knew you weren't fully baked for the role—they saw potential, not polish. That's your opening. If you can quickly assess your skill gaps and build a fast-track learning plan, you're not just catching up—you're signaling that you're already thinking ahead. This isn't about scrambling to survive; it's about showing you can scale. The faster you close those gaps, the more confidence your leaders will have that you're not just ready for this role—you're already warming up for the next one.

 

Win Fast, Share Loudly

With a new role, all eyes are on you—watching, judging, quietly betting on whether you'll sink or swim. That spotlight won't last forever, so use it while it's hot. Look for short-term wins that prove you're not just learning—you're leading. But here's the nuance: don't just showcase your work, showcase your team. Give credit generously and publicly. It signals two things at once: that you're confident enough not to hoard praise, and that you're building something bigger than yourself. That kind of leadership doesn't just earn respect—it defuses resentment and turns skeptics into allies.

 

Set the Tone for Your Trajectory

Early promotions aren't just about the role you land—they're about the reputation you build. This is your chance to show that you're coachable, not defensive. That you learn fast, not just grind hard. That you can manage, influence, and lead—not just execute. When senior leaders see someone who can grow under pressure, elevate others, and stay open to feedback, they start thinking long-term. That's how one early promotion becomes two. That's how you get ahead of the curve—reaching the highest levels of the organization while others are still waiting for permission to stretch. You're not just filling a role. You're shaping your trajectory.

 

Your Move

If you've just landed a promotion you weren't quite ready for—congratulations. You've been handed a rare opportunity to grow faster, lead smarter, and build a reputation that lasts. Don't waste it. Start with self-awareness, lean into the hard conversations, rack up early wins, and make sure everyone knows you're here to elevate—not dominate. The next promotion starts now. So take the reins, set the tone, and show them exactly why betting on you was the smartest move they've made all year.

 

 

A career coach can help you build the skills to actually use these strategies—not just hear them. If you're looking for one, reach out through the Contact Form at ManagingACareer.com (https://www.managingacareer.com/contact/). I'll set up an intro session where we'll talk through your career goals and see if we're a good fit. If we click, we'll schedule regular sessions to get your career moving—not just forward, but up.

As I covered in last week's episode on the Corporate Ladder - Episode 017, you may eventually reach a point in your career where the next rung has a limited number of opportunities to progress.  In Episode 13 - A Little Bit of Luck, I talked about how luck is when preparation meets opportunity and that sometimes you have to make your own luck.

 

When the advancement will involve competition with others, you will need to have laid the groundwork in advance.  You never know when an opportunity will appear, so you will need to be ready, so start today.

 

There are several key areas that you'll need to address before you can start selling yourself.  So let's take a look at them.

 

Have something to sell.  Build your skills, complete your projects and in general, do good work.  These are the baseline requirements, but without it, none of the rest matters.

 

Know your strengths.  You are going to be formulating a marketing plan and you will need to know what attributes to emphasize.  Do a personal inventory and figure out what you do better than everyone else -- what sets you apart.  If those strengths are not in alignment with the next level, update your IDP - Episode 002 and work with your leader to create an action plan to build those new strengths.

 

Identify your worth.  Review your recent projects.  How much value did they provide to the business -- not just in terms of capability, but in real numbers.  Were there cost savings or cost avoidance?  Time savings and efficiencies?  Review Episode 001 - Higher Level Tasks and Episode 006 - Is your work Important or Urgent and focus on finding high-value assignments.

 

Find a spokesperson or champion.  If you've built a strong network, this step will be easy.  But try to figure out who do you know that will vouch for your capabilities and value?  Is that someone who's voice matters?  If you don't have a strong voice in your camp, start building your network.

 

Once all of the components are in place, you are ready to begin marketing.  The thing about marketing is that it's a long game.  It's about understanding the needs of the customer (the people in control of any future promotion) and adjusting the product (you) to meet those needs.  This means that you need to understand what aspects will be considered when a promotion opportunity is available and make sure that you have aligned your strengths and values to them.

 

Another aspect of your personal marketing plan is that there should be a clear and consistent message.  The old adage of "out of sight, out of mind" holds true here.  You need to find a way to showcase your strengths and values -- and their alignment with the previously identified needs -- on a regular basis.  I know most people don't enjoy writing status reports, but a well-crafted status report could serve these purposes well.

 

In a future episode, I'll cover more in-depth on what a good status report looks like, but in short, focus less on completed tasks and focus more on value provided.  Send them "frequently enough, but not too often" such that you aren't annoying the recipients.  Don't be afraid to include set-backs as long as you provide details on how you are either resolving them or preventing them in the future -- showing how you can handle adversity will build confidence and trust in you which is never a bad thing.  Regardless of how you deliver the message, being persistent but tactful will allow you to stay front-of-mind with the ultimate deciders.

 

I'd love to hear from you.  Access the ManagingACareer.com website and let me know how this podcast has helped you in your career development.  From the website, jump to the community and answer this week's poll about how frequently should one send out a status report.

For the majority of people, their career is going to last somewhere in the ballpark of forty years depending on when they start and when they decide to retire.  While there are no hard and fast rules about how your career should or will progress, there are some generalized trends and milestones that you can expect to hit.  Just note that each company is different and that these levels may not equate one-to-one with job titles at the companies you work for -- for example you might be promoted from an "Analyst 1" to an "Analyst 2" and still be considered junior level.

 

Unless you are an exception, you're going to start your career at a junior level.  While you may have learned a lot of concepts as you trained for this position, your focus in this junior role will be to learn how the real world works compared to the theoretical world of school projects.  You are usually following the direction of a more experienced team member.  For the most part, you are expected to be competent at your job and generally do "good work".  The biggest factor in getting promoted is usually just "time in grade".  Depending on the industry you're in and the company you work for, you should expect to be in a junior role for 2 to 5 years.

 

Next will be mid-level positions.  As you gain knowledge and experience, you will begin to be more autonomous, able to complete regular tasks without much guidance or supervision.  By gaining the trust of the leaders, the scope and impact of your assignments will increase.  You may even be given full responsibility for smaller projects allowing you to showcase some of your leadership potential (Check out Episode 016 for insights into how to be a good leader).  You will also begin to guide and mentor junior team members.  In order to progress from a mid-level position, it will require more than just "doing good work".  You will need to showcase your ability to have a deeper understanding of your work and perform your work at an advanced level.  You will also need to show solid leadership skills, being a senior member of the team means leading projects.

 

As far as how long you can expect to be in a mid-level role, it's going to have the most variability.  Some people will move through this range quickly -- as fast as two years -- while others will feel like they are languishing at this level "forever" -- potentially as many as 10 years or more.  At some companies, there is the additional complication that there may be fewer senior positions such that you must wait for a spot to free up or for the company to expand creating additional positions.

 

When you do finally reach the senior level, you will be responsible for leading larger projects and owning the relationship between your team and other teams.  You will have an important voice in how projects are addressed by the team.  For many, holding a senior level position will be the bulk of their career.  You usually reach this level before your career is half over and if you decide not to pursue a management position, it's where you will finish your career.

 

For those that choose to transition to management, your focus shifts from doing the tasks of the team to almost exclusively leading the team.  Personally, I think the most important responsibility of a manager is to support the career growth of their team.  Other responsibilities could include managing budgets, prioritizing projects, and ensuring that the team is achieving the team's goals.  But, if you build a good team and allow them to grow, everything else will take care of itself.

 

The final rung on the corporate ladder is the executive rung.  This is a part of the ladder that few people actually reach.  As an executive, you are setting corporate strategy and making decisions with a significant impact to the overall business.

 

The amount of time you spend between a senior role, a management role, and an executive role will really depend on your aspirations.  You may aspire to reach any of the three levels, but you may also find your climb stalled due to the limited number of opportunities at these levels.  Regardless of where you find yourself, in order to progress, look for a good mentor and make some of your own luck (Episode 013).

 

Have you mapped out your career plan in an IDP (Episode 002)?  If not, access ManagingACareer.com and request your free IDP Template via the contact form.

When your career begins, your key responsibilities are to do your tasks and to grow your skills.  With enough time, this is often sufficient to justify a promotion.  However, as you reach higher career levels, there comes with it, the expectation that you are not just producing results, but also leading others on your team.  Even without the title and responsibility of being a manager, leadership is a skill that everyone should work to develop.

 

If I boil "leadership" down into a single concept, I would have to say that being a leader means "enabling your team to do more".  That single concept is the key to good leadership.  It's not about specific actions, just doing whatever is necessary to improve the ability of your team to produce.

 

Initially, leadership is more of an informal activity.  Your work output is still expected to maintain near current levels.  But, as leadership becomes more formal, it takes up a larger percentage of your day and your direct output will wane.  However, as a leader, your indirect output is your impact multiplied through the number of people that you lead.  This is why managers may not appear to "do" anything, but, if they are a good leader, they are enabling their team to be more productive than if they were led by someone else.

 

The first and easiest form of leadership is one that you can take entirely on your own.  It's not one that you need any special permission to take.  It's leading by example.  When junior team members are unsure of what to do next or are not confident in what decision to take, they'll often defer to senior members.  Whether you actively pursue this form of leadership or not, just by nature of experience, you could find yourself in this position.  The best thing to do is to recognize the fact and make sure that you are setting a good example for your team.

 

While leading by example is a good practice, it can also lead to burnout as you try to continue to produce at a consistently high level.  It also has the smallest impact to the improvement of the team.  Eventually, you will need to take a more active form of leadership.

 

If your team is young and inexperienced, leadership may take the form of education -- often through mentoring and coaching.  Teaching them better techniques enables them to do more of their existing tasks.  Teaching them additional skills allow them to take on new tasks and do more through expansion of responsibility.

 

Another form of leadership is through improving process efficiencies.  Leveraging seniority and more experience, you can enable your team by eliminating unnecessary or redundant process steps and by automating steps or entire processes.

 

Education and process efficiencies are team focused leadership.  Eventually, you will need to turn outwards in order to enable your team.

 

Sometimes, leadership is about removing roadblocks.  When your team is unable to make progress on their tasks, a leader can leverage their experience, their network, or their authority to help the team resume progress.  A leader's experience can help the team find ways around the roadblock.  A well-connected leader may know someone who can remove the roadblock or at least a person who can introduce them to someone who can.  And lastly, a leader with the proper authority can just command that the roadblock be removed.

 

And lastly, another important aspect of leadership is protecting your team.  This is often reserved for a leader who is a manager or executive because protection usually involves some sort of political maneuvering.  A leader can advocate for help -- either from another team or in the form of growing the team -- if the team is asked to do more than they are capable of or work that they do not have the skills to do.  A leader can help resolve conflict across teams.  Or, a leader can protect the team from excessive work or unnecessary process.

 

Whether formally or informally, leadership qualities are a key component of advancement.  We've discussed several types of leadership today, so spend time in the coming weeks and months working on those skills. 

 

If you're finding these podcast episodes helpful but want to hear more, why don't you go to ManagingACareer.com and leave me a message via the contact form.  I'd love to hear what topics you would like me to cover in a future episode.

The other day, I was reading a series of articles by Jean Hsu on Substack (link to part one).  These articles outline how ask-culture and guess-culture can clash at work and how to navigate the differences.

 

Ask Culture is when members of the group are inclined to ask for something even when the chance of receiving a "yes" are low.  Their belief is that people will say no unless they really want to say yes, so asking has no consequences.

 

Guess Culture is when members of the group are inclined to wait to ask for something until they guess that the chances of a "yes" are high.  Their belief is that people will be offended if they have to say no, so asking has high consequences.

 

Which type of person you are, an asker or a guesser, can have a huge impact on how your career progresses.  But it's not a single statement of "be a " because there are other factors that should be considered.

 

If you are an asker in a world of guessers, you could come across as aggressive or needy.  If guessers have to continually say "no" to your requests, they'll be offended that you didn't understand the pain that they feel.  Or if they say "yes" when they weren't fully ready to say yes, they will resent your request and the things that they had to put off in order to fulfill your request.

 

If you are a guesser in a world of askers, your needs will often be overlooked and the few instances when you do ask could still face a "no" that was easy to give but may have been a "yes" if you had asked again or pressed for more.

 

In reality, life is a spectrum and there is no one instance where a person or group is fully "asker" or fully "guesser" but having an understanding of the general mode that both you and your team operate in will reduce the opportunities for conflict.  It's not quite as simple as telling the asker to "guess more" or the guesser to "ask more", but that's at least a good place to start.

 

If you are an asker, the key is understanding that the guesser sees being forced to say no as the greatest offense….so much so that they will sometimes say yes even when they don't want to do so but at a cost of increased resentment towards the asker.  When you ask for something, ask in a softer manner so that saying "no" isn't uncomfortable…..just be careful that you don't ask in such a way that "no" is the default answer.  Consider the difference between "Can I have a raise?" vs "Have I done everything necessary to be in position for a raise?".

 

If you are a guesser, you are often trying to read the person you are asking to ensure a "yes".  Instead of trying to glean clues on your own, ask exploratory questions.  These exploratory questions will express your interest without feeling like you are asking directly.  It also prepares the askee for that "yes" when you finally ask.  As with the asker, asking "Have I done everything necessary to be in position for a raise?" expresses your interest in a raise and allows you to ask "Can I have a raise?" when the answer to the previous question is yes.

 

In both instances, the softer question will still lead to your ultimate request but without raising the potential for conflict in ask vs guess styles.

 

If you find these episodes useful, help me spread the word.  Tell your friends about Managing A Career and leave a review in the podcast app of your choice.

As with any career, it's important to periodically check your progress.  Since this podcast started you should have held at least two career development discussions with your leader.  Hopefully you're making the most of these session and have worked with your leader to put together an action plan.  Recent episodes should have given you some things to talk about with your leader.

 

Episode 008 covered recognition and how letting your manager know what forms of recognition motivate you will ensure that when your work is valued, you know.  The five types of recognition were Monetary, Tokens of Appreciation, Words of Acknowledgement, Visibility, and Prestige.

 

Next, in episode 009, we talked about deciding whether you should stay in a technical role or start transitioning to management.  There is no "perfect" answer and it will ultimately depend on the career roadmap you've documented in your individual development plan.

 

If you do decide to transition to management, episode 010 talks about different types of leaders on a mediaeval battlefield.  Leading from the front like the melee fighters works well in critical times.  Leading from the side as in the calvary is where most new managers start because they understand the day-to-day having grown through those ranks.  Leading from behind like the archers is where leaders who focus on enabling their team and staying out of their way operate.  Leading from above like the nobles and generals allows one to focus on strategic thinking.

 

In episode 011, we  covered a structure for your one-on-ones.  This structure had four main agenda items.

• Performance against annual company goals
• Performance against IDP action plan
• Feedback from peers and business partners
• Actions until next session

 

Speaking of feedback, episode 012 discussed techniques for receiving effective feedback.

• Get in the right mindset
• Ask open-ended questions
• Close your mouth and open your ears
• Resist the urge to be defensive
• Take lots of notes
• Offer thanks, not promises
• Scheduled a follow-up

 

And lastly, episode 013 covers how sometimes your success is the result of luck.  But that luck is really a result of the preparation and opportunities that you have made for yourself.

 

So, in these past six weeks, have you made any progress on your career goals?  Go to the Managing A Career community that's accessible from the ManagaingACareer.com website and let me know which of these past six episodes have helped you the most!

The Roman philosopher Seneca has a quote about how luck happens when preparation meets opportunity.  When it comes to your career, this is so very true.  If you spend your time waiting for an advancement to fall into your lap, you'll often be disappointed.

 

No matter how many stories you hear about someone who is promoted frequently, there are just as many stories of people who have languished in the same role for years.  Often, the former have spent time growing skills, networking, and being open to change while the later have just been focused on their job duties.

 

Preparation.  In previous episodes, I've covered several ways that you can prepare so that when opportunity comes, you can take it.

• As covered in Episode 003 Find a mentor that has been where you are.  Having "been you", they can speak to what steps they took to get to the next level.  They can guide you through the technical and political skills you need to develop.
• Document your work as described in Episode 005 so that others can follow behind you when you move to a new opportunity.  If there is no one else to take over your tasks, you will miss out on many opportunities.  Probably the worst feeling is knowing that you were ready for an opportunity, but you were passed over because you were "too critical" for your current job.
• In Episode 012, I addressed listening to feedback and using it to improve.  Not only will people recognize your willingness to adapt and change, but they will also see you as more capable of doing the "next" job.
• Additionally, continue to study so that you have the skills and knowledge you need when an opportunity presents itself.

 

Opportunity.  Don't wait for opportunity to come to you, seek it out.

• Prepare your IDP from Episode 002.  Understanding where you want your career to go and the roadmap to get there will help you recognize opportunities that may be less obvious.  Pay attention to when there may be lateral shifts today that may provide larger opportunities in the future.  For example, a shift to a different organization or manager at your current company could present more challenging work or be an area with faster growth.
• Hold regular one-on-ones with your leader using the structure from Episode 011 and communicate your career plan.  Having your manager on your side will give you someone else helping identify opportunities.  Knowing that you have a desire for something different will allow your manager to consider you for opportunities that he may not have expected you to be interested in.
• Continue to grow and expand your network by participating in industry organizations.  Other than my very first job, every job I've had since has been because of my network.  At certain levels, advancement becomes more of a factor of who you know than what you know.

 

There will be those who have done all of the preparation, but aren't watching for opportunities.  They will advance just by the nature of doing what's expected of them.  But they aren't driving their career, it's happening to them -- and likely slower than they want.  There will also be those who are open and aware of all of the opportunity around them.  However, they haven't prepared and are unable to capitalize on the opportunity.  But, when everything comes together……that's the luck that will bring you success.

 

In the close of each episode, I make the statement: own your career and navigate the path to professional success.  A large component of that ownership is preparing for future opportunities and acting when they present themselves.  Sometimes that will mean leaving a comfort zone and taking a risk.  Just trust in your preparation and leverage your network and the risk will pay off.

 

This week, I'm going to ask you to help me spread the word for the Managing A Career podcast.  Go to your podcast platform of choice and leave me a review.  Reviews will help others find my podcast and receive the same benefits that you're receiving.  Tell your friends and coworkers about the podcast.  Help me reach more people.

 

I was inspired to cover this topic by a post that I saw on LinkedIn by Jackie Simon of Jackie Simon Coaching.  In that post, she listed 20 Great Questions to ask in a One-on-One meeting.  This was a good follow-up to my previous episode on how to structure your one-on-one.  One topic in that structure was focused on feedback, so this week, I'm diving in a little deeper on how to get good feedback which includes asking open ended questions.

 

I'm sure many of you have had a similar conversation with a leader or a trusted peer where you ask how you're doing and their response is "great" or "fine" or something similar.  There isn't anything you can do to improve from that type of feedback.  So, let's talk about some techniques you can use to gather better feedback.

 

Get in the right mindset.  The first key to getting good feedback is to get in the right mindset to receive feedback.  Meaningful feedback should be targeting your work or your results and not you as an individual.  So, as you solicit feedback, remember that it isn't about YOU.  This mindset will allow you to be more receptive to hearing anything potentially negative.

 

Ask open-ended questions.  Asking yes or no questions or questions with a simple answer will make it difficult to get real, honest feedback.  Look at the list of open-ended questions that Jackie listed in her post.  Taking inspiration from them and rewording to fit this situation, these are the ones that stand out to me:  "What have you observed about my work lately?" and "Which of my strengths should I use more often?" and "What would you like to see less of?" and "How can I support you?" and "How satisfied are you with the work that I'm doing"?

 

Close your mouth and open your ears.  When receiving feedback, it's important to not just hear what's being said, but actually listen to it.  Let them have their say before reacting to it.  It's ok to clarify their remarks, but limit yourself to just a few questions or statements.  Try to stick to phrases along the lines of: "Can you explain that in more detail?" and "Tell me more."  The goal is to understand not just the statements they are making but the underlying reasons that they have those remarks.

 

Resist the urge to be defensive.  The feedback you are hearing is the perception of the giver.  Even if their perception is incorrect, it's how the situation was perceived.  Instead of defending, reflect on why they have an incorrect view and figure out how you can act differently to ensure that they interpret things correctly in the future.  If you are explaining your actions, you aren't listening to what they are actually saying.

 

Take lots of notes.  There is going to be a lot said.  You can't rely on your memory to capture all of the details.  Write down all of the comments and before the session wraps, review them with the person giving feedback.

 

Offer thanks, not promises.  Once the feedback has been collected, thank them for their time but resist the urge to respond to any of it.  Take this feedback back to your desk and really reflect on it.  Think about what can you change about your approach.  Is there anything you can do differently to ensure that the perception of others matches your intent?  When you respond in the "heat of the moment", you likely won't have a clear action plan and your response may come across as dismissive of their feedback.

 

Schedule a follow-up.  After you have had time to reflect on the feedback and formulated a plan, meet back with them and review the plan.  It shows them that you value their feedback which will lead to more feedback in the future.  And by reviewing the plan, they can offer insights into whether they think those actions will be effective and possibly offer additional actions that you can consider.

 

We covered how to receive good, actionable feedback.  So, spend the next few days thinking about which peers and leaders you can reach out to and solicit feedback from them.  Then, go to the Managing A Career community and tell me how that went.

An important aspect of managing your career is having regular conversations with your manager about your career goals and performance.  What does a GOOD career development one-on-one look like?

 

First, when discussing timing, I think that a good cadence for career development conversations is once every four to six weeks.  Any more frequently, and there hasn't been enough time to act on any of the feedback and experience any noticeable change.  Any less frequently, and you don't get enough feedback.  Don't be afraid to schedule recurring meetings with your manager to discuss your career if they don't initiate them.  There have been multiple instances in my work history that I've been the owner of my one-on-one.

 

If your manager plays more than one role, such as in smaller companies, you may meet with them more frequently, but those conversations are often more focused on status reporting of current work.  Those are necessary for other reasons, but be sure to turn the conversation towards your career goals periodically, too.  If you find that your one-on-one conversations with your manager never turn towards career development, schedule a separate series specifically targeting career and performance.

 

Once the cadence is established each one-on-one should cover these primary agenda items:

• Performance against annual company goals
• Performance against IDP action plan
• Feedback from peers and business partners
• Actions until next session

 

When discussing your performance against company goals, pay attention that this does not devolve into project status discussions.  Whether you meet or exceed your company goals usually contributes to your annual rating and ultimately any potential raise.  Consistently high ratings will make it easier for your manager to justify a promotion when the time comes.  As such, keeping abreast of how you compare with your goals is critical.

 

Your individual development plan (covered in episode 002) is the roadmap that you've set for your career.  Since your personal goals may not always perfectly align with the company goals, so it's important to ensure that you put as much effort into what YOU want as what they want.  Keeping focus on the Action Plan in your IDP ensures that your manager is helping you progress your career the way you want.

 

Feedback is an important part of any improvement.  Your day-to-day involves working closely with your peers and business partners and understanding what you do well and what you do poorly from their perspectives allows you to make appropriate adjustments.  These adjustments should improve collaboration, making it easier to reach your goals -- both company and personal.

 

The final topic to cover is what actions you will take between now and your next one-on-one.  Update the Action Plan in your IDP to mark any actions completed and add any new actions that you will be working on after each one-on-one.  At least once per quarter, update your corporate goals to show progress there.  Summarize everything in an email and send it to your manager in order to document both your progress and actions.  The email provides a paper trail as well as a reminder of what was discussed when you next meet.

 

People are more willing to help people when they know that person is looking to help themselves.  Using this basic structure allows you to focus on continued improvement and keeps your manager in the loop on that progress and show your them your interest in growth and improvement.  This should lead towards faster advancement in both your current position as well as towards your personal career goals.

 

If you haven't created your individual development plan yet, go to ManagingACareer.com and request your free IDP template by filling out the contact form at the bottom of the page.

 

If you imagine a medieval battlefield there were four main groups involved in the fighting.  There were the mele fighters who were the front lines -- the men carrying swords and spears or other similar weapons.  There was also the calvary -- men mounted on horse or later riding in chariots.  The next group fought with ranged weapons -- bows and crossbows and eventually siege engines such as catapults and trebuchet.  The final group were the lords and generals observing and commanding from an elevated position.  Each group needed a different form of leadership and I believe there are parallels in today's modern businesses.

 

The infantry was lead from the front.  These leaders were in the thick of the action with their men, shouting orders and inspiring their men by performing the same tasks that they were.  This style of leadership works well for short bursts such as times of crisis or when the team is inexperienced or just forming.  However, once the team is established and any crisis has passed, this same style of management becomes micromanaging which can demoralize a team.

 

The leaders of the calvary lead from the side.  They were not leading the charge but they were still there with their men.  From that position, they could adapt quickly and adjust tactics as opportunities presented themselves.  In the business world, this is a style that works well in an industry of constant change.  It can also be useful for a leader who has grown through the ranks; they have firsthand knowledge of the work, but are now in a position of management.

 

When it came to ranged attacks, they were lead from behind.  The leader was responsible for coordinating the attack.  From behind, they could see both the battlefield as well as those under their command.  Unleashing a volley of arrows or coordinating the activities of a siege engine required timing to ensure that everything went off without issue.  In the business world, this type of leader is one who trusts and empowers his team to act but ensures that they are coordinated on the project goals.  Managers who lead from behind amplify their team by seeing the big picture and remove the roadblocks so the team can progress.  When people talk about "good" managers they are often referring to people with this leadership style.

 

The final group of leaders, the nobility and generals, lead from above.  They are positioned where they can see the entire battle field and dispatch orders to the various groups via messengers.  Because of the time it takes for their orders to reach the various units, that necessitates that those orders are more strategic in nature; they can't react quickly and adapt to the changing conditions.  In a business, the directors and executives fill this role.  If a direct manager takes this approach the stand-off nature can lead to the team feeling lost and undirected.

 

Each style of leadership - from the front, from beside, from behind, and from above - all have their place in the corporate world.  The key is understanding when each style applies and being able to transition between them as the situation calls for.

 

If you've been enjoying this podcast, I would appreciate it if you shared it with a friend or coworker.  ManagingACareer.com has links to several of the major podcast apps and directories or you can search for it by name in the podcast app of your choice.

So, the answer on how to choose a future career path is…..it depends.  It depends on you and your desires and it depends on the company you work for.

 

So, obviously, "it depends" isn't a very useful answer.  So let's dive in to some of the factors that I would use in making that decisions.

 

First, keep in mind that depending on the size of the company you work for, a position may wear many hats.  Someone at a smaller company with a title of Manager may actually be a people manager as well as a project manager and may even take on some of the same tasks as any other member of the team.  In a larger company, you usually are able to specialize and be responsible for only one of those roles.  Making the transition from an individual role to a management role may be influenced by how many hats you would be asked to wear and how prepared you are for each one.  For the remainder of the discussion, I'm going to assume management career path refers to the people management role.

 

Following the technical path is the easy choice.  Most likely you entered your field because of a love or passion for the work.  As long as you can keep up with the changing technology and remain relevant, that passion will probably continue as long as you want it to.  There is often a cap to how far you can advance in any technical career, but the intangibles of loving what you do can be a very compelling reward by itself.

 

If you enjoy career development -- coaching, mentoring, skill building, team building, hiring, etc. -- then you may enjoy being a manager.  Just keep in mind that sometimes being a manager also requires you to deal with things like conflicts among the team, firing people, and taking blame for any failings of the team.  People management is often the beginnings of the management track that can lead all the way to CEO.  So, where a technical track has a ceiling, a management track is just the floor.

 

The third option, engineering management, isn't an option at every company -- and sometimes not in every area of a company that has the option, but where it is offered, is a blend between the two.  It's a way to keep one foot in each camp.  However, where technical has a ceiling and management is the floor, engineering management often suffers from being an option for only a narrow band of career progress.

 

So, how to choose.  I'll refer back to Episode 002 - the Individual Development Plan and take a look at your career vision and roadmap.  Which track leads you to fulfilling your career vision?

 

And the unasked question is WHEN to change.  There is no right answer, but as mentioned in Episode 003 - Mentoring, that's a good way to show leadership and can be a preview of some of the aspects of management.  If you've taken those steps and feel comfortable in the mentor role, you may be ready to jump into people management.  But if "manager" is a role with many hats, you'll need to evaluate whether you are ready to wear ALL of the hats.

 

If a management track is something that you're considering but are unsure about, go to ManagingACareer.com and request the free IDP template via the feedback form.  You can use that same form to submit questions and show topics that I may address on a future episode.

 

 

Has your career quietly veered off course—not with a dramatic crash, but with a slow, almost imperceptible drift? One missed opportunity. One unchallenging role. One "maybe next year" that turned into five. Then one day, you look up and realize you're nowhere near where you thought you'd be.

Here's the good news: every detour has a reentry point. You won't fix it overnight, but you can start with one small, intentional correction. And that shift—however minor—is how momentum begins.

 

How Did We Get Here?

Before we talk solutions, let's rewind. Career drift doesn't happen in isolation. It's usually the result of subtle, compounding forces: lack of challenge, fuzzy goals, a toxic boss, or simply being too good at a role that stopped growing with you.  This isn't about blame—it's about reclaiming agency. Because the first step to any meaningful course correction is knowing exactly what you're correcting.

 

1. Comfort

Maybe you find comfort in what you currently do.  Success can be a trap. When you're great at what you do, it's easy to settle into a groove that feels safe. But comfort rarely equals growth. Over time, that once-exciting role becomes routine, and the lack of challenge quietly erodes your ambition. You stop stretching, stop risking—and eventually, stop progressing.

2. Unclear Goals

Maybe you started with a clear destination: a title, a salary, a corner office. But goals evolve. If yours haven't kept pace with your values, you're likely chasing something that no longer feels meaningful. Without fresh direction, even the most polished resume starts to feel like a list of someone else's priorities.

3. Loyalty That Limits

Or maybe you're loyal -- to a fault.  You care about your team. You've built relationships, mentored others, maybe even carried a struggling department. Leaving feels like betrayal. But here's the truth: staying out of obligation isn't noble—it's self-sabotage. Loyalty should never cost you your growth.

4. Fear

And one of the biggest hinderances to growth?  Fear.  Fear is ambition's quiet saboteur. Fear of failure. Fear of the unknown. Fear of not being good enough in a new space. It convinces you to stay put, wait for "the right time," and avoid the discomfort of change. But fear doesn't vanish on its own—it shrinks only when you move toward it.

 

Reclaiming Direction with the IDP

One of the most effective tools for getting your career back on track is the Individual Development Plan (IDP). I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the top-down approach works.

Start with your Vision—your long-term destination. Then chart your Roadmap, assess your current state, define your Next Role, and break it all down into an actionable plan. This isn't career theory—it's a practical framework that turns ambition into movement.

Want a deeper dive? Episodes 36–40 of the Managing A Career podcast (https://managingacareer.com/36) walk through each step with real-world examples and templates.

 

1. Career Vision: What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

The Career Vision is the soul of your IDP. Start with the end in mind. What role do you want to hold when you retire? Where do you see yourself in 10 years—or just 2? Whether you're aiming for CEO or a niche expert role, define the destination. Then reverse-engineer the path. Promotions, lateral moves, skill-building—it all depends on where you are now and where you want to go.

This isn't about rigid timelines. It's about mapping the milestones.

2. Honest Assessment: Where Are You Now?

Remember your assessment of where you are now isn't your annual review. It's a candid look at your current role through the lens of capability, not just performance. Start with your job description. Identify strengths, flag weaknesses, and spot growth opportunities. Ask trusted peers and leaders for feedback—they'll see what you might miss.  Then repeat the exercise for your next role. Look for gaps that persist across both, and note strengths that might not translate upward. The more honest you are in this step, the more actionable your plan will be.

3. Action Plan: Build the Bridge

Now that you've spotted the gaps, it's time to close them. Create a set of actions to turn weaknesses into strengths. Focus on the overlap between your current and next role. This could mean training, stretch assignments, or mentoring—either as mentor or mentee.

Each action should include:

• The activity
• The skill or gap it addresses
• A target timeline

Loop in your manager. If some actions fall outside your job scope, look beyond work—night classes, volunteer projects, anything that builds the muscle.

4. Successes: Track the Wins

As you complete items in your action plan, move them to your Successes section. Celebrate them. Document your progress—promotions, role changes, major skill gains. This section is your proof that growth is happening, even when it feels slow.

5. Keep It Alive

Your IDP isn't a one-and-done document. Revisit it quarterly. Update your action plan and successes often. As your career evolves, reassess your strengths and weaknesses against new responsibilities. If your vision shifts—because you've grown or simply changed your mind—that's fine. Update it.

Nothing in this plan is set in stone. It's yours to shape.

 

The IDP: Your Career's Reset Button

The beauty of the IDP is that it doesn't care why your career drifted—it just helps you get moving again.

• Stuck in comfort? The Career Vision section forces you to zoom out and ask, "Is this really where I want to end up?"
• Lost in vague goals? The IDP gives you structure: a destination, a roadmap, and measurable steps.
• Trapped by loyalty? The Honest Assessment and Action Plan help you evaluate whether that loyalty is helping or hindering your growth.
• Paralyzed by fear? The Successes section becomes your proof that progress is possible—one small win at a time.

The IDP doesn't just guide your career. It gives you permission to own it.

 

Let's be honest—careers don't derail overnight. They drift. Slowly. Quietly. But the IDP gives you a way to take back control. It's not just a worksheet; it's a strategic tool to reconnect with your ambition, assess your readiness, and build momentum toward the career you actually want.

Whether you're recalibrating or reinventing, the IDP meets you where you are—and helps you move forward with intention.

 

Ready to get started? Head to the Contact Form on ManagingACareer.com and request your free copy of the IDP template. It's time to stop drifting and start designing.

So, the company I work for has an annual employee survey and my results recently came out.  In most areas, I score well, over 90% positive.  But one question that I have consistently scored between 80 and 85% favorable (for multiple years) is around how achievements are celebrated and valued.  In my organization, we've implemented a few recognition programs, but they do not seem to have moved the needle when it comes to that particular question.  Because of this, I've been reflecting lately on what does it actually mean to recognize someone.

 

In the early 90's, Dr Gary Chapman conceptualized the Five Love Languages.  These were the five ways that someone expresses or experiences love.  They are classified as Acts of Service, Gift-Giving, Physical Touch, Quality Time, and Words of Affirmation.  The premise being that showing love in the "language" that the recipient prefers will lead to more meaningful interactions.  When there is a disconnect in styles, the partner may not identify that love was being offered leading to resentment and relationship strife.

 

Using the love language concept as a base, I believe that there are parallels in how people feel recognition and are motivated.  Understanding which aspects motivate you or, if you are a leader, what motivates your team can ensure that everyone feels properly valued.  Instead of Chapman's love languages, I'm going to classify the motivation or recognition aspects as Monetary, Tokens of Appreciation, Words of Acknowledgement, Visibility, and Prestige.

 

Monetary rewards are an obvious method because we're talking about a job or career.  Monetary rewards could include recurring rewards such as raises or commissions or it could include non-recurring rewards such as gift-cards or bonuses.  Typically recurring rewards are given for longer term sustained performance and non-recurring rewards are tied to specific actions or projects.  But money will only serve as a motivator for so long before it loses its power.  Some people reach a point where they have "enough" (whatever that may mean to them) or they simply aren't motivated by money at all.

 

Tokens of Appreciation are non-monetary rewards.  These could be awards such as certificates, plaques, or trophies that can be displayed proudly.  Or it could be company logoed items such as articles of clothing or office products.  Besides physical gifts, tokens of appreciation could also be non-physical things like days off.  Often these tokens of appreciation have a higher perceived value than actual cost to the company so they are easier for leaders to offer than monetary rewards, so are more frequently used as rewards for short-term efforts.

 

The next form of recognition is Words of Acknowledgement.  Whether public or private they can go a long way in making someone feel valued.  Public recognition, whether a shout-out in a group meeting or email thread or a dedicated slide presented in an all-hands meeting, can provide positive visibility for an individual.  Private praise or thanks may feel more genuine or may be preferred by the more introverted and reserved on the team.

 

Visibility is something that probably isn't initially thought of as a form of recognition, but arranging for someone to present their work to the larger organization can showcase their capabilities.  Other forms of visibility could be setting up a 1-on-1 with a leader higher in the organization or establishing a mentoring relationship with an important person in the company.  This face-time can bring awareness that makes it easier for a leader to justify a larger raise or a desired promotion in the future.

 

The final form of recognition is what I'm calling Prestige.  Prestige is some sort of reward that elevates someone's position within the team or organization.  It could be a change in title or a change in role -- for example, a change from a Software Engineer to a Software Architect may only be a lateral move but it could represent a more coveted role for someone.  Prestige could also come in the form of a promotion --- from Accountant to Senior Accountant.  Other forms of prestige could be in choice assignments.  This could be a project that has more visibility or importance to the organization.  Or, it could be an assignment that offers a bigger challenge such as one that provides an opportunity to work with new techniques or technologies.  These types of prestige awards can signal to your peers that you have gained status, authority, or responsibility.  Alternatively, receiving a prestige assignment could set you up for a desired promotion.

 

Once your preferred form of recognition has been identified, it's key to let your leader know.  Personally, recognition is something that can improve on and I think a lot of that stems from not speaking the same recognition language as my team.  For me, I'm most motivated by prestige -- in particular, choice assignments.  So, my default method of recognizing my team is to offer them similar types of opportunities.  But if that isn't their preferred method, they may not understand my actions to be a form of recognition.  *MY* homework after this episode is to talk to each member of my team and determine what their preferred form of recognition is.

 

Your homework is to self-reflect on what motivates you and let your manager know.  Once you've identified your preferred forms of recognition, why don't you go ManagingACareer.com and access the community.  Once there, let me know what forms of recognition resonates with you.

In episode one - Higher Level Tasks, I talked about how you should be looking for opportunities to increase the scope and impact of the work that you perform.  Delegating and automating process driven tasks and soliciting for work that involves more discretion and judgement.

 

In episode two - Individual Development Plan, I walked you through the process of creating an IDP and initiating a conversation with your manager to convey your desires to your leader.  I also offered a template that you can request via the contact form on my website at ManagingACareer.com.

 

Episode three - Mentoring, I cover the benefits of being a mentor, especially in a situation where you want to showcase leadership skills even though your current duties aren't specifically leader focused.

 

Episode four - Being "scared", is about how to manage your fears and still achieve success.  By relying on your personal strengths and your network, you can gain the confidence you need to be successful.

 

Episode five - Documenting Your Work, is sort of a continuation on episode one.  By producing Troubleshooting Guides, How-To articles, and Standard Operating Procedures, you can enable other members of your team to perform some of the process oriented tasks that you own freeing yourself for higher level tasks.

 

Episode six - Urgent vs Important, is again a continuation on the topic of Higher Level Tasks.  In this episode, I discuss evaluating whether your work is urgent or important and how you can structure conversations with your leader to gain those types of assignments.

 

With my team, I like to scheduled career development conversations every four to six weeks.  Any shorter and there really isn't enough time to make progress on the feedback.  Any longer and you can lose momentum and stall your progress.  In this podcast, I'm going to stop and reflect on the previous episodes on a similar schedule.

 

So, in these past six weeks, have you made any progress on your career goals?  Even just defining them can help set things in motion.  I think that the most important action you can take is creating your Individual Development Plan.  Your IDP puts structure around your career goals.  Once it's complete, discuss it with your leader.  Use your IDP to determine what "higher level tasks" apply to your career roadmap.  Create Action Plan items around documenting the work that you will be passing to others.  Create Action Plan items around ensuring that your work is growing in importance.

 

If you're struggling with filling out your IDP, join the community and start a conversation there.  I'd be happy to answer questions and offer suggestions on how to build it.  You can find the community by going on ManagingACareer.com and clicking the Community link there.

Based on the lead quote, Stephen Covey popularized the concept of the "Eisenhower Decisions Matrix" in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  The basic premise is that you should rank the things you need to do based on two axes - Is it Important?  and Is it Urgent?  Anything that is both important and urgent should be your primary focus.  Things that are important but not urgent should be work that you schedule to do later (once the first group is complete).  Things that are urgent but not important should be delegated to someone else.  And, lastly, anything that is not important and not urgent should be ignored.  This is a very simplistic but effective approach to managing your work. 

 

In Episode 001 - Higher Level Tasks, I talked about how taking on tasks with increased scope and impact to your team / organization / company will put you in a better position to advance.  But, when your work is controlled by someone else, what do you do if you find yourself working on items that fall into the last two quadrants?

 

The first step is to have a conversation with your manager or whoever assigns your work.  If you haven't created your Individual Development Plan (covered in Episode 002 - IDP), go to ManagineACareer.com and fill out the contact form to request the free template and complete your development plan.  Once you have your IDP, schedule a 1x1 with your manager and talk to them about your career goals and how you would like to have assignments that help you make progress towards your career vision.

 

If you manager agrees and provides you with more challenging opportunities, great.  You're on your way.  But this isn't always the case.  If this doesn't result in new assignments, understanding why will help you decide on your next course of action.

 

I would like to give you something more challenging, but you're just not ready.  If your manager indicates that you aren't ready for the next level of task, hopefully that included an honest conversation about what areas are holding you back.  Before you leave the 1x1 you should work with you manager to identify several items to add to your Action Plan.  You should also immediately schedule a follow-up with your manager in a month to a quarter to review your progress depending on how involved the action items are.  Be sure to update the Assessment section of your IDP with the feedback as well.

 

I have nothing more challenging that I can give you.  If your manager is unable to give you higher level tasks, you should reflect on your place in the company.  Does your team actually have any work that is important to your organization?  Does your organization have work that is important to the company?  Does your manager have enough political clout to attract more impactful projects?  If you can answer yes to these questions, then you should ask you manager how you can help your team win this work.

 

If your manager won't help you find work that is bigger in scope or can't point to areas that you need to improve, is there something else?

 

Have you had opportunities in the past that you were less than successful at?  Have you lost the trust of your manager?  To regain that trust, focus on performing your current assignments at the highest level.  Reflect on what improvements you can focus on to eliminate that failure and add them to your Action Plan.  After you have made progress, schedule time with your manager to review your progress and show them that you are working on bettering yourself.  Once you have regained their trust, revisit the discussion about higher level tasks.

 

Do you have a good relationship with your manager?  You don't necessarily need to be a favorite, but if your manager doesn't like you or if they have some sort of bias, that may be holding you back.  It may be time to bring someone else into the conversation -- either your next level manager or someone from the HR department.  Whether they act as mediators or override some of the choices of your manager, having someone else on your side can get you the advanced assignments you're looking for.  Just be sure to execute on these assignments or you risk making a tense situation worse.  Plan on communicating often (maybe even OVER communicating) with both your manager and the other person in order to give progress on the new assignment.  Having this audit trail will serve as protection from retaliation if your manager does not take the escalation well.

 

Lastly, if your team or organization doesn't have more important work and your manager is unable to use influence to gain that work, it may be time to look elsewhere -- whether within the company or outside.  This may seem like an extreme step, being on a strong team and having a strong manager will help you advance faster than a weak team or a weak manager.  It's your career and if you don't own it, no one else will.

 

Have you experienced any trouble in trying to increase your scope of responsibility?  If so, why not go to ManagingACareer.com and access the community and share your story.

One of the things that I often tell my team is "if you're the only one who can, you're the one who always will".  What I mean by that is that if you're a single point of knowledge, as a manager, I can't assign those tasks to anyone else and you'll always be expected to perform it.

 

For some, that will seem like job security, but when you are looking to advance in your career, it can be career limiting.  As a manager and leader, I am frequently looking for opportunities to assign someone on my team new responsibilities.  But if there is a task that can only be done by one person on my team, regardless of how mundane it is, I am unable to give that person new responsibilities because I need to be sure that they are available for the tasks that only they can perform.

 

In a pervious episode, I talked about taking on higher level tasks in order to exhibit more value to the organization.  Part of taking on higher level tasks is delegating lower level tasks to more junior team members.  Knowledge sharing sessions are useful, but when the delegate encounters an unknown situation, they must return to you for additional sessions -- which can be disruptive to your focus on other work.  Providing documentation and decision trees provides artifacts that the delegate can reference first before seeking answers from you.  And, when an undocumented situation is encountered, it provides an opportunity for updating those artifacts.  As the documentation is refined, it becomes the handbook for anyone and everyone performing those tasks.

 

Probably the best documents to start with are Troubleshooting Guides.  Given that the goal is to enable other team members to take on work that keeps you from being able to take on higher level tasks, the most obvious choice is documenting how to solve problems as they come up.  Each process that you own is bound to encounter some sort of problem that the owner (you) is likely the only person familiar enough with the nuances of the process to identify the root cause and quickly resolve.  By documenting what attributes you evaluate during the diagnostic process (reports, logs, etc.) and offering suggestions as to how to interpret them can go a long way in enabling others on the team to assist when problems arise.

 

Another type of document you might produce is a How-To document.  These are simple documents targeted at a single participant and a single action.  Often they include click-by-click navigation through software with screenshots and descriptions.  It's beyond the scope of the How-To document to identify whether or not the process detailed in the document applies in any given situation, but the document provides all of the details required to complete the action once it has been determined that it does apply.  Examples of these types of documents might be "how to create a user in the system" or "how to restart the automated process after it fails". 

 

A standard operating procedure (SOP) is different from a How-To in that the SOP is focused on a higher level process and sometimes involves multiple participants.  The SOP starts with a description of the overall goal of the process and then provides a sequence of tasks that must be performed -- often in the form of a checklist or a flowchart.  The specifics of each task is assumed to be understood and may be listed in a more generic fashion so that the SOP applies in more situations.  The SOP could also include steps involving approvals or escalations, depending on how complex the process is.  Additionally, each step in the SOP document could refer to an appropriate How-To document.  Example SOPs could be "Onboarding new employees" or "Process for posting new social media content" or "Process for initiating a new project".

 

As you start the process of creating these documents, you may choose to document things top down (starting with SOPs and then providing details in How-To documents) or you could choose to document things bottom up (starting with How-To documents and then aggregating them in an SOP).  Regardless of what documents you create and how you create them, they are only useful if they are organized and easy to find when needed.  One tool that may work for you to capture all of these documents is a Wiki.  Wikis can provide a centralized place to house the documents and allow documents to easily be linked from one document to another as well as providing search capabilities.  A Wiki also allows for multiple authors so that as process change or details are discovered anyone can update the documents.

 

By providing well organized documentation of the things you know, you can enable others on your team to perform them.  This will free you up for other, higher-value tasks which in the end sets you up for advancement.

In the corporate world, being scared leads to self-doubt and inaction.  If your goal is to advance your career, those are two attributes that you CAN'T let take over.  So, when you find yourself feeling fear, what then?  The strongest tools against fear are knowledge, confidence, and action.

 

If the fear is based in change and the unknown, knowledge is power.  When you encounter this fear, educate yourself.  Your new found knowledge will give you the confidence to overcome the fear and resolve the issue.  Learning more about a situation gives you options --> Options give you confidence --> Confidence allows you to face the coming change without fear.

 

If your fear is the fear of failure, you only need to realize that no one succeeds 100% of the time.  A classic anecdote is about how many times Edison failed when working on the lightbulb.  The key takeaway is that failure is normal.  What's more important is how you react to the failure.  In Edison's case, he learned from each failure and used that to improve subsequent attempts.  When you do fail, what can you learn from it?  How can you use this knowledge to better handle the situation in the future?

 

There are very few actual dangers in a corporate office.  The fear that you experience is generally self-created.  Other than a few exceptions, most people experience the same fears.  You only need to be less scared than everyone else to be seen as confident.  Regardless of the source of your fear, the key is to not let it control you. 

 

When you ARE scared, lean on your network.  Start with your friends -- people who will support and encourage you.  Let them remind you of times when you had a similar fear and how you worked through it in those instances and were able to overcome them.  Work with your peers -- sometimes just knowing that you aren't facing a fear alone is enough of a confidence boost.  Reach out to leaders and mentors -- someone else who has gone through a similar situation can coach you on how to resolve the situation.

 

Sometimes, it just comes down to taking a risk -- a calculated, strategic risk.  In those instances, lean on your strengths.  Personally, I'm a fairly low-risk, conservative person, but rationale thought and logic are skills that I rely on when facing a fear.  I can trust those strengths to help me make a sound decision, thus reducing my fear of making a "wrong" choice.  Or maybe your strengths are centered on understanding people, use that to get a better read on how everyone feels about the situation.  Understanding the emotions of the team can lead you to a choice by consensus, reducing your individual fear by knowing that everyone else is just as invested in the result.  By focusing on your strengths, you'll have confidence in yourself and can focus on the situation more than the fear.

 

If you can identify the fear before you have to face it, something else you can do is practice facing it.  One of the most common fears is public speaking.  Practicing -- rehearsing your speech and knowing your content -- is something that you can do to ease the fear -- it won't necessarily go away, but it will make it better.  If you can practice other situations where you expect to face fear, you will make those situations better even if the fear is still there.

 

No matter what tool or strategy you use to conquer a fear, the more you do it, the easier it gets.  Eventually others will turn to you when THEY face fear.  And THAT'S how you get ahead, by being a leader in troubling situations.

 

If you're struggling with a fear or want to help someone else who is, participate in the community.  You can access it by going to ManagingACareer.com and clicking on the link.

Whether official policy or not, in many companies in order to be promoted, you have to have already begun doing the work of the next level.  When that next level is a position of leadership, it isn't always easy to have that work line up with your daily duties but mentoring is a one way you can exhibit those leadership skills.

 

Some mentoring relationships are focused on expertise; what you know about the job.  In these instances, focus on less experienced team members or people outside of your group who are new to the field.  You will be sharing your expertise to help them grow their skills and become capable of more advanced tasks  As you help them learn and grow, concentrate on answering WHAT to do and not HOW to do it.  This gives them more opportunity to figure things out and not just become reliant on you providing the answers.  Your goal isn't to take on their work but to get them to a point where they are capable of being more independent in their duties and eventually taking on higher level work.  Only when they are struggling, would you then give them the specific answer instead of guiding them to the answer.

 

Another technique that can be used in this expertise based mentoring is being a sounding board.  When your mentee encounters a problem, have them explain the problem and multiple potential solutions and explain why each one is a good choice or a bad choice.  Along the way, challenge their assumptions, point them to educational resources, and push them to think more critically.  Ultimately, they will learn to be more self-sufficient.

 

For you, The benefit of this type of mentoring is that your peers will trust you more; not just the person you're mentoring, but other teammates, too.  Your teammates will realize that explaining things to your mentee implies that you have a thorough understanding of it, leading them to respect your expertise.  They'll also see you as someone who is a team player who is interested in the betterment of the team and not just looking out for themselves.  An additional benefit is that your manager will recognize you as a leader and an expert.

 

Another type of mentoring relationship is one focused on experience in the job, particularly your experience within the company or industry.  This involves helping someone develop soft-skills and build relationships that can help them do their job better.  This type of mentoring should focus on peers who are new to the company or new to the field.  In these instances, look for opportunities to explain the nuances of processes that may be unfamiliar to your mentee.  At a high level, most processes are similar from one company to another, but there are always distinctions such as which group owns a particular step or the order that steps are performed.  Introducing your mentee to key players  in the process and explaining how to best interact with them allows your mentee to borrow some of your status in order to complete those processes more efficiently.

 

Another activity you might engage in with experience based mentoring is helping someone understand what it takes to advance in the job or the company.  You can do this by sharing anecdotes and introducing them to decision makers.  Additionally, you can share what actions are valued by the leaders or the organization which can lead your mentee to faster advancement.

 

Regardless of what type of mentoring you engage in, use it as an opportunity to learn from your mentee as well.  The questions they ask may help you revisit complexities of your job with fresh eyes.  Maybe that can lead to opportunities to optimize a process.  Experience based mentoring could give you a taste of some of the responsibilities of being a manager.  Take the opportunity to expand your network through your mentees.  Or maybe just get a positive feeling knowing that you helped someone else.  Mentoring doesn't have to be a one-way relationship and there are many ways that you can benefit.

 

There is a lot more to mentoring and this just touches the surface.  If you'd like to discuss it further go to ManagingACareer.com and access the Community.

An individual development plan is a document that YOU create and YOU own that documents how you'd like your career to progress.  It's main purpose is to facilitate communication with your leaders on your career goals - both short term and long term - and the progress you are making on those goals.  Once created, plan on reviewing its contents at least once per quarter in a one-on-one with you manager.

 

The IDP consists of three major sections:  The vision and road map; the assessment, and the action plan.  And then, it wraps up with the Successes section that tracks your progress on the action plan as well as your overall goals.

 

The first, and probably most important part of the IDP is the career vision.  I like to call it the "What do you want to be when you grow up?" section.  This part is a roadmap to your entire career.  Start with the end goal in mind and think ahead as far as you can……when you retire from work, what sort of position will you hold…..where do you see yourself in 10 years……or maybe you can only see 2 or 3 years ahead?  However far ahead that is, what sort of role will you have?  Will you remain in an individual role or will you run a company or somewhere in between?  Once you know the end goal, work backwards from that goal to your current position and determine what steps you need to take to get there.  Sometimes those steps involve promotions, and others, it may involve lateral moves or job changes.  That's really going to be dictated by where you are and where you want to be.  This section is not about specific timelines, just about the stops along your journey how long you should be in each position before progressing to the next.

 

Once you have set the vision, the next section is an honest assessment of where you are in your current role and how that compares to the next stop on your journey.  This assessment is different from your annual review, and is focused less on performance but more on ability.  Look at the responsibilities from the job description of your current role.  Identify your Strengths and Competencies as well as Weaknesses, and Opportunities for improvement against those responsibilities.  It may be helpful to solicit feedback from your trusted peers and leaders to help with this assessment.  Once you have made the assessment against your current role, do the same exercise for your next role.  Pay close attention to any weakness or opportunity that continues to be so for the next position.  Also look for strengths or competencies that, due to changes in responsibilities, become weaknesses or opportunities.

 

The third section is your action plan.  After you have identified the areas of weakness and opportunity, create a set of actions to turn them into competencies or strengths.  Focus on the areas that overlap between your current role and next role.  Suggested actions would be trainings and types of assignments or participating in a mentoring relationship (either as a mentor or a mentee, depending on the skill being worked).  Regardless, each action item should detail the activity to be performed, the weaknesses and opportunities that are being addressed, and a target timeline for completion.  This would be a good time to speak with your manager about the items in your action plan to ensure that you are given time and assignments to progress on them.  Any actions that do not align with your job duties may require you to seek opportunities outside of your working hours (such as attending night classes or volunteering for community projects in your area of interest).

 

At this point, your IDP is complete in terms of content, but there is one more important section.  Your Successes section.  As you complete items in your action plan, celebrate them and move them from the action plan to the success section.  As you progress to your next role, document that, too.  Your Successes section is a good way to reflect back on the progress you've made from when you started your plan to today.  Use this section as a way to remind yourself that progress is a journey and doesn't happen "overnight" and without hard work.

 

Your IDP is a living document.  You should revisit it at least once per quarter.  Update your action plan and your successes often.  As you progress through your career, reassess your strengths and weaknesses against your new responsibilities.  If you decided to change your end goal either because you can see further ahead or you've changed your mind about where you want to go, that's perfectly fine, but update your vision.  Nothing in this document is set in stone and you can update it whenever it's appropriate.

 

Now that your IDP is complete, review it with your leaders.  Use the action plan to help set your annual goals.  Use it to negotiate project assignments.  Get the support of leadership to help you reach the next stop in your career journey.

 

If you would like a free IDP template, go to our website at ManagingACareer.com and fill out the contact form and mention the free IDP template in the notes.  While you're there, feel free to ask career development questions or suggest show topics to be addressed in a future episode.

If we look at your day to day activities, some of your tasks are process driven.  They are driven by standard operating procedures (SOPs) that dictate what needs to be done.  There may be associated flowcharts and decision trees which direct your thoughts on the task at hand.  These tasks are necessary to the job.  Other than "do or do not", there really isn't much control that you have.  When you are new to the role -- either due to newly entering the field or being recently hired -- you're primarily focused on performing these tasks as detailed in the job description and these process driven tasks often consume much of your working time.

 

When you're not working on process driven tasks, the other type of tasks you perform involve discretion and judgement.  They typically involve creativity, problem solving, strategy, and decision making.  There is no standardized approach that works in all cases.  To perform these activities, you often rely on your education and experience.  The more senior you are on the team, the higher percentage of your day is spent working on these higher level tasks.

 

Your goal, in order to get ahead is going to be to figure out how to transition from doing primarily process driven tasks to working on these higher level tasks that allow you to shine and show your true capabilities.  In the corporate world, there is often an unwritten rule that you have to perform the job before you're promoted to the job.  By taking on the higher level tasks that your current role calls for, those around you will be better able to see the strengths that you bring to your role.  This will put you in a better position for that future promotion.

 

When you're early in your career, it may seem like you're so focused on these process driven tasks there's not a lot of opportunity for creativity, problem solving, strategy, and decision making -- the higher level tasks that lead to a promotion.  One thing you can do is focus on the processes that you are responsible for.  Is there room in that process to provide some efficiencies or streamline it in some way or some other optimization -- or adjust it to handle a case that hasn't been handled before.  That's one way to showcase your problem solving skills.  Alternatively, look for opportunities where other, more senior members of your team have so much on their plate that smaller decisions are falling through the cracks.  Volunteer to take on these decisions showing that you are both a team player but also someone capable of taking on more than your current responsibilities.  Even if your teammate has final say in the decision, by doing all of the leg work -- all of the research and analysis -- and providing a final recommendation, you'll have shown ownership and initiative…..qualities that will set you up for success.

 

Another opportunity is to look for those smaller projects that noone is working on.  If you have the bandwidth and flexibility -- especially if you've optimized your process driven tasks -- you can take on these smaller projects.

 

Later in your career, you'll have made the transition from process driven tasks to higher level tasks, but the next question you have to ask yourself is "what scope and scale do the decisions I participate in have to the organization?"  If those tasks are shorter-term focused and team level impact, those decisions are important, but your goal should be to look for tasks that have a wider, longer-term impact.  One way that your decisions will have a bigger scale and scope is to be involved in tasks that are more important rather than urgent.  Leave the urgent tasks for team members that are earlier in their career and looking for a chance to showcase their abilities.  Urgent tasks tend to be more tactical in nature and the impact not long lasting.  Once the urgent task is resolved and the urgency has passed, normalcy will return and the focus will shift back to important work.

 

Important tasks might include projects that will improve processes, increase efficiency, or drive growth.  Higher level tasks are often those that are most closely aligned with your organization's mission, goals,  and values. By focusing on tasks that reflect your company's values, you can help create a sense of purpose and meaning for you and your team.

 

As a manager or leader, your responsibility is to look for ways to bring higher level tasks to your team overall.  Much like an individual, you're trying to  grow and challenge your team by bringing bigger and bigger opportunities.  Look for projects and engagements  that will allow you to stretch the team, stretch their skills; challenge their capabilities -- helping them develop new skills and build their confidence.  Find those projects that are more impactful to the organization and in doing so, you're going to get your team into a position where they can all advance.

 

You can also look for opportunities to delegate your lower level tasks to your team.  As a leader, your tasks have wider impact to the organization that the tasks of your team.  Your responsibility to your team is to develop the team and help them advance along their career path, so by delegating less critical tasks to members of your team still gives them an opportunity to expand beyond their current scope and frees you up to focus on the most critical items such as finding higher level projects for to help the whole team grow.

 

So, we've seen today that the focus should be on figuring out how to get a bigger impact; a bigger sphere of influence across the organization by transitioning from process oriented tasks to higher level tasks.  I think that by doing that you should set yourself up for success and put yourself in a position to get that promotion when you're ready for it.

Welcome to Managing a Career, I'm Layne Robinson.

 

This podcast is aimed to help you navigate the path to professional success. Whether you're a recent graduate still searching for your place or a seasoned professional with years of experience, the knowledge and insights I will be sharing can show you how you can position yourself for growth and career advancement.

 

I've been a software developer for multiple Fortune 500 companies and spent time in the software consultant world, too.  The past few years, I made the transition to management and currently lead a team of over 40 developers across the globe.  In my 30 years, one thing I've realized is that most managers spend the majority of their one-on-one time focused on project status and not on career development.  It's usually left for the individual to figure out how to progress.  I have found that I actually enjoy mentoring and coaching and my teams are consistently recognized as some of the top teams in the company.

 

So, whether you plan on transitioning to management like I have or enjoy the "real" work too much to move away from an individual role, I'm sure to cover topics that can help you learn and grow.

 

So, subscribe in your podcast player of choice and head over to ManagingACareer.com where you can access our community, submit show topic ideas, or use any of the other career development resources you'll find there.

 

It's YOUR career and the only person who can take control of your career is you; no one else will do it for you.  So, go out there and take charge of your career.

 

For Managing A Career, this has been Layne Robinson.

 

 

 

In last week's podcast episode of the podcast, Episode 105 – Communication Etiquette (https://managingacareer.com/105), I talked about how seemingly small, everyday actions can shape how others perceive you at work. While these habits may not directly earn you a promotion, they quietly build your reputation with the very people who influence those decisions. This week, I want to take that conversation further by focusing on something even more subtle but just as powerful: non-verbal communication cues.

 

Why Non-Verbal Communication Matters

Whether you're in a casual hallway conversation, presenting in a meeting, or connecting over a video call, the way you carry yourself sets the tone for how others receive both you and your ideas. Confident posture, purposeful hand gestures, and aligned facial expressions signal credibility and invite trust. On the other hand, shrinking into your chair, avoiding eye contact, or trying to make yourself small often leads people to unconsciously dismiss not only your presence—but also the value of your message.

 

Confident non-verbal communication isn't just window dressing—it's the foundation of trust. Behavioral researcher Vanessa Van Edwards underscores how our brains are wired to interpret nonverbal cues before we're even consciously aware of them—it's a silent language louder than words ( https://www.mickmel.com/notes-from-cues-by-vanessa-van-edwards/?utm_source=chatgpt.com, https://singjupost.com/unlocking-the-hidden-power-of-body-language-vanessa-van-edwards-transcript/?utm_source=chatgpt.com). In her work, she breaks down the "Cue Cycle": Decode → Internalize → Encode—illustrating how we interpret signals, let them reshape our mood and behavior, and then respond with our own cues ( https://www.mickmel.com/notes-from-cues-by-vanessa-van-edwards/?utm_source=chatgpt.com). She also highlights powerful patterns showcased by leaders—like open body posture, leaning in, purposeful gaze, and respectful use of space—as the "secret weapons" of nonverbal power ( https://www.mickmel.com/notes-from-cues-by-vanessa-van-edwards/?utm_source=chatgpt.com).

 

Studies show that when nonverbal signals align with our words, they reinforce our message; when they conflict, they're often the signals people believe ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Mehrabian?utm_source=chatgpt.com, https://www.scienceofpeople.com/body-language-percentage/?utm_source=chatgpt.com). This is why a confident stance, expressive gestures, and aligned facial cues ground your message—while shrinking into yourself, folding your arms, or avoiding eye contact sends the opposite. Vanessa's work isn't theoretical—it's backed by hundreds of thousands of observations, experiments, and real-world applications via her site Science of People (https://www.scienceofpeople.com).

 

Non-Verbal Cues in Action

Non-verbal communication looks different depending on the situation. Let's break it down with a few concrete examples you can use right away:

1. Casual Conversation

• Keep your hands visible – Open palms signal openness.
• Angle your body toward the person – facing them directly shows genuine attention.
• Use micro-expressions – smiles or raised eyebrows signal engagement.
• Mirror their energy – subtly matching tone or gestures builds rapport.
• Maintain comfortable eye contact – balance is key.

2. Participating in a Meeting

• Sit tall and lean in slightly – it shows investment in the conversation.
• Keep gestures intentional – emphasize points without fidgeting.
• Nod strategically – builds trust and collaboration.
• Claim your space – avoid shrinking into your chair.
• Manage transitions – signal readiness to contribute with subtle gestures.

3. Video Calls

• Position your camera at eye level – mimics natural eye contact.
• Use the "triangle of visibility" – head, shoulders, and hands visible.
• Avoid multitasking cues – no typing or looking away.
• Lean in when speaking, lean back when listening – shows engagement rhythm.
• Use lighting to your advantage – well-lit face communicates openness.

 

Common Non-Verbal Mistakes to Avoid

1. Casual Conversation

• Hands in pockets or crossed arms
• Looking over someone's shoulder
• Weak or limp gestures

2. Participating in a Meeting

• Slouching back in your chair
• Overusing filler gestures (tapping, clicking)
• Avoiding visibility (sitting out of sight)
• Interrupting without signals

3. Video Calls

• Camera pointing up or down at the wrong angle
• Constantly looking at your own image
• Distracted body language (typing, phone, darting eyes)
• Blank or frozen expressions

 

Why It Matters for Your Career

Mastering non-verbal cues has a measurable impact on your career trajectory. People form judgments about competence, confidence, and leadership potential within seconds of meeting you. Leaders who use intentional body language are often perceived as more competent and persuasive—even if they're junior in tenure.

 

Strong non-verbal communication helps you:

• Gain credibility quickly
• Build stronger relationships
• Enhance visibility
• Accelerate career growth

 

Five Simple, High-Impact Strategies You Can Implement Today

1. Check Your Posture – Stand or sit tall to project confidence.
2. Make Your Hands Count – Use visible, intentional gestures.
3. Lean In, Listen Actively – Subtle forward leans signal engagement.
4. Camera Confidence – Position at eye level with good lighting; keep hands visible.
5. Mirror & Match – Reflect the energy and tone of others to build rapport.

 

Wrapping Up

Non-verbal communication is a critical tool in your career toolkit. By paying attention to posture, gestures, facial expressions, and virtual presence, you can dramatically influence how others perceive you, build credibility, and accelerate your professional growth.

 

If you found these insights useful, subscribe to the Managing A Career podcast (https://managingacareer.com/follow) and never miss an episode.  Each episode is packed with practical strategies to help you advance. And if you know someone who could benefit from leveling up their professional presence, share this episode with them—your recommendation could be the nudge that helps them get noticed and get ahead.

 

Reference Links Table

Resource

URL

Vanessa Van Edwards – Cue Notes (MickMel)

https://www.mickmel.com/notes-from-cues-by-vanessa-van-edwards/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Vanessa Van Edwards – Hidden Power of Body Language Transcript

https://singjupost.com/unlocking-the-hidden-power-of-body-language-vanessa-van-edwards-transcript/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Albert Mehrabian – Nonverbal Communication

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Mehrabian?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Science of People – Body Language Percentage

https://www.scienceofpeople.com/body-language-percentage/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Science of People – Main Website

https://www.scienceofpeople.com

On other episodes of the Managing A Career podcast, I tend to focus on the big-picture strategies that can propel your career forward—things like building influence, earning visibility, and positioning yourself for future opportunities. But advancement isn't just about the major moves. Sometimes, it's the subtle, everyday actions that shape how others perceive you. This week, I want to zoom in on one of those seemingly small details that won't directly earn you a promotion, but will absolutely impact the impression you leave on colleagues, managers, and executives: communication etiquette.

 

While you may build friendships at work, most colleagues are focused on getting their tasks done and moving on to the next priority. That means the way you communicate can either support their productivity—or unintentionally disrupt it. Poor communication habits, even small ones, can cause you to be seen as annoying, distracting, or inconsiderate. On the other hand, mastering clear and efficient communication signals respect for others' time and attention. Over time, that respect translates into stronger working relationships, greater credibility, and an overall reputation as someone people want to work with.

 

So what exactly do I mean by communication etiquette? Let's start with a classic example. Someone messages you on your company's internal chat tool and simply types "Hi"… and then waits. Now you're left wondering—do you stop what you're doing to respond, or do you ignore it and keep working? Your decision probably depends on who it is. If it's your boss, you'll likely pause everything to reply. If it's someone you barely know, chances are you'll hold off until you've finished your task. Now flip the scenario. When you need something, how do you open that conversation? Do you set the context right away, or do you leave the other person hanging? These small choices—how you start, how you respond, how you respect the other person's time—are exactly what falls under the umbrella of communication etiquette.

 

No matter the medium—chat, email, or even a quick stop by someone's desk—the goal of good communication etiquette is to minimize disruption. It's fine to start with a brief greeting, but you should quickly move into the context of your request. Dropping just a "Hi" in chat leaves the other person guessing—Is this urgent? Is it a quick question? Is it a major problem? That uncertainty forces them to pause and wonder instead of continuing their work. By including context up front, you give them clarity: how urgent the matter is, how much of their time you'll need, and what information they might need to prepare before fully engaging in the conversation. That small adjustment can be the difference between being seen as considerate and efficient—or frustrating and vague.

 

Of course, communication etiquette isn't one-size-fits-all. How you approach a peer, a manager, an executive—or even a direct report—should look very different. With peers, there's usually more room for informality, but clarity and efficiency still matter. When speaking with your manager, context becomes even more important—they need enough information to make quick decisions without having to drag details out of you. And with executives, brevity is king. They don't have the bandwidth for long explanations or back-and-forth messages. The faster you can give them the key point, the decision required, or the action needed, the more respect you earn.

 

The dynamic shifts again when you're a manager communicating with your team. Something as simple as sending, "Can we chat?" to a direct report can create unnecessary stress. Without context, their mind may immediately jump to the worst-case scenario—Am I in trouble? Am I about to be fired?—when all you really wanted was a quick project update. Providing a short explanation, like "Can we chat for 5 minutes about the client presentation?" removes that anxiety and creates psychological safety. As a leader, this kind of clarity not only improves communication efficiency but also builds trust, which pays dividends in team morale and performance.

 

In spite of good intentions, many professionals fall into communication traps that waste time and damage credibility. In email, vague subject lines like "Quick Question" force recipients to open the message just to understand the context. On chat, sending multiple short messages instead of a single, well-structured one can feel like a flood of interruptions. In meetings, inviting too many people—or failing to set an agenda—leaves participants wondering why their time was taken. And perhaps the most common error of all: failing to tailor your message to your audience, whether that means overwhelming an executive with unnecessary detail or leaving a direct report anxious with too little context. These small mistakes add up, and over time, they shape how others perceive your professionalism.

 

Fortunately, strong communication etiquette isn't complicated—it just requires a little intention. Start by leading with context: state what you need and why upfront, so the other person knows how to engage. Be concise, but complete; don't make people chase you for missing details. Match the level of detail to your audience—big picture for executives, decision-ready context for managers, and clarity with psychological safety for subordinates. In email, write subject lines that preview the request, like "Need approval by Friday: Client Presentation Slides." In chat, combine your greeting and your request in one message, so the other person can respond when they're ready. And in meetings, only invite the people necessary and share an agenda in advance. These small practices send a powerful signal: you respect others' time and attention, and that respect often comes back to you in the form of trust, influence, and opportunity.

 

Mastering communication etiquette may feel like a small thing, but it creates outsized benefits for your career. First, it builds a reputation for professionalism—people notice when you consistently respect their time and communicate clearly. Second, it increases your influence, because colleagues, managers, and executives are more likely to engage with and support someone who makes interactions smooth and productive. Third, it opens doors to leadership opportunities; when you demonstrate the ability to adapt your style across peers, managers, executives, and subordinates, you signal that you're ready to operate at a higher level. And fourth, it reduces friction in your daily work, which means projects move faster, relationships are stronger, and you spend less time repairing misunderstandings. Over time, these advantages compound, setting you up not only for promotions but also for long-term success in any role.

 

To make this simple, here's a quick set of do's and don'ts you can keep in mind the next time you communicate at work:

Do

Why It Matters

Don't

Impact of Mistake

Lead with context in chat/email

Gives clarity and saves time

Drop just "Hi" and wait

Creates confusion and frustration

Adjust detail to your audience

Shows awareness and respect

Use the same approach for peers, managers, and executives

Signals lack of professionalism

Use clear subject lines in email

Helps recipients prioritize

Send vague subjects like "Quick Question"

Wastes time, lowers urgency

Limit meeting invites & share agenda

Increases efficiency & focus

Invite everyone "just in case"

Wastes time, lowers credibility

Provide context to subordinates

Builds trust & reduces anxiety

Send cryptic messages like "Can we chat?"

Creates unnecessary stress

 

In the end, communication etiquette isn't about following rigid rules—it's about respecting the time, attention, and emotional energy of the people you work with. When you communicate clearly, efficiently, and with empathy, you build stronger relationships at every level of the organization. And while no one gets promoted just for writing great emails or sending thoughtful chat messages, those habits set you apart as someone who is professional, trustworthy, and ready for more responsibility. Start applying these best practices today, and you'll not only make your coworkers' lives easier—you'll be paving the way for your own career growth.

 

If you're thinking that your communication style might be holding you back—or if you're ready to take the next step in building the skills that lead to promotions and bigger opportunities—I can help. Through my career coaching practice, I work with professionals at all stages to refine the everyday habits, strategies, and long-term plans that accelerate success. If you'd like to explore how coaching can give you a competitive edge, visit ManagingACareer.com and reach out through the contact form. Let's make sure your next promotion isn't left to chance.

You Need to Be in the Room Where It Happens — But How?

You've heard the phrase before: "You need to be in the room where decisions happen." It sounds powerful—exclusive even—but no one ever hands you the playbook for getting in that room. Working hard isn't enough. Being the best at your job isn't enough. The truth is, opportunities to sit at the table where decisions are made don't simply appear—they're earned, often through deliberate actions, strategic visibility, and building the right kind of influence. So the real question becomes: how do you earn that seat at the table?

 

If you've ever wondered why certain people are always in those key meetings, asked for input on big projects, or somehow always in the know—it's not luck. It's structure. It's systems. It's intentional networking. And yes, it's strategy. Here's the truth: most professionals are unknowingly stuck at the kids' table at work. They're working hard, hitting every target, yet still left out of the conversations that shape the future. The difference between being an observer and being a decision-maker often comes down to two things: visibility and relevance. And the good news? Both are entirely within your control. We're about to unpack the exact strategy for you to claim your seat.

 

Before we get into the how, let's address the mindset. Too many people treat being invited into the room as a reward—something that magically happens when they've "earned it" through hard work alone. That's the wrong frame. You don't wait to be discovered; you create the conditions where your absence would be noticed. The people in those rooms aren't just good at their jobs—they've positioned themselves as indispensable voices in conversations that matter. They've made it impossible to move forward without their perspective. That's the shift: stop waiting for permission to join the table, and start building demand for your seat.

 

Here's something most people miss: there isn't just one room or one table. There are many. Your manager has a "table" where the senior members of your immediate team gather to influence decisions. Your department has a table where departmental leaders—leaders in role and in influence—discuss priorities and resources. And your company has a table where executives make the strategic decisions that shape the entire organization. Each of these rooms operates at a different scale, but the principle is the same: when you're not at the table, you're not part of the conversation—or the outcome. The strategy we're about to cover works for every single one of those tables, whether you're aiming for the inner circle on your team or the highest-level conversations in the company. Master it at one level, and you can scale it all the way up.

 

So how do you actually get that seat—whether it's with your team lead, your department heads, or your company's executive leadership? You do it with Access, Contribution, and Expertise.

 

• Access: Intentionally building the relationships and visibility that put you in proximity to decision-makers—so when opportunities arise, you're already in their line of sight.
• Contribution: Showing up in ways that move the needle—offering solutions, insights, and support that make you an active participant in progress, not just an observer.
• Expertise: Consistently demonstrating skill, knowledge, and judgment that make your presence in the room a competitive advantage for the group.

 

When you apply these principles, you stop waiting to be invited and start positioning yourself as the kind of person others want in every critical discussion. And because it works at every "table" in the organization, it's a strategy you can scale from your immediate team all the way to the highest levels of leadership.

 

Access

Access is about more than just "knowing people." It's about intentionally placing yourself in the networks, circles, and conversations that feed directly into the rooms you want to enter. There are four ways to build it:

1. Expanding your network – Go beyond the comfort zone of your immediate peers. Seek connections across departments, functions, and even locations. Each new connection is a potential bridge into a different room.
2. Being a connector – Don't just collect contacts; connect them. Introduce people who can help each other. When you become the hub, your value—and visibility—naturally rises.
3. Owning relationships – Keep in touch, follow up, and nurture connections over time. A name in someone's inbox is far more powerful than a name they vaguely remember from a meeting last year.
4. Having a sponsor or advocate – A mentor gives advice. A sponsor uses their influence to open doors for you. Build relationships with people who have a seat at the table and are willing to say your name when opportunities come up.

 

When you have Access, you're no longer on the outside looking in—you're on the shortlist for the conversation before it even begins.

 

Contribution

Contribution is about making yourself indispensable—not through sheer volume of work, but through strategic impact. You want to be seen as someone who moves things forward in ways that matter to decision-makers. Here's how:

1. Volunteering – Step up for initiatives outside your normal scope, especially when they align with high-priority goals. This shows you're invested in more than just your job description.
2. High-profile projects – Seek assignments that are visible to leadership or cross-functional in nature. These projects often get discussed in the rooms you want to enter, and your involvement gets your name in the mix.
3. Finding gaps – Look for problems that no one "owns" and take them on. When you solve an overlooked issue, you stand out as proactive and solution-oriented.
4. Delivering under pressure – Anyone can contribute when things are calm. The people who shine in high-stakes moments are the ones leadership remembers when the next challenge comes.
5. Creating wins for others – Help colleagues succeed and give them public credit. This builds allies who are more likely to advocate for you in conversations you're not part of—yet.

 

Strategic contribution builds a track record of impact that decision-makers notice and remember. It's one of the fastest ways to turn "who's that?" into "we need them in the room."

 

Expertise

Expertise is what transforms your presence in the room from optional to essential. It's not just about knowing your stuff—it's about being recognized for it. Here's how to build it:

1. Showing leadership – As covered in Episode 101 (https://managingacareer.com/101), leadership isn't a title—it's behavior. Take ownership, guide others, and elevate the performance of those around you. Leaders are invited into rooms because they make the group stronger.
2. Being the go-to person in a specific area – Specialization creates demand. If you're the one who can answer the tough questions or solve the tricky problems in your field, your absence will be noticed.
3. Staying ahead of the curve – Keep learning and bring fresh insights to the table. Share trends, tools, or strategies before others even know they exist. Being "future-ready" makes you valuable in strategic discussions.
4. Demonstrating sound judgment – Expertise isn't just technical—it's knowing when to speak up, when to hold back, and how to frame input so it moves decisions forward.
5. Documenting and sharing wins – Don't assume people know your impact. Make sure your results are visible—through reports, updates, or even informal conversations with decision-makers.

 

Expertise positions you as the person whose input changes outcomes. When you combine it with Access and Contribution, you're no longer hoping for an invitation—you're building a reputation that demands one.

 

Flip the Script: Take a Hard Look at Where You Stand

If you're still wondering why you're not in the room, it's time for some honest reflection. Ask yourself:

• Are you known beyond your immediate team, or are you mostly invisible outside your bubble?
• Does leadership understand what drives you and what unique strengths you bring?
• Are you just delivering on assigned tasks, or are you actively driving projects and initiatives forward?
• Are you waiting for an invitation, or are you proactively showing up where value needs to be added?

 

The harsh reality is that most people stay invisible because they're too heads-down, focused only on their own work. But if you want to influence decisions and shape outcomes, you have to be on the field—not just on the sidelines.  And here's another truth: your manager might not be the way in. If they don't have a seat there themselves, you'll need to build lateral and upward relationships to get the visibility and access required to move forward.

 

The Final Word: Claim Your Space by Becoming Irreplaceable

The room isn't reserved for people with fancy titles or the loudest voices. It's reserved for those who consistently deliver value, create momentum, and make themselves impossible to ignore. It's for the individuals who understand that influence isn't given—it's earned by being reliable, insightful, and proactive.

 

Think about the people who come to mind when you imagine leaders who really matter. Chances are, they didn't get there by waiting for invitations—they carved out space by stepping up when it counted, by building networks that mattered, and by developing expertise that made their presence in any conversation an asset.

 

Your career won't advance just because you show up; it will advance because you bring something others can't afford to lose. That means showing up not just to do your job, but to move the work forward in ways that others recognize and respect.

 

Be the person who doesn't just participate but who shapes the direction of the conversation. Be the person who others trust to take on challenges and deliver results, even when it's not easy. Be the person whose absence would leave a noticeable gap.

 

Claim your space by becoming irreplaceable—and watch how the room begins to open up for you.

 

Let's Keep the Conversation Going

I'd love to hear how the ideas from this podcast have helped you advance your career. Visit ManagingACareer.com and leave a message via the Contact form (https://managingacareer.com/contact) or, if you prefer, click the button to leave a voicemail directly from your computer.

 

Share which episodes have made the biggest impact on you and how you've applied what you've learned. If enough of you send in your stories, I'll start including them in upcoming episodes to inspire others on this journey.

 

Your voice matters—let's build this community together.

What You Prioritize Is What You Grow

In your career—just like in life—whatever you prioritize is what takes root, grows, and ultimately defines your trajectory. Whether you're intentional about it or not, your attention acts like sunlight and water: it nourishes certain parts of your professional life while leaving others to wither. Even worse is when you don't make a conscious choice at all—when your career just "happens to you." That passive approach can lead to years of drifting, missed opportunities, and invisible ceilings. So take a moment to reflect: what are you truly prioritizing right now? Is it visibility? Skill-building? Leadership? Or are you unconsciously prioritizing comfort, routine, or the path of least resistance? Because the answer to that question is shaping your future whether you realize it or not.

 

Alignment Isn't Optional—It's Essential

This kind of prioritization—this optimization of where you direct your focus—doesn't mean you stop putting effort into other areas of your role. Of course you'll still deliver on your responsibilities. But when given a choice—when you have limited time, energy, or visibility—what do you lean into? More importantly, how does that focus align with your Career Vision (see https://managingacareer.com/102) and how does it align with your company's goals? Because when your day-to-day priorities and your long-term goals don't line up, you'll feel it. It shows up as stagnation. As burnout. As growing frustration that no amount of "working harder" will fix. Misalignment creates drag in your career—alignment creates momentum.

 

Different Priorities, Different Trade-Offs

It's important to recognize that not everyone is—or should be—prioritizing the same things at every stage of their life or career. Your current focus is often shaped by your personal context, responsibilities, and what you value most right now. For example, someone who prioritizes stability might choose low-risk, steady assignments that keep them securely in their current role. That's not laziness—it might be the smart move for someone managing heavy responsibilities outside of work, like caring for young kids or aging parents. Someone who prioritizes growth is always looking for stretch roles, pushing past their comfort zone, and seeking out skill-building opportunities. But taken too far, this can lead to burnout or even career dead ends if the growth isn't guided by strategy.

 

Others may prioritize recognition, opting for high-profile assignments, even if it means working longer hours and living with the pressure of being in the spotlight. Meanwhile, those who prioritize money might take on roles or projects that are financially rewarding, but ultimately draining or disconnected from their passions. Some professionals prioritize influence, focusing on roles that expand their network and informal power within an organization. Others may lean into flexibility, taking roles that allow them to control their schedule, even if that slows their upward trajectory. None of these choices are inherently wrong—but they all come with trade-offs. The key is to make those choices consciously, and ensure they support—not sabotage—your long-term vision.

 

Two Paths, Two Outcomes

Let's look at two professionals working at the same company: we'll call them Maya and Jordan. On paper, they're equals—both mid-level managers with solid reputations and strong work ethics. But beneath the surface, their careers are unfolding in very different ways.

 

Maya has taken the time to define her Career Vision. She knows she wants to move into a strategic leadership role within the next two years. Because of that clarity, she filters every opportunity through a simple lens: Does this get me closer to the leader I want to become? If a project offers exposure to senior leadership, requires cross-functional collaboration, or ties directly to company strategy, she's all in. But when she's asked to join projects that are time-consuming but don't move her forward—like internal task forces or repetitive ops work—she diplomatically declines or negotiates her role to stay focused on her long term plan. That doesn't mean she's selfish. It means she's intentional. And leadership has noticed. Her name is now coming up in succession planning meetings.

 

Jordan, on the other hand, hasn't set a clear vision for his future. He's known as someone who can be counted on—a dependable team player who will roll up his sleeves and help wherever needed. His inbox is always full. His calendar is packed. His colleagues love working with him. But he's also exhausted. Despite all his effort, Jordan's career growth has stalled. He's been passed over for stretch assignments and promotions more than once. He doesn't understand why—after all, he's working harder than ever. But the truth is, he's prioritizing being helpful over being strategic. His focus is everywhere, so his impact isn't felt anywhere. And that misalignment is wearing him down.

 

A Simple Framework to Realign Your Focus

If you're starting to wonder whether you're more like Maya or Jordan, that's a good thing. Awareness is the first step toward realignment. Here's a simple framework you can use to check yourself: at the start of each week, take ten minutes to list your top five tasks or commitments. For each one, ask two questions:

1. Does this task move me closer to my Career Vision?
2. Does this task create value that is visible and aligned with my company's strategic goals?

 

If the answer is "no" to both, that task might be a drain on your momentum. It's not about abandoning your responsibilities—it's about understanding which activities are investments and which are just busywork. When you consistently prioritize high-alignment work, even in small increments, you start to build career gravity. You'll find yourself pulled toward more of the right opportunities—and less reliant on being lucky or liked to get ahead.

 

What to Do with the "Wrong Work"

Let's be honest—there will always be tasks that don't align directly with your career vision but still matter to the company. These assignments might not elevate your visibility, develop key skills, or move you toward your goals—but they still need to get done. The trick is learning how to manage them without letting them hijack your focus. Start by asking: Can this be delegated? Often, someone on your team may benefit from the experience or visibility that the task provides. Delegating isn't about offloading—it's about creating development opportunities for others while protecting your own strategic focus.

 

If it can't be delegated, ask: Can I complete this efficiently—without overengineering it? Not every deliverable needs to be a masterpiece. Be professional, be timely, but don't overinvest in low-impact work. You can also batch similar low-priority tasks together and knock them out in a focused sprint, leaving more of your mental bandwidth for high-value work. Finally, consider whether you can reframe or reposition the task: is there a way to tie it into a broader initiative that does align with your goals? Smart professionals don't avoid misaligned work—they minimize its cost and maximize their time spent on what truly matters.

 

You Become Known for What You Consistently Do

Every time you say yes to a task, you're not just managing your workload—you're shaping your professional brand. Over time, people begin to associate you with the type of work you consistently take on. If you always jump in to fix operational fires, you'll be seen as the firefighter. If you're the go-to person for behind-the-scenes execution, that becomes your lane. And if you focus on visible, strategic, cross-functional work, you'll be perceived as a leader who thinks big and delivers at scale.

 

That perception matters—not just for promotions, but for the types of opportunities people bring your way. It's not just about being competent. It's about being recognized for the kind of impact you want to have. So when you choose where to focus, you're also choosing what kind of career you're building, and what kind of future others will imagine for you.

 

Your Weekly Focus Check-In

To stay aligned, you don't need a career retreat—you just need a moment of clarity. Carve out five quiet minutes each week and ask yourself these five questions:

1. What did I spend the majority of my time on last week?
2. Did that work move me closer to my Career Vision or just keep me busy?
3. What's one task I'm carrying that someone else could take on and benefit from?
4. What's one opportunity I could say "yes" to that would stretch me in the right direction?
5. If someone looked at my calendar, what would they assume I'm optimizing for?

You don't need perfect answers—just honest ones. Because once you start recognizing the gap between where your time goes and where you want your career to go, you can begin to close it, week by week. And that's how long-term career momentum is built: in the small decisions, made consistently.

 

Three Moves to Reclaim Your Career Focus This Week

If you're ready to stop letting your career "just happen" to you, here are three steps you can take this week to realign your focus:

1. Audit Your Calendar. Look at last week's meetings and projects. Highlight anything that didn't contribute to your goals or your growth. That's your first clue for where boundaries need to tighten.
2. Say No Once. Find one task, meeting, or request that doesn't align with your vision—and practice the art of a professional "no." Decline it, delegate it, or deflect it. Start small if you need to, but start.
3. Choose One Priority That Matters. Pick a single high-value action that supports both your Career Vision and your company's goals. Put it on your calendar. Protect it. Give it your best energy.

Your career will always demand your time. The question is whether you're spending that time building momentum—or just maintaining motion.

 

I would love to hear some stories of how this podcast has helped you in your pursuit of career advancement.  Go to the ManagingACareer.com website and leave a message via the Contact form (https://www.managingacareer.com/contact/) or click the button to leave a voicemail via your computer.  Tell me which episodes have had the biggest impact for you.  If I get enough feedback, I'll start including them in upcoming episodes.

 

We've recently gone through a reorganization at my job, and with that change, I now have several new team members reporting to me. In my one-on-one meetings, I like to focus on more than just status updates—I emphasize career development. One of the tools I've consistently found to be effective is the Individual Development Plan, or IDP. If you've been following this podcast, you may remember Episode 37 (https://managingacareer.com/37) where I broke down the Vision and Roadmap section of the IDP. It's a framework I believe in deeply.

 

But here's the thing: many of my new team members are struggling with the very first step—creating a compelling Career Vision. And if they're struggling, I know they're not alone. So in this week's episode, I want to focus on how to help people—whether you're managing others or thinking about your own path—craft a meaningful vision for their career.

 

WHY THIS IS HARD

In Episode 37, I described the Career Vision as a statement about where you want your career to go—looking as far into the future as you can reasonably imagine. It's a personal declaration of what success and fulfillment look like for you.

 

But here's the challenge: if you don't know what your options even are, this step can feel frustrating—or worse, paralyzing. Instead of inspiring clarity, it can leave you feeling lost and without direction. And let's be honest—most of us are so heads-down in the daily grind of doing our job that we rarely pause to look up. We rarely make time to think about that longer view. But those who do—who take a moment to lift their gaze and imagine something beyond today's task list—are the ones who position themselves for real, lasting growth.

 

SHIFT YOUR STARTING POINT

If you already have that clarity and focus—fantastic. You probably don't need this episode... but I'll bet you know someone who does. So feel free to pass it along.

 

For the rest of you, if you're struggling to define your Career Vision, here's where I want to challenge the usual approach. Most people start by looking inward—asking questions like What drives me? What motivates me? And yes, that's important... but it's not the first step. When you're still trying to define the destination, the journey starts by looking outward. Not because you're searching for answers—at least, not yet—but because you're searching for inspiration.

 

START EXPLORING EXTERNALLY

Start by reaching out to people within your organization—especially those who are more senior than you. But don't limit yourself to only those on a traditional upward path. Sometimes, the next step in your career isn't up—it's sideways. A lateral move into a different role can be the beginning of a powerful career shift, or even a full pivot. (If that idea intrigues you, go back and listen to Episode 93 (https://managingacareer.com/93) where I dig deeper into career pivots.)

 

Set up informal coffee chats or virtual meetings with colleagues who do something different than you. Use those conversations to get into the weeds: What does their day-to-day actually look like? How did they get into that role? What parts of their job do they find genuinely fulfilling?

 

You're not committing to anything yet—this is an exploration phase. And at this point, quantity matters. The more people you talk to—and the more varied their roles—the more likely you are to uncover something that sparks real inspiration.

 

A LOW-PRESSURE OPTION

Or maybe you're not quite ready to start reaching out to others—and that's okay. If you're more introverted, or just want to start quietly, there's another route: job postings. Not because you're planning to apply right now, but because they give you a snapshot of what's out there and what it takes to get there.

 

Start by using filters to target the kinds of roles you might one day aspire to. Look at postings that require three, five, ten—even fifteen—years more experience than you currently have. That kind of range helps you see not just a job, but a progression. Focus especially on postings that include growth-oriented language—words like strategy, leadership, vision, or cross-functional. Those roles usually reflect soft skill development, which is where the real career growth happens. As you read, take note of recurring skills, responsibilities, and expectations. You're not just scanning for jobs—you're gathering clues to help shape your future.

 

FOLLOW THE THINKERS

Another great source of insight? People who publish their thinking publicly. Follow professionals in your industry who share their experiences through podcasts, blogs, or on LinkedIn. These voices often offer a behind-the-scenes look at how others approach their careers—and they can expose you to paths and mindsets you might not have considered.

 

You can also explore industry conferences, even if you're not ready to attend every keynote. Sometimes the real value is in the "hallway track"—those informal conversations between sessions where people talk candidly about their roles, their challenges, and what they're working toward.

 

The common thread here is exposure. The more sources you explore, the more perspectives you gather, and the better your understanding becomes of what's actually possible in your field. Inspiration often comes from seeing what someone else is doing and realizing, Hey, I could do that too.

 

ORGANIZE WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED

At this point, you might be thinking, Okay, I've gathered a lot of input—but what do I actually do with it? Here's a simple method to start making sense of it all.

 

For every conversation, job posting, article, or conference interaction, create a digital or physical sticky note. On each one, jot down a few key pieces of information: the role (not the title—titles vary widely between companies), the core skills involved, one or two things that genuinely excite you about the role, and one or two things you'd absolutely dread.

 

That last part is just as important as the first. You're not making any decisions yet—you're just capturing reactions. Over time, as you collect more of these notes, you'll start to see patterns. Some roles will light you up. Others won't. This is the beginning of classification—filtering what's possible into what's appealing.

 

ELIMINATE & EVALUATE

Once you've gathered your collection of sticky notes, don't rush into choosing one. Instead, revisit them multiple times over a few days. Your goal isn't to make a final, unchangeable decision—but you do want your choices to resonate deeply.

 

After you've had a chance to reflect, eliminate about half of them. Start with the roles that evoke the strongest dread or clearly don't align with your personal growth goals. Sometimes, the most valuable thing you can learn is what you don't want.

 

With the remaining notes, add a few important details: estimate how far each role is from where you are now—both in terms of promotions and years of experience—and then give each role a simple "excitement score." How much does the role energize you, even if it also intimidates you?

 

Now, start to group the remaining roles into "closer" and "further" buckets, and look for patterns in skills and responsibilities. Your goal isn't just to pick a job—it's to find a path. A path that begins where you are and stretches toward those big, exciting roles that may feel far off now, but are completely within reach with the right preparation.

 

WRITE YOUR CAREER VISION

Now that you've narrowed your list and started to spot patterns, it's time to draft your Career Vision statement. This isn't about picking one job and locking it in—it's about capturing a direction.

 

A good Career Vision describes the kind of impact you want to have, the types of problems you want to solve, the environments you thrive in, and the leadership or influence you hope to build over time. It can be a few sentences or a short paragraph, but it should be something that excites you and feels authentically you.

 

Use the roles that most energized you—especially the ones further out—as reference points. Ask yourself: What's the throughline across these roles? What kind of person would I have to become to step into them? That's your vision. Write it down. Revisit it often. And remember—it's a living document, not a life sentence. You can and should refine it as you grow.

 

 

Creating a Career Vision isn't a one-hour exercise—it's a process of discovery, curiosity, and alignment. But it's worth it. When you know where you want to go—or even just the general direction—you stop drifting and start moving with purpose.

 

Whether you're early in your career, mid-journey, or managing a team, a clear vision helps you filter opportunities, ask better questions, and make choices that actually lead somewhere. Most people never take the time to do this kind of work. But you're not most people. You're here, doing the work, and that already sets you apart. Now it's time to take that clarity and turn it into momentum.

 

Today's episode laid out a clear framework for creating your Career Vision—something that can feel overwhelming, but is absolutely within reach when approached step by step. If this process helps you break through the roadblocks that have kept you from completing your Individual Development Plan, then it's already done its job.

 

And if you're ready to take that next step but don't have a template to work from, I've got you covered—just reach out via the Contact Form on the Managing A Career website (https://managingacareer.com/contact) and I'll send you a copy.

Most importantly, if you know someone who's been spinning their wheels—someone who's unsure where their career could go or what's even possible—send this episode their way. Because career clarity is contagious, and sometimes, all it takes is one spark to change someone's direction.

"Being a leader isn't an assignment that is given to you, but an assignment that you TAKE." Let that sink in. Leadership isn't about waiting for permission. It's about stepping up when others step back. In today's episode of the Managing A Career podcast, we're diving deep into what it really means to TAKE leadership.

 

Anyone can be a leader—because leadership is a quality you demonstrate, not a job title you hold. Sure, some roles come with authority baked in, but real leaders don't wait for the title. They lead because they choose to. If you have ambitions to advance in your career, this is the mindset that separates you from the crowd: you look for moments to lead, even when it's not "your job." You don't ask, "Whose responsibility is this?"—you ask, "How can I help move this forward?"

 

Whether your job description includes the role of "leader" or not, leadership is about finding the gaps—and filling them. True leaders don't wait to be assigned. They see what's missing, what's stalled, or what needs momentum, and they move it forward. Even when the work isn't flashy, fun, or high-profile, they still show up. Sometimes, that means buckling down and doing the work yourself. Other times, it means stepping up to rally the right people around the task.

 

Let's say your team's project needs approval from another department, but no one's reached out. A leader takes the initiative to start that conversation. Or maybe a recurring process is causing frustration across teams—someone who leads might pull together a quick working session to fix it. Even noticing that a new team member is struggling to get up to speed, and offering to show them the ropes, is leadership in action. It's not about glory—it's about ownership.

 

But what if you already have authority based on your position? In those cases, leadership isn't about taking control—it's about knowing when to step back and let your team take the lead. It's about creating the space for others to stretch, experiment, and grow—while being ready to step in and coach when they need support. This kind of quiet leadership builds trust, resilience, and long-term capability within your team.

 

Maybe one of your team members is presenting to senior leadership for the first time. A great leader doesn't take over—they prepare them, give them the floor, and offer backup only if it's needed. Or consider a scenario where a project is headed off-course. Instead of immediately jumping in to "fix it," a strong leader might guide their team through a post-mortem, letting them identify where things went wrong and how they'd course-correct next time. Even giving your high-performers the freedom to lead cross-functional initiatives without micromanagement sends a clear signal: I believe in you—and I'm here if you need me.

 

So, regardless of where you are in your career—what's stopping you from being a leader? Are you waiting for permission? Leaders don't wait. They lead because the work demands it. They step up, own the outcome, and do what it takes to drive it forward. Still hesitating? Ask yourself: what are you afraid of?

 

Is it failure? Everyone fails. The difference is whether you learn from it or let it define you. Worried about overstepping or getting in trouble? There's truth in the old saying, "It's better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission." And here's the secret: you usually only need to apologize when it doesn't work out. Most of the time, the people around you will be glad someone moved things forward.

 

And if it's imposter syndrome that's holding you back, go listen to Episode 083 (https://managingacareer.com/83). You're in your role for a reason—someone believed in your ability to contribute and lead. Build on their belief until it becomes your own. Leadership starts with a decision, not a title.

 

Here's what I want you to walk away with: leadership isn't about the title—it's about taking responsibility when others hesitate. It's about solving problems that aren't "yours," lifting up your teammates, and being the steady hand when things get messy. Whether you're brand new to the workforce or managing a team of 20, leadership is a mindset. If you're waiting for someone to tap you on the shoulder and say, "Okay, now it's your turn," you're already behind. The people who rise the fastest are the ones who start leading before anyone tells them to.

 

So how do you start? Here are four things you can do this week to start leading from wherever you are:

1. Own a Loose End: Look for a project, process, or task that's stalled or falling through the cracks—and take the lead. Don't wait for it to be handed to you.
2. Support a Teammate Quietly: See someone struggling? Offer to walk them through something or share a resource. Leadership is often invisible.
3. Speak Up with a Solution: At your next meeting, come prepared with a thoughtful suggestion. Don't just point out problems—offer a way forward.
4. Ask for Feedback Like a Leader: Proactively ask your manager or a peer what one thing you could do to be more effective—and then act on it.

These aren't grand gestures. They're repeatable habits that signal to others—and to yourself—that you're someone who takes initiative. And that's the foundation of real leadership.

 

If this episode hit home for you—if you're rethinking what it means to be a leader—then it's time to act. Don't just nod along. Choose one thing from today's episode and do it. Leadership isn't theoretical. It's practical. It's visible. And most importantly, it's yours to claim. If this message resonated, share the Managing A Career podcast with someone else who's ready to step up. Screenshot the episode, post it on LinkedIn, and tag me. Let's build a workplace full of people who lead—not because they were told to, but because they decided to.

There's a common misconception the corporate world: to get ahead, someone else has to fall behind. It's the old zero-sum thinking — that career advancement is a competitive, cutthroat race. But today, I want to challenge that notion. Whether you're managing a team or just stepping into a leadership role, the truth is that investing in the growth of others doesn't slow you down — it accelerates your own career trajectory. Helping others succeed is one of the most powerful, and often underestimated, ways to grow yourself.

 

This zero-sum outlook is rooted in fear and self-doubt. The mindset of "if I teach others, they'll outshine me," or "I need to keep them in check so they don't leapfrog me," misses the entire point of leadership. Great leaders aren't recognized for hoarding knowledge or stifling potential — they're recognized for elevating their teams. When you help others grow, you signal that you can get results not just as an individual contributor, but as someone who brings out the best in others. And when you can do that with a small team, organizations start asking: what could you do with a bigger one? Leadership is measured by the strength of the people around you. That's how you prove your value.

 

Elevating your team can take many forms, and it doesn't require grand gestures — it's often about being intentional in everyday leadership moments. One way is through strategic delegation. Be on the lookout for team members who are ready for a stretch assignment. Identify work on your plate that aligns with their development goals, delegate it, and then coach them through it. Not only are they stepping up and growing, but you're also freeing yourself to take on higher-impact work. Another approach is to become a champion. Speak up on behalf of your team's top talent — especially in rooms where they don't have a voice. When your peers and leaders hear you advocate for others, it reflects back on your strength as a leader. Then there's the idea of planning your exit. If you're serious about moving up, you should also be building someone who can step into your role when the time comes. That kind of foresight signals you're not just a manager — you're a leader with vision. Finally, foster a culture of growth. Provide feedback that's both constructive and encouraging. Your team should feel like they're being coached, not just critiqued. An open, honest, and supportive environment leads to loyalty, development, and performance — and it all starts with you.

 

When you elevate your team, the benefits aren't just theoretical — they're measurable and meaningful. First, you give yourself the space to focus on more strategic work. Moving from manager to director to executive is all about shifting from tactical execution to big-picture thinking. When your team can operate autonomously, you're free to make the kinds of decisions that affect broader parts of the business. Second, you build loyalty. People want to work for leaders who champion their growth and position them for advancement. When your team sees you investing in them, they respond with higher productivity, stronger commitment, and support when it counts most. Third, the organization begins to see you as a multiplier. Your impact scales because your team becomes an extension of your leadership. Rather than micromanaging, you orchestrate — coordinating efforts across projects, keeping more plates spinning, and delivering more value than someone working in a silo. And ultimately, you open yourself up to bigger opportunities. The more you can lead from a high level while keeping momentum strong, the more trust you'll earn — and with that trust comes bigger assignments, bigger budgets, and yes, that coveted promotion.

 

Now that you know the what and the why, let's talk about the how. Start this week. Identify one or two people on your team to focus on. And if one of them could potentially step into your role someday? Even better. Pick something meaningful to delegate — not just drudgework, but a task or project that truly matters to the team. Hand it to them with intention. Tell them, "This is yours to lead — but I'm here to coach you through it." And then follow through. Be a coach, not a backseat driver. Resist the urge to take over or dictate every step. Instead, ask leading questions that nudge them toward the right answers. Let them struggle a little — that's part of growth. When they stumble, be the one who picks them back up. And when they succeed? Shout it from the rooftops. Make sure your leaders and peers know who did the work. That spotlight will reflect on both of you.

 

The takeaway? The most powerful thing a great leader can do is make their team better — stronger — by lifting them up. When you focus on developing others, everyone around you takes notice. And while your team benefits from your leadership, your own career grows in the process. Because at the end of the day, great leaders don't rise in spite of their team — they rise because of them.

 

Need help putting this into action?

A career coach can help you build the skills you need to lead at the next level. If you're looking for guidance, I invite you to reach out to me through the Contact Form at ManagingACareer.com. I'll schedule a free introductory session where we can explore your career goals and see if we're a good fit for coaching. If we are, we'll create a plan to get your career on the fast track to advancement.

 

When your career feels stalled and growth seems out of reach, it's tempting to look outward for answers. Maybe it's the company culture. Maybe your boss doesn't recognize your potential. Or maybe the job market is just brutal. These might all be valid frustrations, but dwelling on them leads nowhere. The Blame Game feels satisfying in the moment, but it rarely sparks progress. If anything, it keeps you circling the same dead-end thoughts, instead of charting a new path forward.

 

Blame often functions as emotional armor. When we pin our lack of career progress on external forces; a difficult manager, a broken system, or bad timing; we shield ourselves from a harsher possibility: that our own choices, habits, or blind spots might be part of the equation. This deflection is comforting because it absolves us of responsibility. It tells us, "It's not you……it's them." And while that can feel protective, it also keeps us passive, removed from the power we actually hold to create change.

 

Blame doesn't always show up as frustration or finger-pointing. Sometimes it disguises itself as logic. "The company isn't growing, so no one's getting promoted." "I'm not being assigned strategic projects; it's out of my hands." These explanations sound rational, even fair. But that's precisely what makes them dangerous. They quietly reinforce the belief that your circumstances are fixed, that your potential is capped by forces you can't influence. But what if that narrative is incomplete? What if there's more within your control than you've allowed yourself to see?

 

Dave Anderson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/scarletink/) touched on the Blame Game in his Scarlet Ink newsletter (https://www.scarletink.com/p/no-more-excuses-trading-blame-for-action), where he reviewed responses that he received to some of his newsletter articles. The feedback he gave to those responses helped inspire this exploration of how reframing blame can lead to reclaiming power.

 

Agency isn't always handed to you—it's something you often have to claim. Especially when it feels like everything's slipping beyond your control. In those moments, action isn't optional—it's essential. Blame, excuses, and even rational-sounding limitations build walls around your potential. And the only way forward? Break through them. To realign your career, you have to stop waiting for permission and start rewriting the story. That starts with believing you can influence the outcome.

 

Let's tackle some common career-stalling excuses—and explore how to reframe them to regain your agency.

 

"My manager won't let me..." or "They are always micromanaging me."

As I unpacked in Episode 95 of the podcast (https://www.managingacareer.com/95), micromanagement often stems from three sources: lack of trust, pressure to perform, or fear of failure. The key isn't to wait for the grip to loosen—it's to earn the slack. Build trust through consistent delivery, clear communication, and proactive ownership. When your manager sees you as reliable and competent, control tends to give way to collaboration.

 

"The job market is tough right now." or "It's SO hard to get promoted!"

While that may be true. It's also a call for creativity. In Episode 93 (https://www.managingacareer.com/93), I explored career pivots—those adjacent roles or skill sets that aren't a leap, but a shift. Whether you're looking to switch companies or grow where you are, this strategy helps you stretch into new responsibilities and showcase untapped potential, which can fast-track that elusive promotion.

 

"My assignment isn't promotion-worthy" or "I don't get to explore new technologies."

Don't wait for the perfect project. Carve out time each week to learn something new—especially emerging tech that aligns with your company's goals. Then champion what you've learned within your team. Volunteer for stretch assignments. Become the person who brings energy and innovation into the room. Promotions often follow visibility and initiative.

 

Across every stalled scenario, one theme rises above the rest: action. Not reaction. Not justification. Action. When you catch yourself pointing outward—blaming a boss, a market, a system—pause and flip the script. Instead of asking why something is blocking you, ask what you can do to move forward. Shift from obstacle to opportunity. And if you're not sure what that looks like, enlist help. A trusted peer or a career coach can shine light on blind spots and offer the kind of advice that nudges you back into motion. Just remember—clarity is useless without commitment. You have to follow through.

 

At its core, agency is about ownership. Owning the problem, yes—but more importantly, owning the solution. When you choose to act instead of excuse, to lean in rather than check out, you're doing more than clearing your current hurdle. You're signaling something powerful to everyone around you: I take responsibility. I solve hard things. That kind of initiative doesn't just move careers forward—it sets you apart. While others wait for conditions to change, you're busy becoming the kind of professional companies fight to keep and leaders trust to elevate.

 

Your next promotion isn't waiting -- it's waiting on YOU.

 

 

A career coach can help you build the skills you need in order to implement these strategies.  If you need a career coach, reach out to me via the  Contact Form at ManagingACareer.com (https://www.managingacareer.com/contact/).  I'll schedule an introductory session where we can talk about your career goals and determine if we would be a good fit for coaching.  If we are, we can arrange regular sessions to help you put your career on the fast track to advancement.

 

There's a moment in every career when you realize... the rules have changed. What used to work doesn't work anymore. The strategies that once got you noticed, promoted, or rewarded suddenly stop moving the needle. You're working just as hard, maybe even harder, but the results don't follow. And that's when the question hits you: "Wait—did I miss something?"

 

You didn't miss anything. You just reached an inflection point — one of those quiet but defining moments where the path ahead demands a different version of you. Today, we're unpacking those critical career shifts; how to spot them early, how to pivot fast, and how to make sure you don't get trapped in the "almost promoted" zone. Whether you're still building your foundation, managing a team, or eyeing the next big move, this conversation will help you zoom out and see your career from a higher altitude — because those inflection points? They're where careers either stall... or take off.

 

What exactly do I mean by an "inflection point"? It's the moment your career trajectory starts to curve. It's subtle at first; everything seems fine on the surface. You're still performing, still getting solid feedback, still known as the person who delivers. But then, almost imperceptibly, the results start to taper off. The same tactics that once made you stand out don't seem to move the needle anymore. You're working just as hard — maybe harder — but the impact isn't landing like it used to.

 

Think back for a second. Maybe you were the person who always delivered fast, accurate work; who double-checked every detail and saved the day more than once. Early in your career, that's gold. It earns trust and opens doors. But as you move up, being the "doer" isn't what gets noticed anymore. What matters now is influence, not output. That's the curve.

 

The skill set that once made you exceptional starts to flatten out in value, while new skills — delegation, persuasion, visibility, strategic thinking — suddenly become the new currency. It's not that your old skills no longer matter; they've just become the price of entry at this new level. You're no longer being measured by effort. You're being measured by impact.

 

So how do you know when you've hit one of these career turning points — before it's too late? There are usually some telltale signs hiding in plain sight.

 

Maybe you're being praised and even rewarded, yet somehow still passed over for promotions. You keep hearing how great your work is, but advancement never follows. That's a signal. Praise without progress usually means the rules have shifted… and you haven't.

 

Or maybe you're working harder than ever — longer hours, bigger projects, stepping in to solve problems that aren't even yours — but the return on that effort is smaller than before. That's not burnout or bad luck; it's evidence that the old playbook has expired.

 

Another clue? You've started to feel invisible in meetings. You speak up, but your ideas don't land. You're left out of decisions you used to be part of. That's not about confidence; that's about context. Influence, not effort, has become the new performance metric.

 

And finally, there's the comfort trap. When your job starts running on autopilot — when you're hitting your targets, but nothing really stretches you — that sense of ease can feel good… but it's actually career quicksand. The moment you stop growing faster than your role, you start falling behind.

 

Each of these signs is a nudge to reassess. Not because you're doing anything wrong, but because the game just advanced to a new level while you were focused on mastering the last one.

 

If you can recognize when these stalls are happening, you can make the pivots that move you forward. You can go from stuck to promotable by making a few critical shifts in how you think and lead.

 

The first pivot is from performer to strategist. Instead of asking, "What do I need to do?", start asking, "Where should we be focusing?" The next level of leadership isn't looking for people who execute faster; they're looking for people who can see further. The shift is from doing work to defining work — from crossing items off your list to making sure the list itself drives business results.

 

The second pivot is about visibility. Early in your career, being seen working hard was important. But as you rise, it's not the effort people notice — it's the outcomes. Your credibility becomes your brand. Consistency, alignment with company priorities, and measurable results are what build trust with decision-makers. Being busy isn't impressive anymore. Being impactful is.

 

And the final pivot — the one that feels most counterintuitive for high performers — is to do less. The instinct is to take on more, to prove your value by sheer volume. But the next level isn't about how much you can personally carry; it's about how much you can enable others to deliver. True advancement comes from scale — through delegation, mentorship, and building systems that multiply your impact. You're not rewarded for doing everything yourself; you're rewarded for building capacity around you.

 

One of the biggest transitions in any career is moving from being a great individual contributor to someone who amplifies the impact of others. At the first level, you're rewarded for what you can personally do. At the next level, you're rewarded for what you can make happen through others. That's a massive shift — and it's exactly where a lot of people stumble.

 

Picture this: you're the star player on the team. You score the points, you know the plays, you've built a reputation for reliability. Then one day, you get promoted to manager. Overnight, your job stops being about playing and starts being about coaching. But nobody hands you a new rulebook. You can't "outwork" your way through this level — you have to outthink it. Success now is measured not by what you produce, but by how effectively you enable others to produce. That means shifting from control to influence, from execution to enablement, from doing to deciding. The faster you internalize that shift, the faster your career accelerates.

 

If we boiled it all down, career advancement comes from mastering what I call the promotion equation. At each level, the equation shifts slightly, but the pattern is the same: Performance gets you noticed; Perception gets you considered; Positioning gets you promoted. Most people stop at performance, assuming their work will speak for itself. But at higher levels, it doesn't. Your work needs a voice — and that voice is you. Make sure your manager sees that you're thinking about the next level. Ask for feedback not just on what you're doing, but how you're operating. If your boss's boss spent a week watching you, would they see someone ready to lead… or someone still playing last year's game? That's the lens to use.

 

Before we wrap up, let's take a moment to talk about a few warning signs that the rules of your career may have shifted — signs that you might have missed the change before it became obvious. One of the clearest indicators is if you find yourself more comfortable solving yesterday's problems than identifying tomorrow's. You're tackling tasks you already know how to handle, but you're not spending as much time thinking about what's coming next. That's a subtle signal that your role is evolving, and it's time to start thinking beyond the immediate to the bigger picture.

 

Another sign shows up in the feedback you receive. Early in your career, praise often centers around details — did you finish the task correctly, were your deliverables on point. At higher levels, feedback starts to shift toward direction: are you influencing outcomes, shaping priorities, and helping guide others? If you're still mostly hearing comments on the details, that's a clue that your impact isn't being measured in the currency that matters at the next level.

 

You may also notice that you're being looped in after decisions are already made, instead of before. It can feel frustrating, almost like your voice isn't valued, even though you're still contributing. That's a classic signal that your sphere of influence needs to expand. At the next level, your goal is to be at the table before the decisions happen — shaping the conversation, offering insight, and guiding direction rather than simply executing once the plan is set.

 

Finally, pay attention to how you feel at the end of your workday. You might be exhausted, stretched thin, and working hard, but not fulfilled in a meaningful way. That exhaustion without fulfillment is a sign that your current approach isn't fueling growth; it's burning energy without advancing your career trajectory. The good news is, noticing these signs isn't a setback — it's an invitation. You're not behind. You're ready for the next chapter, and the new playbook that comes with it.

 

So, you've heard the theory. Now it's time to put it into action. Here are three concrete steps you can take this week. First, make a list of the behaviors and habits that have made you successful at your current level. Then ask yourself, "Will these still matter one level up?" If the answer is no, start replacing them now — don't wait until it's too late.

 

Next, in your upcoming one-on-one, go beyond the usual performance check-in. Don't just ask how you're doing — ask what the next level looks like, and what gaps your manager sees in your readiness to get there. That single question demonstrates initiative, strategic self-awareness, and the kind of forward-thinking leadership that gets noticed.

 

Finally, stop measuring success by effort alone. Instead, define it by influence, outcomes, and how well you make others successful. And if you want a bonus step, find your inflection point mentor — someone one or two levels above you who has already made the leap. Study how they operate differently, and you'll pick up cues far faster than any workshop or training could teach you.

 

Career growth isn't a straight line. It's a series of curves — and each curve demands a new version of you. The people who get promoted fastest aren't always the smartest or the hardest working; they're the ones who notice the game has changed and adjust before anyone else does.

 

Thanks for listening to Managing A Career. If you got value from today's insights, leaving a quick rating or review is the easiest way to help others find the show. Your feedback not only supports the podcast, it signals to other professionals that these strategies actually work and helps grow a community of people striving to get ahead.  I've been your host, Layne Robinson.

I pull inspiration for my episodes from many places.  The inspiration for this week's episode came from the June 19th episode of the Help Wanted podcast with Jason Feifer and Nicole Lapin (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-find-solutions-when-there-are-no-good-options/id1456031960?i=1000713535785).  In that episode, Jason outlines a specific problem solving technique, but it reminded me of a critical fact when it comes to your career.  I'll get into Jason's technique later, but first, I want to take a step back and talk about the importance of taking action.

 

If you think about your job in the simplest of terms, your JOB is to take responsibility of SOMETHING so that your leader doesn't have to think about it.  That may be small responsibilities early in your career or larger responsibilities as you gain experience and seniority.  Even your boss is expected to take responsibility of something so that THEIR boss doesn't have to think about it.  As much as possible, there is an expectation that you continue to move those responsibilities forward with very little input from anyone else.  If everyone does their part, the organization will continue to make progress on it's goals.

 

This is why it's important that you continue to take action, even when faced with a problem with no obvious solution.  In Episode 084 (https://www.managingacareer.com/84), I talked about the phrase "Don't bring me problems, bring me solutions".  This episode is sort of a continuation of that.

 

In Episode 084, I talked about the three reasons you might engage your leader in your responsibilities.  You need their authority, their permission, or their insight.  Because they have their own responsibilities, leaders are looking to minimize how much of their time you consume.  If, every time you face a difficult decision, you escalate to your leader, they will begin to question why they delegate tasks to you since you aren't showing ownership of the problem.

 

"But," you may think, "I want to make sure that I make the RIGHT decision."  But that desire to be right may lead to decision paralysis.  Over-research, waiting for others, or meetings to discuss the options AGAIN.  All of these factors are just putting off progress.  Sometimes, there IS no right solution.

 

This is where the technique that Jason mentioned in the episode of the Help Wanted podcast (https://www.jasonfeifer.com/podcast/) is useful.  When you have imperfect choices, it's often better to pick one to move forward and deal with the imperfections than it is to stall out your project.  By taking action, you showcase your ability to make tough decisions and allow your leader to continue to focus on bigger things.

 

Jason calls this strategy "List before you Leap".  Or you can consider it to be the "Least Flawed Option".  Start by listing every option that you've considered; even the ones that you have already dismissed.  When you consider each solution one by one, it's easy to say "no" because you can identify the flaws.  However, when you have the list of options, focus on determining to which solution you will say "yes".  By flipping from a "no" mindset to a "yes" mindset, you're preparing yourself to move forward.

 

With the list of options before you, it's often easy to eliminate most of them when compared to the few stronger candidates.  This is where applying the approach that Jeff Bezos uses for making decisions.  Some options may lead to 2-way doors and others may lead to 1-way doors (https://blueprints.guide/posts/one-way-vs-two-way-doors).  Consider how reversible a decision will be.  If you can easily undo a decision, that represents a 2-way door because once entered, you can always exit.  But, if a decision is irreversible, that decision is a 1-way door and you must take extra cautions when making that choice.  After you have narrowed your selection of imperfect solutions down, if you are struggling to decide, it is better to select a 2-way door solution instead of a 1-way door solution.  As you encounter the flaws, if they cannot be overcome, it may be useful to reverse track and choose the other option.

 

When you've made a decision on which imperfect option to choose, the next step is to present it to your leader.  As mentioned earlier, when you escalate to your leader, it's for authority, permission or insight.  It requires a lot less of their time when you ask for permission to proceed than if you ask for their insight.  You've indicated what was considered in making the decision, so you've provided the insight; you're just asking for permission to proceed.

 

 

In the Managing A Career podcast, I cover short-form topics to challenge your thinking about career advancement.  If you are interested in professional coaching, reach out to me via the contact form on the ManagingACareer.com website (https://managingacareer.com/contact).  I will schedule an introductory session where we can talk about your coaching goals.  If we're a good fit, we can set up regular coaching or I can refer you to other coaches I know that may suit your needs.

The other day, I was listening to the Smart Passive Income podcast (https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/) by Pat Flynn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/patflynn3/).  It wasn't even in the episode itself, but in his call to action at the end that he said a quote that was both insightful and inspiring to me.  So much so that it lead to today's episode.  In his episode, Pat said "It's not the mistakes you make that derail you.  It's the mistakes you make that becomes the rails you work within."

 

So, before we break that down, let's take a step back and talk about those rails -- those guardrails.  Guardrails are usually designed to keep you from going somewhere you shouldn't and to keep you safe.  But, when it comes to your career, those guardrails are often built by others -- or more specifically they are created by yourself based on the expectations you think other have for you -- and are here to keep you in line.  In the end, they may be holding us back from our full potential by keeping us from breaking out of a box that we find ourselves in.

 

So, what do I mean by all of that?

 

When it comes to career advancement, what's holding you back?  If you have limiting beliefs that keep you from speaking up or from challenging yourself, it may be time to review them and find a way to tear those guardrails down.  Let's look at some common guardrails that people believe that they must work within.

 

 

The first one is seniority based deference.  Especially early in your career, but it can happen at any time; if you find yourself surrounded by those with more tenure or more experience or higher rank, do you defer decisions to them.  Maybe you feel like if you challenge them you'll be considered problematic.  This can cause you to remain quiet and never express your ideas.

 

Instead of focusing on the seniority of others, focus on the different perspective that you bring.  Back up your ideas with data and preparation; a well-researched, well-thought-out idea is hard to argue against.  Challenge yourself to speak up in a meeting.  If you're still struggling with that, look for opportunities to present the idea to participants before the meeting starts.  Their feedback can help you refine your pitch and give you more confidence when the actual meeting takes place.

 

 

Along the same lines as seniority based deference is cultural conditioning.  In some cultures, hierarchy matters and is ingrained from an early age.  If you come from one of these cultures, you may wait for permission to speak instead of talking any time you have an idea.  If the meeting facilitator comes from a western culture, they may not realize and never offer the permissions you expect.  When you speak less, people begin to assume that you have nothing to contribute.

 

When you work for a global company, consider how company culture aligns with societal culture.  Western companies are more often going to value those contribute ideas.  If societal culture is hard for you to break past, then figure out who is leading the meetings that you will participate in and discuss the cultural difference that they may not be aware of .  Devise a signal that you can give them that indicates that you have something to contribute to the discussion so that they will offer the permission you seek.

 

 

Another guardrail that you may face is that of patriarchal conditioning.  Some companies or industries are heavily male dominated which leads to unwritten rules about how women should act.  Any deviation from those expectations can be punished by those in charge.  And when you also face cultural conditioning, this can be compounded exponentially.  In these situations, women will often revert to self-minimizing language in order to come across as non-threatening to their male team members.

 

To combat patriarchal conditioning, it's important to remember that being direct and being aggressive are different behaviors.  You can be direct without being aggressive.  Being direct is about bringing clarity.  Additionally, review Episode 087 (https://www.managingacareer.com/87) called "Language Matters".  Pay close attention to the sections on undermining your self and undermining your intelligence, but in short, look for ways to remove phrases from your vocabulary such as "Sorry" or "I could be wrong" or "I don't know".  Using these phrases are not just making you appear non-threatening, but are also perpetuating the patriarchal view.

 

 

There are also guardrails based on race and ethnic identity.  You may work at a company with very few people that look like you or that share a common heritage with you.  You limit what you say and how you say it in order to not validate any stereotypes that your colleagues may have.  You may even force yourself to tone down your actions or language in order to not be perceived as "emotional" or "problematic".  Code-switching can be draining.

 

If this applies to you, I'm not going to pretend to know the best way to handle this situation.  I'm a cis-gendered white male living in the United States.  But, what I can say is that some of us are allies, so seek us out.  Use us to amplify your voice.

 

 

Regardless of the source of your guardrails, they all lead to limits that can hold you back.  You become diminished or invisible.  And when you aren't seen, you won't be supported when it comes time for advancement.  While the guardrails may have been built by society, your inaction reinforces them.  If we look back at the quote from Pat Flynn, "It's not the mistakes you make that derail you.  It is the mistakes you make that become the rails you work within."  If I reframe it in the context of this episode, "When you let your guardrails limit your action, you make the mistake that will derail your progress."

 

So, how can you break free of the guardrails?

 

• In 12-step programs , the first step to breaking free is to name what limits you.  The same applies here, name your guardrail.  Say it out loud.  Tell a friend.  By naming it, it loses some of its power.
• In Episode 085 (https://www.managingacareer.com/85), I talked about how confidence builds confidence.  Test the water; start by speaking up in small ways.  The more you speak up, the easier it will get.  You may start by speaking up to support someone else's idea.  As you gain confidence, you can then transition to offering your own ideas and eventually even being the first to bring an idea to the team.
• Look for allies.  I don't mean other people in your same situation.  Look for people who are not afraid to speak up that can bring you into the conversation.
• Practice what you want to say.  If you feel nervous speaking up, write it down so that you don't lose track.  The better you know your material, the more confident you will be when speaking.
• Remove all minimizing phrases from your vocabulary.  Be clear and direct without being overly aggressive.
• And lastly, if you feel it necessary to have permission to speak, I hereby give it to you.  You are smart and capable; you wouldn't have this job is you were not.  You have permission to speak up and bring forward your ideas.

 

 

This is a very important episode of the podcast.  If you are personally impacted by these guardrails, use these guidelines to break free of them.  If you KNOW someone who is impacted by these guardrails, be an ally.  Call them into conversations and support their ideas.  Share this podcast -- and specifically this episode -- with the marginalized members of your team.

The single most important thing you can do for your career is to build your network.  Whether you build relationships with champions and advocates, coaches and mentors, or people that act as a resource, each one of them provide a benefit that can help move your career forward.  Champions and advocates will support you and your ideas—they'll speak up for you in rooms you're not in, recommend you for stretch assignments, and give visibility to your contributions. Coaches and mentors will help you grow by offering guidance, feedback, and perspective from someone who's been there before. They help you avoid pitfalls, refine your approach, and accelerate your development. Finally, people who act as resources—whether subject matter experts, connectors, or peers in other departments—help you get things done faster, smarter, and more effectively. Each category adds a layer of strength to your career foundation, and together, they create a powerful support system that can help you rise.

 

But, sometimes -- whether intentionally or not -- you can jeopardize your relationship with someone and potentially even destroy it permanently.  It might be because you disappeared after getting what you needed, failed to follow through on a promise, or didn't acknowledge the role someone played in your success. Other times, it could be as subtle as not showing appreciation, taking credit for shared work, or consistently making interactions one-sided. These moments can leave the other person feeling used, undervalued, or disrespected. And when trust is broken, it's incredibly difficult to rebuild. Relationships, especially in your career, are built on mutual respect, reliability, and reciprocity—once that's compromised, even unintentionally, the consequences can follow you far beyond that one interaction.

 

Or maybe YOU'RE the one on the other side.  Maybe you've spent time fostering a connection with someone only for them to turn their back on you.  They've taken advantage of you generosity in order to get ahead and then fail to reciprocate. That kind of experience can leave you feeling betrayed, used, and questioning whether it's even worth investing in people again. It stings when someone you believed in shows that their interest in you was transactional. And while it's tempting to close yourself off after that, it's important not to let one bad experience poison your ability to build meaningful, mutual relationships in the future. Instead, take the lesson with you: be more discerning, set clearer boundaries, and recognize the early signs of imbalance before you're left holding all the weight.

 

 

Why do people burn bridges?

People don't always burn a bridge because of spite.  In fact, they often don't even realize that they are doing it; it just sort of happens.  Let's take a look at some of the common reasons that people burn bridges and how to handle each of them.

 

They've gotten what they need from the relationship. If someone has achieved their goal, they may feel like they no longer need the relationship.  Or maybe they never intended to maintain the relationship at all, just get their needs met and move on.  Any time you reach out to them, you just get ghosted.  You may even see them put someone else in your position as they look to climb the next rung.

 

Look for signs early on in a relationship based on how often someone offers assistance either to you or others.  Someone who is going to use you and then leave will be unlikely to offer help to anyone else because they're focused only on their own needs.

 

They're distracted.

When someone is facing a challenge -- whether work or personal, they may be overwhelmed and distracted by their current situation.  They may not intend to ignore the relationship, but things just seem out of their control.

 

This could be an opportune time to strengthen a relationship.  If you recognize their situation, it can be a good time to reach out and offer what support you can provide.  By showing that you are not just out for yourself and have their best interests in mind, they'll be inclined to return the favor when they can.

 

They're avoiding a negative situation.

When someone makes a mistake or doesn't follow through with a promise, they may just disappear.  If they don't put forth the effort to mend the relationship, it can sour leading to a burned bridge.  You'll notice them avoiding you or putting off any interactions for fear of the consequences.

 

Being angry or holding a grudge won't resolve the situation.  Nor will running from it.  In order to preserve the relationship in this situation, the only way forward is to confront it head on.  If it's your mistake, own it.  If it's their mistake, offer support and understanding and try to figure out the source and a resolution to the failing.

 

They're burning it proactively.

The last reason someone may burn a bridge is if they feel like the relationship is ending and they want to be the one to control its end.  If they feel like they have been used and that they will soon be ghosted, they may try to ruin the relationship in retaliation so that they can't be used in the future.

 

It's important that you offer gratitude when someone in your network provides you aid; even just a simple email is enough to let the person know that their assistance is appreciated.  Additionally, look for ways that you can pay the person back with whatever help you can offer them.  A relationship should never be a one-way street.

 

Here's the thing about burning bridges—word spreads; people talk. And in today's interconnected professional world, reputations are more fragile than we like to admit.  When someone is ghosted or treated as disposable, it doesn't just end with them.  That person will talk within their network.  One burned bridge may not wreck your career, but it has the potential to cascade through a network quickly.  That could lead to a stalled career at a critical time.

 

That's why it's not enough to simply build a network—you have to cultivate it.  If you only show up when you need something, people notice.  Strong networks are built on consistency, mutual respect, and generosity.  Check in with people even when you don't need a favor.  Offer support without being asked.  Celebrate others' wins.  And always leave people better than you found them.  Because when your network thrives, so does your career.  When you make honoring relationships a habit, you're never starting from scratch—you're building momentum.

 

 

 

I would love to hear some stories of how this podcast has helped you in your pursuit of career advancement.  Go to the ManagingACareer.com website and leave a message via the Contact form (https://www.managingacareer.com/contact/) or click the button to leave a voicemail via your computer.  Tell me which episodes have had the biggest impact for you.  If I get enough feedback, I'll start including them in upcoming episodes.

It consistently ranks as one of the worst attributes in a boss year after year…..and yet, there are still many bosses who are micromanagers.  This week, I'm going to look at how you can break out of the micromanagement pattern.

 

 

It's the bane of everyone's existence.  You may feel like your manager is always hovering asking for status constantly.  Maybe everything you do is redone by your leader.  Or maybe your manager gives you no freedom in what you do or how you do it.

 

Regardless of the form that it takes, micromanagement is frustrating and demoralizing.  Managers who micromanage are doing so from a position of fear or anxiety.  Whether they are doing it intentionally or not, they do it because they do not trust their team to get done what needs to be done when it needs to be done.

 

What's worse, is that if you find yourself the target of micromanagement, it can completely derail your career progress.  If your leader feels the need to micromanage you, whether your fault or theirs, that display of lack of trust will lead to worse reviews and delayed promotions.

 

 

Managers who are new to the role may be more used to "doing" instead of "leading".  Their micromanagement tends to be treating their team as an extension of themselves.  They know what they would do and how they would react, so they are trying to make every member of their team follow that same game plan.  They haven't learned how to properly delegate and to let go, but that can come by building trust.

 

In Episode 031 (https://managingacareer.com/31), I asked the question "Does Your Manager Trust You?"  If you find that your leader micromanages due to a lack of trust, that episode can help you break out of the pattern.  Work to understand how they think in order to make decisions that align with those that they would make.  Learn how to communicate and escalate appropriately so that your manager does not regret assigning the task to you.  And lastly, to build trust, deliver; when you are assigned a task, follow through.  As you build trust, your manager can shift their focus to other activities and provide you with more freedom.

 

If managers aren't micromanaging because of lack of trust, it could be because of pressure to perform.  Pressure can be driven many different factors.  Are they responsible for a high visibility project with tight deadlines?  Or maybe they or the team has had a recent failure and they have already been given a warning about their performance?

 

When your manager is facing addition pressure, no matter the source, they might resort to micromanagement in order to gain some level of control over a situation where they don't feel like they have any.  When you encounter this form of micromanagement, the best course of action is to reassure your leader that they can relinquish control.  You can do this by communicating often.  Episode 044 (https://managingacareer.com/44) has additional guidelines for Reporting Status.  In addition to clear communication, work to identify potential issues and proactively raise them to your leader.  When he feels less like he will be blindsided, he will be more likely to loosen the reins and give you more freedom.

 

The final driver for micromanagement is fear of failure or dealing with imposter syndrome.  This speaks more about the confidence of your manager than it does about you, but when your leader is struggling with their own responsibilities, they may look to inject themselves into tasks that align with areas that they already feel confident.  Most leaders were previously experts in the "doing" role and will revert back to that mode in order to boost their self-confidence.

 

When your manager is lacking confidence in what they SHOULD be doing, look for ways to shift the dynamic by reframing their requests.  When they try to dictate too much of the details of how you should work, instead, ask questions that bring the focus to broader topics that emphasize why over how and guidance over direct supervision.  Focus on the outcomes and alignment with priorities over processes and specific activities.

 

 

Micromanagement is one of the most despised attributes in a leader.  If you find yourself a target of it, reacting emotionally won't help.  Work to provide clear, proactive communication and build trust with your leader.  Change the conversation from the details to the big picture.  And if necessary, use your network of allies to provide yourself a layer of protection.

 

 

My goal for this podcast is to help as many people as I can advance their careers.  To reach this goal, I would appreciate it if you would share this episode with your friends and coworkers.  Send them to ManagingACareer.com/follow (https://www.managingacareer.com/follow) which will give them links to everywhere that this podcast can be found.

This past week at my day job, we went through an organizational restructuring.  Some of my team is now reporting to a new manager and I have new people on my team.  If you find yourself on a new team, this is the perfect time to review your Individual Development Plan.

 

It's been a while since I last talked about your IDP, but I believe it is a critical tool for ensuring your advancement.  For a more detailed explanation of the different sections of the IDP and how to incorporate one into your one-on-one discussions with your leader, review Episodes 036 to 040 of this podcast (https://www.managingacareer.com/36) and if you need a copy of my IDP template, you can reach out via the Contact Form on the Managing A Career website (https://managingacareer.com/contact).

 

But, to summarize, the IDP is a document that YOU own that takes a systematic, top-down approach towards breaking down your career plan.  It starts with the Vision and Roadmap sections (https://www.managingacareer.com/37) that looks at your five or ten year goal and helps you identify the major steps it will take to get there.  Next are the Assessment and Next Role sections (https://www.managingacareer.com/38) where you look at just the first step on your journey towards your Vision.  In these sections you focus on identifying your strengths and weaknesses in your current role and what is holding you back from reaching the next step on the roadmap.  Once you have completed the assessment, you can document an Action Plan (https://www.managingacareer.com/39) of how you will address the gaps.  And the final section of the IDP is the one where you document your Successes.  It is important to document your accomplishments and periodically review them to remind yourself of the progress you've made.

 

 

While your IDP should be a consistent component of your regular one-on-ones, any time you change leaders is a good time to review it.  With new management comes new expectations and new opportunities.  By taking the time to review and update your IDP you can ensure that your path forward is not derailed by not understanding how to impress your new leader.

 

Start by validating your current Vision statement.  Since you last updated your IDP, has anything changed about where you see your career heading?  Have you learned anything more about what you like and dislike about your career trajectory?  Or maybe you've grown and can see further into the future about where you want to be.

 

With a refined Vision, do you need to adjust how you get from here to there?  Consider how your new team fits with your defined roadmap.  Does it put you closer or further from your goal?  What experiences or connections does your new manager have that you can benefit from their mentorship?  Will this new team or new manager provide you with any shortcuts to your goal?

 

With a new team comes a new focus and a new role.  A new leader brings new standards and values.  As you perform your self-assessment, you will need to determine if your strengths are in alignment with these new expectations and what you need to prioritize working on.  The earlier you can understand what your new leader considers "next level" performance, the more likely you can stay on your original timetable.  Update your action plan to take advantage of the focus of the new team and volunteer for stretch assignments that give you immediate visibility to your new team.

 

Finally, update your Successes section with all that you accomplished with your previous team.  Use the guidelines outlined in Episode 044 (https://www.managingacareer.com/44) on Reporting Status to ensure that you capture the value you provided.  During your first few one-on-ones, review these Successes with your new leader so that they understand where you started and what you are capable of.

 

 

Not every change moves you forward on the road to your ultimate goal.  If you're lucky, they will, but when they don't, there can still be benefit to the reassignment.  At a minimum, you can use the new team to expand your network, but always be on the lookout for new skills and projects that you gain exposure to.  You may enjoy the new focus and decide to change your Vision statement.  However, never be afraid to look for a different opportunity if you ultimately determine that the new team is a dead end when it comes to what YOU want.

 

 

Your IDP is a critical piece to your career advancement, especially during times of change.  It provides you a clear focus to make sure that you keep heading where YOU want.  If you need a copy of my template or if you need help filling it out, reach out to me via the Contact Form on the ManagingACareer.com website (managingacareer.com/contact).

 

The job market is tough right now.  People across all industries are getting laid off and starting their job search.  If this includes you, you may have found that each job you apply for is highly competitive.  You might think that finding another job in your current field is a struggle.  Or maybe you feel like you are stuck and there are limited or no growth opportunities available to you.  One way that you can increase your opportunities is to consider a career pivot.

 

A pivot point is a fixed point around which something rotates.  It's a strong, anchoring point.  A career pivot isn't a case of completely changing your career; it's a strategic change leveraging the anchor of your current career.  In this case, you are leveraging you existing skills to pivot towards a similar or related career that may have more opportunities than your current one.

 

Before you can pivot, the first thing you need to do is take an inventory of the skills that you have and how they might apply to other fields. If you use my Individual Development Plan template, you've already got a leg up.  If not, review Episode 038 (https://www.managingacareer.com/38) which covers the Assessment and Next Role sections of the IDP.  You can also request a copy of the template by reaching out via the Contact Form on ManagingACareer.com (https://managingacareer.com/contact) to request one.

 

Consider grouping the skills into those that have broader applicability such as communication and leadership and then a group for those that are more specialized such as project management or data analysis.  I would still note those skills that you have that are highly technical, because even if they seem to apply primarily to your current career, there may be parallels in other careers.

 

With your list of transferrable skills in hand, brainstorm job families that are adjacent to your current position.  Consider other roles that you interacted with frequently that may have parallels to what you do now.  If your company has recently had a layoff, look at the positions that were least impacted that fit with your abilities.  If you're having difficulty coming up with related careers, look at the Occupational Information Network at https://www.ONetCenter.org or the Career Explorer at https://linkedin.github.io/career-explorer (links will be in the episode notes).  Both of these sites have tools where you can compare different careers and which skills are common between them.

 

As you explore pivot options, determine if there are any skills that you need to refresh or skills that may benefit from additional training.  For example, project management is a skill that would be useful in many industries, however, project management in the software development industry is different than project management in the construction industry.  This is a good time to look for supplemental training to strengthen your ability to pivot.

 

Lastly, reach out to your network.  If you know someone in the adjacent role, they can explain the day to day duties that they have and they can help you understand how your skills will translate to the new role.  Your network may also have leads on openings in this related field.

 

Now that you understand why you might want to pivot and how to approach the change, let's look at some real world pivots that may be options for you to explore.

 

Career

Key transferable skills

Potential pivots

Teaching

Classroom management

Lesson planning

Explaining complex ideas in simple terms

Creating classroom resources for other teachers

Curriculum planning

Creating online courses in other areas

Nursing

Medical knowledge

Patient care

Healthcare Case Management

Patient Advocacy

Accounting

Skills with spreadsheets

Understanding of financial drivers

Regulatory knowledge

Financial Analyst

Financial Planner

Lawyer

Understanding of the law

Negotiation

Compliance officer

Sports or Entertainment Agent

Chef

Food handling

Coordinating a team

Resource planning

Food Safety Inspector

Inventory Management

Construction

Knowledge of building codes and regulations

Project Management

Building Inspector

Project Management in another industry

 

Real Estate

Sales and Contracts

Relationship Management

Market Analysis

Property Management

Sales in another industry

Loan Officer

Journalism

Research and Investigation

Writing and Editing

Writing website copy

Corporate Communications

 

So, if a pivot seems like the path forward for you, how do you approach it?  First, review your resume and reframe it to showcase transferable experiences.  Next look for supplemental trainings or certificates that can jump-start a shift.  Next, leverage your network to find contacts in the related field.

 

 

A career coach can help you build the skills you need in order to implement these strategies.  If you need a career coach, reach out to me via the  Contact Form at ManagingACareer.com (https://www.managingacareer.com/contact/).  I'll schedule an introductory session where we can talk about your career goals and determine if we would be a good fit for coaching.  If we are, we can arrange regular sessions to help you put your career on the fast track to advancement.

How many of you have struggled to figure out what it takes to get promoted?  Maybe you've been in your current position for several years and feel like you'll be stuck there for many more.  When you reach out to your manager, you just get a vague answer that doesn't really tell you what you need to work on such as "your turn is coming" or "you're doing well, just keep it up".  The secret that no one talks about?  Your boss probably doesn't know how to articulate it……if he even knows what it takes to get to the next level.

 

Very often, managers are not given training on how to develop their team.  If they are good at it, it's probably a skill that they picked up as they transitioned from junior levels up to senior levels within their own careers.  Other than comparing job descriptions, there likely isn't any concrete criteria that have been defined and the difference between job descriptions is vague and minor at best.

 

Even when there are criteria, they are rarely communicated outside of management circles because they rely on soft skills that are hard to quantify.  The skills you rely on do perform your day to day activities are just expected.  It's skills like being trust-worthy, how you communicate, your executive presence, and dealing with ambiguity that will set you apart from your peers.  But, how do you measure someone's executive presence?

 

The other problem with defining criteria is that it could become an implicit contract (potentially even legally binding depending on where you are located).  By refusing to state criteria or defining them in vague terms, your manager gives themselves room to adjust based on conditions at the company and within your peer group.  For example, right now, there are many companies laying off portions of their staff, the implication being that there may be fewer promotions available during the next cycle.  If the criteria were clearly defined, there may be an expectation by several on your team that a promotion is imminent that your manager will be unable to fulfill.

 

At the end of the day, most managers just rely on their gut feel for when someone is ready for the next level.  Additionally, when your manager has to justify the promotion to a panel of others, they will only put forth the effort when they believe there is a strong chance that the promotion will be granted.  So, not only do they need to believe that you are ready, but they need to believe that the panel will agree with that assessment.

 

 

As a general rule, there are a handful of attributes that you will find to be applicable across the board.

• Be the person who takes ownership of problems.  If you can identify the problems and work to solve them without being told, even better.  But even just being the person that when given a task, your manager trusts that you will drive it to completion will help you stand out among your peers.
• As much as possible, be visible beyond your team.  When cross-functional teams and your skip-level leader know who you are, it makes it easier for your manager to sell your promotion to others in the organization.
• When you show that your decisions and judgement are in alignment with those of your manager, this alignment will establish your readiness for promotion.

 

While these generalized attributes will help you, it is more important to understand the specifics of what YOUR manager is looking for because, ultimately, they are the ones who controls whether you will be promoted or not.

 

If your manager can't or won't state the criteria, then how can you figure out what it takes to get promoted?  Start by paying attention.

• During all-hands or team meetings, listen during the recognition section.  When your manager makes comments about the team, what does he say?   If necessary, write them down and compare the comments over time.  The things that he brings up frequently are the ones that he values most.
• Who on your team has been promoted recently?  What are their strengths?  Can you emulate them?  Is it possible to have them mentor you?
• Look beyond your immediate team.  Senior level promotions often require input or approval from other leaders.  Do you understand the criteria that your VP looks for when a promotion is brought before them?
• Pay attention to the work that your leader delegates and the stretch assignments that people are given.  These assignments are often tests to see if the recipient has developed the skills needed in order to be promoted.  If you can identify what skill is being tested, it can give you a clue on what you may need to work on.

 

When you feel like you have gained enough insight into the secret criteria that your manager is evaluating you against, plan to bring them up in your next one-on-one.  With evidence in hand, instead of asking "What do I need to do to get promoted?" you can ask questions about the valued skills such as "What does executive presence look like at the next level?" or "If someone were ready to be promoted, what would their leadership skills look like?"  You can also get your leader to describe what previous people did that showed they were ready to be promoted.  If you can name names, that will put even more context to their answer.  Not only will these answers provide clarity to you on what it takes, but it can bring focus and attention for your boss and pre-dispose them to watch for those attributes in you.

 

 

A career coach can help you build the skills you need in order to implement these strategies.  If you need a career coach, reach out to me via the  Contact Form at ManagingACareer.com (https://www.managingacareer.com/contact/).  I'll schedule an introductory session where we can talk about your career goals and determine if we would be a good fit for coaching.  If we are, we can arrange regular sessions to help you put your career on the fast track to advancement.

Throughout our careers, we observe others around us getting ahead by various means.  Some people do so by putting other people down in order to make themselves look better whereas others do so by lifting those around them up.  You may have even used these techniques yourself.  The secret?  Both approaches can work, but only one is sustainable for the long term.  Let's take a look at the longer term impact of each.

 

 

Whether intentionally or not, some people will try to advance their careers by pushing those around them down.  These people will steal credit from other.  They will undermine the success of those around them.  And they will secretly work to cause a rift in the team in order to distract others from their actions.

 

If the organization is driven by visibility, someone trying to look superior will take credit for the work that their team does or reframe what was done in such a way that they steal credit for things that they had minimal impact on.

 

If they are not confident in the quality of their work, they may spread gossip in order to cause stronger team members to be viewed as incompetent or even to be excluded from key efforts.  Beyond rumors, they may "forget" to include them in important decisions or purposefully withhold or delay support in order for their targets to struggle or fail.

 

People who operate in this mode are operating from a position of fear -- fear for their job, fear for being found to be "less than", or just fear that there are limited opportunities for success and that they will be left behind.

 

Sadly, this can be an effective strategy……at least in the short term.  If someone can implement their plan before others catch on, they can achieve the promotion they desire.  But, eventually that catches up to them.  Their team will stop supporting them and their leaders will eventually see the pattern.  That early success eventually stalls out.

 

If you find yourself to be a target of someone who is trying to get ahead by pushing you down, how should you react?

 

Start by proactively reporting your status to your leaders.  If the person putting you down IS your leader, then report your status to project sponsors and your skip level leader.  Review Episode 044 (https://www.managingacareer.com/44) for more information on reporting status.

 

Next, build relationships with those that will ultimately be deciding who advances.  If you build a relationship with your skip level leader as well as cross-functional teams, it will be harder for someone to misrepresent your work because they will have first-hand knowledge of what you bring to the team.  Additionally, grow your network as covered in Episode 029 (https://www.managingacareer.com/29) and build a cheering section as covered in Episode 052 (https://www.managingacareer.com/52).  The more people you have on your side, the harder it is for someone to attack you.

 

It may be tempting to try to "fight fire with fire", but by stooping to their level, you run the risk of being the one viewed as being the problem, just strengthening their approach.  Instead, turn their actions against them.  When they steal credit that you deserve, remember, they are only stealing credit that they see as valuable.  Leverage that by following up with your leaders to add additional context and provide evidence of your bigger role in the work.  Doing so in a matter-of-fact manner will show them that you bring more value to the team.

 

 

The other approach is to lift those around you up.  Where the first strategy is about stealing credit, when you lift people up, you freely give credit where it is due…..and sometimes even give credit away.  When those around you are struggling, you offer to mentor them.  You offer support for good ideas, even when they aren't your own.

 

The driver for this approach is not fear, but in being strategically generous.  Lifting others up builds trust and leads to a reputation of being someone who makes a team better.  Additionally, you build allies and advocates.  This investment in people will pay off in the future when those that you've supported gain positions of authority and power.  And when your position advances, they'll follow you willingly.

 

Lifting others up is a much slower play, but it is much more sustainable in the long run.  Each person you lift up becomes an advocate for you when it's your turn.  And over time, this can lead to more and more supporters.  As a side benefit, these same people that are helping you advance will also provide a level of protection from those that look to push you down.

 

If you find that someone else is lifting you up, first, accept it and then reflect it back to them.  When they bring attention to your work, offer a response along the lines of "Thank you!  A big reason that I was able to be successful on this project was because of all that I've learned working with [Joe]".  This not only helps your visibility based on the credit, it will also strengthen your alliance with the person who is sharing the spotlight.

 

 

Help me spread the word about the Managing A Career podcast (https://managingacareer.com).

 

My goal for this podcast is to continue to grow the audience in order to help as many people as I can advance their careers.  To reach this goal, I would appreciate it if you would share this episode with your friends and coworkers.  Send them to ManagingACareer.com/follow (https://www.managingacareer.com/follow) which will give them links to everywhere that this podcast can be found.

More often that you realize, when a manager is asked to create a list of people to lay off, they are rarely given much time to think about it; they are just given a target number and a deadline.  When they have to react quickly, there a few criteria that they instinctively use to determine who goes and who stays.  What can you do to make sure that you aren't on that list?

 

The first thing to realize is that there are no short term fixes.  The steps to take to protect your job start TODAY.  In Episode 068 (https://www.managingacareer.com/68), I cover some techniques that can help you identify upcoming changes and use them to maximum benefit.  Using these techniques, you can often predict an upcoming layoff, but even with that knowledge, by the time you recognize a pending layoff, it's already too late to do anything about it.

 

When it comes to layoffs, there is very little that can ensure job safety.  But, if you understand how managers decide who to put on the list and who to keep off, you can give yourself a fighting chance of staying off the list, so let's take a look at what usually factors into a manager's decision.

 

Do people know who you are?  If your manager were to be asked to name everyone on their team, are you one of the first names that they think of……or one of the last?  While it's possible for your name to be front of mind for your manager just based on the work you do, more than likely that isn't enough.  You need to ensure that you remain visible.  Go back and review Episode 081 (https://www.managingacareer.com/81) for more strategies for being visible within the organization.

 

How easily can you be replaced?  If you bring something unique to the team, it's a lot harder for your manager to let you go.  Lean into that strength and find ways to amplify that message.  If you are one of three or four different team members who can do the same work or if your work can be automated, how likely is it that your manager will look your direction to make the mandated cuts?  Episode 076 (https://www.managingacareer.com/76) Developing Skills would be a good place to start for building skills that make you unique.

 

Does your manager trust you?  I covered this very topic in Episode 31 (https://www.managingacareer.com/31).    Your manager is much more likely to keep you off the list if they view you as a solution to a problem and not someone that causes problems.  If they trust you to do what is needed with very little guidance from them, you free them up to focus on other duties.  When it comes to layoffs that's valuable to someone who is anticipating having to take on additional duties.

 

How do you fit with the team?  If you support the team in a way that brings up the energy or morale or productivity, that is something that will have even more importance when the team shrinks.  If you don't engage with the team and are more aloof, the team may feel some level of sympathy for you, but overall, they won't necessarily miss you.

 

And the last criteria that managers secretly use to evaluate the team is the potential for future contributions.  Businesses continuously evolve.  If you are viewed as someone who is ready for the next shift in technology, they will be more inclined to want to keep you.  Staying abreast of the latest technology and ideas is the way forward.  For example with AI being the current hot topic, in episode 078 (https://www.managingacareer.com/78) Future Proof You I cover how you can leverage it in your job.

 

 

None of these guarantee job safety.  You may be visible, but that will just amplify any recent mistakes no matter how minor.  You may be irreplaceable, but the function you perform is going to be eliminated.  You may be trusted, but your second level manager mandated that you be on the list because he doesn't value the work you do.  You may be the glue that holds the team together, but people question your dedication to the work.  So, if, in spite of your standing, you find yourself on the list, go back and review Episode 053 (https://www.managingacareer.com/53) for how to recover from being laid off.

 

The good news is that these same criteria are the ones that leaders look for when it comes time to give out promotions.  Promotions go to those that are visible, contribute unique skills, are trusted, lift up the team, and have future potential.  So, putting together a plan to address them will serve a dual purpose.

 

 

A career coach can help you build the skills you need in order to implement these strategies to keep your name off of the list and position you for a future promotion.  If you need a career coach, reach out to me via the  Contact Form at ManagingACareer.com (https://www.managingacareer.com/contact/).  I'll schedule an introductory session where we can talk about your career goals and determine if we would be a good fit for coaching.  If we are, we can arrange regular sessions to help you put your career on the fast track to advancement.

Last week, in Episode 088 (https://www.managingacareer.com/88), I covered the four key project types that can fast-track your career advancement.  This week, I'm going to cover some strategies for when your current project assignment is not on one of those fast-track type projects.

 

So, to review, the four fast-track project types are strategic projects aligned to organizational goals, cross-functional projects that impact multiple teams, projects tied to revenue generation or expense reduction, and finally, projects that are in trouble.  If you find yourself assigned to a project in any combination of those categories, success can be a springboard to the next level.

 

So, what do you do when your work doesn't fall into any of those categories?  The first thing I would do is to get an understanding of why the project even exists.  It's rare for a project to be initiated without having some business value, so your goal should be to understand what that value is.

 

If you are unsure, ask your leader how your assignment aligns with the bigger picture.  It's possible that your assignment is a precursor to an upcoming effort.  Use this link when you communicate status of your project and include statements about how your current work ENABLES the future project.  This linkage can also be your ticket to being assigned to the strategic project in the future.

 

Alternatively, can you reframe your project so that you create a link between your project and a fast-track project?    If you can directly tie the goals of your project to those of a fast-track project, it's possible that your project could be absorbed by the larger project, providing a backdoor route to being assigned to the fast-track project.

 

If your project is not directly related to a fast-track project, look for ways to elevate your project.  Can you expand the scope of your project to include cross-functional aspects?  Does your project facilitate revenue generation or expense reduction for other areas of the business?  Can someone leverage the results of your project to bring a troubled project back on track?

 

Projects have executive sponsors.  Who are the sponsors of your project?  Make sure that they are communicating the importance of your project to your leaders and their leaders.  Use their position to tie your project back to corporate goals.

 

Those strategies would allow you to align your current project with a fast-track project.  As long as you deliver on your current project, you can use the connection to a bigger project to help set yourself up for a key assignment on your next project.

 

The other strategy is to look for ways to be assigned to a fast-track project.

 

If your team is responsible for or contributes to a fast-track project, the obvious first step would be to speak to your manager.  You'll need to make a case for why you would be an asset to that project.  Do you have specific knowledge or skills that you can bring to the project?  Or maybe you have key relationships that will gain the support of other teams?  If your manager turns you down for the current project, ask for specific feedback on what you should work on so that you are considered for the next fast-track project……and then put a plan in place to work on those things.

 

If you can't get reassigned to a fast-track project, it can still be beneficial to keep up with the progress of projects you aren't assigned to.  Pay attention to when those projects have a need for additional resources or skills that you can provide.  Volunteer to provide the additional support the projects need and continue to deliver on your current project.

 

In Episode 013 (https://www.managingacareer.com/13), I cover how sometimes you have to make your own luck.  If you work your network and pay attention to the goings on of your organization, you can often find a problem in need of a solution.  Look for those opportunities that can lead to a fast-track project.  If you are the one bringing the project forward, you will usually not only be assigned to the project, but also have an opportunity to lead that project.

 

If you find yourself in a situation where you get neither aligned or assigned to a fast-track project, there's still a course of action you can take.  Play the hand you're dealt.  Deliver strong results and use them to build trust and reputation.  Take advantage of being on a less stressful project and use the time to build the skills you will need in order to be ready for the assignment when it becomes available.

 

 

Help me spread the word about the Managing A Career podcast (https://managingacareer.com).

 

My goal for this podcast is to continue to grow the audience in order to help as many people as I can advance their careers.  To reach this goal, I would appreciate it if you would share this episode with your friends and coworkers.  Send them to ManagingACareer.com/follow (https://www.managingacareer.com/follow) which will give them links to everywhere that this podcast can be found.

They say if you make yourself indispensable, your job is safe. But what if being the person everyone depends on is quietly holding your career hostage?

 

The Paradox of Being Indispensable

You've probably heard someone say, "If you make yourself indispensable, you'll never lose your job." It sounds like solid advice, right? Be the person who keeps the lights on. The one who knows how everything works, fixes what's broken, and always swoops in to save the day. But here's the twist: the very strategy that protects your position might also be the one holding your career hostage. Today, we're unpacking the paradox of being indispensable : when it's your greatest strength… and when it quietly becomes career suicide.

 

Why Being Indispensable Feels So Good — and Why It's a Trap

Being indispensable feels good. It's validation. It's the company saying, "We need you." You become the go-to person…..the firefighter who can handle every emergency, the steady hand everyone trusts when things go sideways.  If you're early in your career, that feeling can be addictive. You get noticed. You get trusted. You're seen as reliable, capable, and essential. It feels like the fast track to success.

 

But here's the catch: being indispensable often locks you in place. I usually tell my team, "If you're the only one who can… you're the one who always will." Because if you're the only one who knows how something works, your boss can't promote you. They can't move you into something new. The moment you leave your seat, things fall apart (and no manager wants that).  You've become too valuable… but only right where you are. And that's when "job security" quietly turns into "career stagnation."

 

When Indispensability Becomes a Liability

If you're a senior employee or manager, you might recognize this dynamic in your own team. There's always that one person you can't afford to lose. They're the glue holding everything together — the expert who keeps projects running and makes problems disappear before anyone else even sees them.  But here's the uncomfortable truth: that same person can also be the reason no one else is learning how to do the job. And that's a risk; for them, for you, and for the business.

 

When one person carries all the knowledge, you're building a system that's one resignation away from collapse. You risk burnout and resentment from the person stuck in that role. And if they leave, you risk chaos.  That's why redundancy isn't waste….. It's protection. It's flexibility. It's freedom. The healthiest teams have overlap by design. They cross-train, they document, they share expertise.

 

And here's the irony: when you become indispensable, it doesn't make management feel safe. It makes them nervous. Because they know the system can't function without you. And that's not stability;  that's fragility.

 

Redefining What It Means to Be Indispensable

So, how do you do it right? Being "indispensable" isn't the problem….it's the definition that needs to evolve.  Early in your career, indispensability is about reliability. You earn trust by showing up, solving problems, and doing excellent work. That's how you build your reputation.

 

But as you grow, the meaning changes. True indispensability isn't about being the only one who can, it's about being the one who makes sure others can too. You multiply your value by documenting what you know, by delegating with intention, and by teaching others to succeed even when you're not in the room.  That's not losing control….that's gaining influence.  It's the difference between being the person who "does it all" and the person who "makes it possible." The first keeps you busy. The second builds your legacy.

 

Leaders: Don't Reinforce the Trap

As a leader, you might be unintentionally reinforcing this problem. Every team has that one rock star who seems to do it all;  the person who solves every problem because "time is of the essence." But here's the catch: by leaning on their indispensability, you're limiting their growth.

 

Even worse, you're holding back the rest of the team. By making one person the go-to for every challenge, you lock them into a role that's hard to step out of, while denying others the chance to shine. Over time, this can lead to burnout, frustration, and even people leaving; both for those rockstars AND those that are overlooked.

 

Great leaders don't just reward dependability; they design redundancy. They build systems where anyone could step in and perform well. That doesn't make your top performer less valuable, it makes the whole team stronger. Your job as a manager isn't to keep people busy; it's to keep them growing.

 

Job Security or Career Suicide? It Depends

So, is being indispensable job security or career suicide? The answer is, as always, "it depends." It depends on what kind of indispensable you are.

 

If you're the hero who holds everything together, it may feel like job security……for now. But eventually, that path leads to a dead end. If you're the builder who creates systems, trains others, and scales your impact, you're on the fast track to career acceleration. One makes you hard to fire. The other makes you impossible to ignore.

 

So, how do you break out of the old-style indispensable box and become truly impactful? Start by documenting everything. Any knowledge that lives only in your head?  Write it down and share it with your team. Next, get someone else involved. Show them how, then let them take the lead. Support them when needed, but delegate the task…..and then, speak up for something bigger.

 

Here's your reflection for the week: Are you protecting your current job… or preparing for your next one? If today's episode got you thinking differently about what it means to be "indispensable," share it with someone on your team…maybe the person who's always putting out fires, or the one you rely on the most.

 

And if you haven't already, go to https://managingacareer.com/follow to subscribe to Managing A Career wherever you listen to podcasts. Every episode is about helping you work smarter, lead better, and move faster toward that next promotion.  Until next time, I'm Layne Robinson, and this is Managing A Career.

 

When it comes to career advancement, some projects have a bigger impact than others.  How can you make sure that you're associated with the projects that give you the best chance at success?

 

When you look at the types of projects that are undertaken within your organization, four key types will garner the most recognition and opportunities for advancement.  This week, I'll take a look at what these project types are.  Next week, I'll cover what you can do if your assignments don't fall into one of these four categories.

 

The type of project that is going to have the biggest impact on your career is going to be those that are most closely aligned with the organizational strategy and goals.  The bigger the goal, the bigger the impact; projects tied to team goals, won't have nearly as big of an impact as one tied to departmental or company goals.  But, regardless of the level, when the project is tied to a goal, your leaders will have a vested interest in the success of the project.

 

Another impactful project type is a cross-functional projects.  These projects give you an opportunity to expand your network (https://www.managingacareer.com/29) and expand your sphere of influence (https://www.managingacareer.com/70).  While the project may not be aligned with YOUR organization's goals, it very likely aligns with the goals of the other organization.  Your leadership will usually be made aware when you make significant contributions to these cross-functional projects.

 

Most companies are in business to make money.  It is never a bad thing when your projects directly drive revenue or on the flip side when your project reduces expenses.  People will take notice when you are responsible for the improving the bottom line.

 

If you're looking for a project type that is high-risk / high-reward, look for projects that are in trouble.  Joining a problem project and turning it into a success will allow you to gain a lot of trust and leeway.  Just be careful because it can be difficult and stressful to try to live up to expectations that you can swoop in like Superman for every project in the future.

 

The common thread in all four of these fast track project types is that they all provide an opportunity for you to be more visible to leadership.  You can enhance this visibility by documenting the project outcomes and how your involvement lead to those outcomes.  Review Episode 044 (https://www.managingacareer.com/44) for how to communicate the VALUE you provided and not just the activities you performed.

 

The other way to increase the impact that a fast-track project has on your career is to build your network of champions.  Use the success on these high-impact projects to bring the project sponsors into your personal cheering section as covered in Episode 052 (https://www.managingacareer.com/52).

 

 

Not every project will fall into one of these fast-track categories.  Next week, I'll cover what you can do when you find yourself in that situation.

 

 

Is there a career development question that you would like for me to answer on an upcoming episode?  If so, go to the ManagingACareer.com website and drop me a note via the Contact form (https://www.managingacareer.com/contact/).  If you would rather, you can leave me a voicemail through your computer by clicking the button on the right.

 

 

In Episode 085 (https://www.managingacareer.com/85), I covered techniques to build confidence.  This week I'd like to talk about how you can use the words you say to project that confidence to those around you.

 

When you speak with others, in order to project confidence, you should pay attention to the negative qualifiers that you use when stating your ideas.  Those negative qualifiers typically fall into five categories. 

• They can undermine your ideas such as "I think".
• They can undermine your self such as "Sorry" or "I could be wrong, but…".
• They can undermine your audience such as finishing with "Does that make sense?"
• They can undermine your intelligence such as "I have a doubt"
• They can make you seem uncommitted such as "I'll try"

 

When you use phrases such as "I think", you weaken your message.  Instead, just drop the qualifier and state your idea clearly.  You are a professional and paid to be an expert in your field; own your ideas.  Consider these phrasing pairs:

• I think we should explore the new technology.  OR…
• The new technology is the best course of action.

The first option comes across as a suggestion looking for someone else to take the lead.  The second option conveys the same message but gives little room for doubt that your idea is the one to follow.

 

When you make statements that diminish your self, you leave room for others to be the dominant voice in the room.  I'm not suggesting that you be loud or vocally bullying, but if your goal is to be seen as a confident leader, you should be one of the more dominant voices in the room.  Consider these phrasing pairs:

• I could be wrong, but our customers are looking for us to deliver this feature.  OR…
• My perspective is that the new feature will drive additional customer upgrades.

The first option lacks certainty.  The second option doesn't apologize for your thoughts and presents a better case for why the team should proceed in the direction you suggest.

 

It can be very off-putting when someone questions your intelligence.  Using phrases that undermine your audience will have them deciding to support ideas from others.  In order to gain their support you should avoid phrases such as "Does that make sense?" and instead use something along the lines of "If anyone needs more detail on that, let me know."  The first questions their ability to understand whereas the second offers clarification for those that request it.

 

Phrases that undermine your intelligence will kill any credibility you have with your audience.  It's fine not to know something, but instead of saying "I don't know" say "I'll find out".  Don't try to misrepresent your knowledge, but show your willingness to learn and grow.  When you don't understand something, instead of saying "I have a doubt" say "Can you explain that".  Using "I" language places the burden of ignorance on you and using "you" language places the burden of explanation on them.

 

The last qualifier is "I'll try".  Using this type of phrase doesn't express your commitment to the results.  If what is being asked is within your abilities, just be direct and say "I will".  Or if you are unsure of your ability to deliver, be clear and confident in what you can do and explain what areas may be problematic.  For example, instead of "I'll try to get sign-off by the end of the week" say something like "I will send an email request for approval today and if I haven't received sign-off by Thursday, I will follow up in person."

 

While I've been referring to these statements in terms of speaking, but the same holds true for written communication.  Since written communication gives you more time to review and compose what you are sending, it may be easier to start there.  Go back through your recent emails and look for these types of phrases.  How could you have reworded them to present as stronger and more confident?

 

If you have access to AI bots that can transcribe your meetings, record your meetings and pay attention to who uses strong language and who uses weak language.  Are those the same people that are viewed as thought leaders?  How often are you using weaker language?  Do you find yourself using stronger language with certain audiences or in certain meetings but weaker language with different audiences or meetings?

 

As we've seen this week, what you say and how you say it can play a big part in how others perceive you.  Using the right phrasing will have others viewing you as confident and competent.  And as I covered in Episode 085, confidence builds confidence.  So, as you speak more confidently, your confidence in yourself will also grow.

 

In past episodes, I've brought up people that I follow on LinkedIn whose content I feel can set you up for career success.  This week, I'd like to turn your attention to Nausheen Chen (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nausheenichen/).  Nausheen is a public speaking coach.  Now some of you may think to yourself that you never intend to speak on a stage, but hear me out.  Speaking on a stage is about learning to speak with confidence and many of the same tips for public speaking apply to your day to day life, too.  She not only covers the type of content that I've shared today but many more tips that can help be a better and more confident speaker, both on and off the stage.  Go and give her a follow.

On this podcast, I cover topics that can help you advance your career.  In simple terms, this means putting yourself in the best possible position to be considered for a promotion.  But, sometimes the next transition is from an individual to management role.  This week, I cover a technique where you can document your leadership skills as you prepare for that change.

 

When it comes to capturing the results of your work as an individual, I've covered several different methods.  In Episode 044 (https://www.managingacareer.com/44), I cover how to report status to various audiences showing the value that you provide in the context of your current assignments.  In Episode 039 (https://www.managingacareer.com/39), I cover the Success section of your IDP; in that section, you capture the results of your Action Plan and how you have grown from those activities.  But, these forms of documentation may not be adequate to showcase your abilities when the next role relies on completely different skills than your current role.

 

Many of the skills that you will need to have as a people manager are soft skills.  Using them is often not tied directly to project results but affect HOW those results are achieve.  Just documenting the results is not sufficient, so it will require a different approach.  This week, I'd like to introduce you to a Leadership Portfolio.

 

So, what do you capture in your Leadership Portfolio?  At the most basic level, it should document your use of soft skills and particularly how they have impacted those around you.  This is not an exhaustive list, but you should look to include instances when you:

• coached and mentored others
• navigated complex office politics
• resolved a conflict within the team
• showed executive presence
• delegated work to a more junior team member

 

A Leadership Portfolio isn't something that you will typically be asked to produce but just going through the process of tracking the use of soft skills will set you apart from your peers.  Beyond that, though, the Leadership Portfolio becomes your evidence that you can present to your leader when you feel you are ready to move to management.

 

When documenting your interactions with individuals, keep track of who you helped and your relationship to them.  Include details about how they benefitted from your leadership such as learning a new skill or completing a project or even receiving a promotion.  If you have any feedback from them such as quotes or thank-you notes, include that in your portfolio, too.

 

When the entry is in relation to a project, capture the dates of the instance and which soft skills you leveraged to move the project forward.  Document a summary of the event and what actions you took to address the situation.

 

If you decide to track your Leadership Portfolio, schedule time on your calendar every week to reflect on which soft skills you used throughout the week.  If you helped someone, be sure to follow up with them to get feedback on how the responded to that assistance.  Review which soft skills you use and which you don't.  In the coming weeks, look for opportunities to bolster those that you use least.

 

This week, I've given you a technique that will be a differentiator when you approach your leader about opportunities to transition to a managerial position.  It will take time…..and action….to fill your portfolio, so start your Leadership Portfolio today.

 

 

 

I would love to hear some stories of how this podcast has helped you in your pursuit of career advancement.  Go to the ManagingACareer.com website and leave a message via the Contact form (https://www.managingacareer.com/contact/) or click the button to leave a voicemail via your computer.  Tell me which episodes have had the biggest impact for you.  If I get enough feedback, I'll start including them in upcoming episodes.

 

Back in Episode 083 (https://www.managingacareer.com/83) I talked about how Imposter Syndrome and Fear of Failure can derail your plans for career advancement.  This week, I'd like to take a deeper dive at Confidence.  Confidence, at it's very basic, is the believe that you will succeed in the current situation.  Confidence is not arrogance; but they can be two side of the same coin.

 

The biggest difference between Confidence and Arrogance is how others react to you and how you treat those around you.  When you are confident, you state your case assertively but with respect.  If you are arrogant, you will come across as dominating and dismissive.  When you are confident, your believe in success can encourage those around you and lead them to want to help.  Being arrogant, though, can alienate others when you act superior to them.

 

So, how does confidence help when it comes to your career?

• Being confident makes you a better speaker.  When you believe in what you are saying, it comes across to those you are speaking to.  Your confidence will help you make your point stronger.
• When you are confident, you are focused on the final success and will not be hampered by small challenges along the way.  Continued confidence in everything you do will have others considering you to be a "winner".
• As I mentioned earlier, being confident can inspire those around you.  This type of inspiration will have others viewing you as a leader because most people want to follow proven winners.
• You confidence will also bring you bigger opportunities.  When you are able to work through any challenges you face and still drive to success, you will gain the trust of your leaders.  This trust will lead to those coveted higher-level assignments that eventually lead to promotion.

 

Some people have what seems to be a natural confidence.  You may even think that they were born with that confidence.  But, in reality, confidence is a lot like compound interest.  When you have a small success, you gain some confidence, which helps you have more success, which leads to more confidence, which leads to more success, and so on and so forth.  When someone seems to be naturally confident, it is just that you are seeing them so far past their initial, awkward phase.  If you find yourself in a situation where you don't have confidence, as I said in the episode on Imposter Syndrome, set as small of a goal as you can; make success almost a guaranteed outcome.  Your confidence will build and grow much like a snowball rolling down a hill.

 

Beyond starting with small wins, another confidence building technique is to practice self-affirmation.  A negative mindset can erode your confidence.  When you find yourself doubting your ability to succeed, you need to act quickly to change your mindset.  Make positive statements about yourself, out loud if possible.  As you make these statements, take a "superhero pose".  You'll be surprised how just holding a powerful pose for a few minutes can boost your confidence.

• Start by focusing on the things you KNOW you are capable of and focus on those positive aspects.  Confidence builds on other confidence, so by going back to the basics, you are starting the seed of your confidence snowball.
• Next, look at the skills that you are building.  Focus on how proud you are of the growth you've already made.  Make positive, affirming statements about the continued growth you will experience.  These statements should be along the lines of "I *will* successfully learn……" and then name the skill.
• Lastly, take the negative thoughts that you have and reframe them into statements of opportunity.  Instead of saying "I _can't_" or "I'm not good at" say "Even though I do not currently have the ability, I can learn".

 

Another way to build confidence is to reach out to your mentors and leaders to ask for constructive feedback.  They can help you identify the things you are good at (the beginning of your confidence snowball) and how those strengths are positive for the team.  This assessment can be a big confidence boost.  They can also help you plan your next areas of growth.  Competence builds confidence; the stronger you are in particular skill, the more confident you will be when using the skill.  Never stop learning and refining your abilities.

 

 

Where are you in your confidence journey?  Are you just starting or have you already banked some successes?  Regardless of where you are, a career coach can help you build your confidence.  If you need a career coach, reach out to me via the  Contact Form at ManagingACareer.com (https://www.managingacareer.com/contact/).  I'll schedule an introductory session where we can talk about your career goals and determine if we would be a good fit for coaching.  If we are, we can arrange regular sessions to help you put your career on the fast track to advancement.

The other day on LinkedIn, there was a post (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lenareinhard_many-bosses-like-to-say-something-along-the-activity-7305950821341380610--N5o?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAACwlk8B_aCb2SXpDbHHORaRrI9SsfHvBMs) by Lena Reinhard, host of the Leadership Confidential podcast (https://www.lenareinhard.com/leadership-confidential), about the saying "don't bring me problems, bring me solutions".  That post got me thinking.

 

In her post, Lena (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lenareinhard/) expresses that she is not a fan of that phrase because it make the target of the statement feel like they are left to do all of the work themselves.  Her suggestion is clarification through communication.  Does your boss really expect you to solve the problem on your own or how you can align the way you work and ask for help with the way that they work and offer help.

 

An example of how your work styles are not in alignment could be that in your one on ones with your leader, you may spend a large portion of the session complaining about a specific problem you're facing.  Your manager may view that as asking for help but you just needed someone to vent to while you worked through conflict with another team.

 

As a natural problem solver, I often had a similar response with my wife.  Sometimes, she just wanted to vent about things going on with her job and I would often offer suggestions on how to proceed.  Because our styles were in conflict, this would lead to frustration on both of our parts.  Being able to communicate and align work styles with your boss (or spouse) can eliminate the frustration and turn things back to being a productive relationship.

 

When everyone is on the same page when it comes to work style, what does your manager mean when they say "don't bring me problems, bring me solutions"?  Your leader has a lot on their plate.  They are responsible not just for keeping the members of their team productive and growing, but they also must take on tasks for THEIR leader.  This often means that they are not able to spend a large portion of their day solving every problem on their team.  They are looking for people to step up and own problems so that they don't have to.  Unless they are a micromanager, they often only need to know about a problem under three specific conditions.

 

Sometimes, when you have a solution to a problem, you need either approval or authority to proceed with the solution; you may have considered the alternatives and formulated a solid plan, but you need your boss to sign off on the final decision or to champion it to other teams.  This is the perfect time to engage your boss; just be prepared to demonstrate the alternative solutions you considered and why this is the best path forward.  If this solution impacts other teams, you may even need to refine your presentation as you communicate your solution beyond just your manager.

 

The next situation is when you have narrowed down the options but need your manager to make the final decision.  This case is a good opportunity to make yourself stand out.  Instead of asking your leader to make the decision, ask for clarification on the criteria that they would use to decide.  This will help you solve the current problem but also set you up for future success when you face a similar problem in the future.  When your manager believes that you will make the same choice that they would make, you grain trust which leads to more autonomy as well as more strategic assignments.

 

The final condition when you would bring a problem to your manager is when you have explored options but don't know how to proceed.  When you find yourself without a clear path forward, you would do well to ask your manager, not for the answer, but for some strategies on how to proceed.  Show them that you are interested in learning and growing and that you have a desire to solve problems on your own.

 

If you are highly demanding of your manager's time because they have to solve every problem for you, they will come to dread every interaction they have with you.  When you face a problem, instead of immediately taking it to your manager, use the problem as an opportunity to build trust and gain standing by showing independence.  Work to think like your manager so that your solutions align with theirs.  When you do this, you're bringing your manager solutions and not problems.

 

 

I would love to hear some stories of how this podcast has helped you in your pursuit of career advancement.  Go to the ManagingACareer.com website and leave a message via the Contact form (https://www.managingacareer.com/contact/) or click the button to leave a voicemail via your computer.  Tell me which episodes have had the biggest impact for you.  If I get enough feedback, I'll start including them in upcoming episodes.

There's been a lot of talk recently about "Imposter Syndrome".  The term was coined by psychologists - Dr. Pauline Clance and Dr. Suzanne Imes in the late 1970s, but seems to be mentioned in so many different places the past few years.  Having imposter syndrome is a very common experience in that most people experience some form of imposter syndrome at least once in their career.

 

Imposter Syndrome is most prevalent when you take a new role.  Self-doubt starts creeping in as you compare yourself to those around you.  You may feel like you need to work extra hard to justify yourself to your new peers.  You may even be dismissive of the accomplishments you DO have.

 

As you work through the feelings of imposter syndrome, it's important to realize that someone believed in you in order for you to get to the position that you're in.  Instead of thinking that you don't belong, focus on how you earned the right to the position.  No one knows everything and with time and growth, you will be as much of an expert as anyone else.

 

Another way to combat imposter syndrome is to keep track of your accomplishments and review them.  If you have an Individual Development Plan using my template, you can also review the Successes section as covered in Episode 039 (https://www.managingacareer.com/39).  You can reflect on how much you have learned and grown and realize what you are truly capable of.

 

If all else fails, reach out to a trusted peer or a mentor or your leader and talk through your feelings.  Often, they can talk about when they experienced imposter syndrome and how they worked through it.

 

Closely related to imposter syndrome is the fear of failure and a lack of confidence.  If you feel like an imposter, you may think that any tiny failure will reveal to the world that you don't belong.  This type of thinking will quickly erode any confidence you have, just reinforcing the imposter syndrome.

 

One of the best way to beat failure or the fear of it is to have a few wins.  This is where I like to use the snowball effect.  Set small, short-term goals that involve small risks that are easily achieved.  When you have achieved the goal, set new goals that are slightly bigger.  Each goal will build your confidence like a snowball……small at first but larger and larger as you layer each success on top of it.

 

Gaining competence - through learning and successes - will also build confidence.  When it comes to imposter syndrome, look at which areas make you feel the most uncertain.  Are there trainings you can take or assignments that you can take on that will help you become more competent and eventually more confident?  Competence and confidence go a long way in eliminating those feelings of imposter syndrome.

 

 

Feelings of inadequacy can stall or kill any career advancement you may be seeking.  It's important to recognize those feelings early and work to eliminate them and eliminate them quickly.  If you find yourself struggling, one person who can help you overcome them is a career coach.  If you need a career coach, reach out to me via the  Contact Form at ManagingACareer.com (https://www.managingacareer.com/contact/).  I'll schedule an introductory session where we can talk about your career goals and determine if we would be a good fit for coaching.  If we are, we can arrange regular sessions to help you put your career on the fast track to advancement.

Recently, companies have been in cost cutting mode.  The most obvious result of this cost cutting, at least when it comes to your career, is that companies have been laying off large numbers of workers across all industries.  But these very same companies are starting to balk at the negative press associated with "yet another layoff".  This week, I take a look at the subtle ways that companies continue to reduce their headcount in a less public manner.

 

Return to Office Mandates

During COVID, social distancing and stay at home orders lead many to resort to remote work.  During that time, many companies experienced record revenue and added staff to support future projections.  These activities showed that remote work could be successful and many workers enjoyed the freedom offered by these new policies.  Now that the height of the pandemic has passed, companies transitioned to a hybrid model where some days were worked remotely and some were worked in the office.

 

I won't argue that there are benefits to being in the office with your co-workers, but now companies are changing their policy to switch from a hybrid schedule to one requiring workers to be in the office five days per week.  The freedom that workers once had has been quickly eliminated.  In some instances, this policy shift may make sense, but in most cases, this change leads to a situation where people voluntarily leave to find an opportunity that still offers the flexibility that they had become accustomed to.

 

Reduction in Promotions and Frozen Salaries

Beyond return to office mandates, employees are finding fewer opportunities for advancement and smaller salary increases.  When a company is in the process of laying off employees, this often includes cancelling most of the open positions.  For the positions that remain open, you will face additional competition from those on the reduction list as well as everyone else looking for a promotion.

 

In addition to limited opportunities, many are finding that salary increases are small or non-existent and bonuses are reduced or eliminated all under the banner of controlling costs.  Those expecting some sort of increase to their bank account will face dissatisfaction and demotivation.  And for the company, this could be a way to reduce staff without the stigma of another round of layoffs.

 

Overworked and Burnt Out

One would hope that layoffs are targeted to areas where shifting business needs have lead to reduced workloads, but they often hit areas that were already understaffed.  Those that remain are often asked to do "more with less".  Goals are set more aggressively in order to recover some level of profitability.

 

With the constant fear of being "next", people will just accept the additional workload and strive to do everything asked of them, even if it means working longer hours and opting not to take all of their allotted time off.  This is an unsustainable position that will only lead to burnout.

 

Singled Out

The other factors are things that apply generally to everyone in the company.  But you could also find yourself targeted by your company to encourage you to leave.  You may find that your responsibilities are changing, often in a manner that doesn't align with your career plan and skill set or potentially even having diminished responsibility levels.  Performance reviews may not accurately reflect the level of contributions you have made.  Feedback is not constructive or even offered.

 

If it feels like your manager is pushing you out in this manner, you may have no choice but to look for alternatives.  There may be opportunities to remain at the company but to transfer to another group.  But, if that is not an option, take advantage of the situation as best you can.  Use any training resources available to you and do your best to remain employed, but begin exploring your options elsewhere.

 

Navigating Your Options

If you find yourself in a situation where your company is looking for ways to drive people to leave, there may be some things you can do to ease some of the stress you find yourself facing.

 

Policy may require you to be in the office five days per week, but there may be flexibility in the hours that you are in the office.  Maybe you can negotiate having certain mornings or afternoon continue to be remote as long as you still meet the five day mandate.

 

If promotions and salaries are not an option, it may be possible to receive other non-monetary benefits.  A change in title doesn't cost the company any money but could add some needed prestige as you explore other jobs.  Having expanded access to training resources can allow you to increase your skills opening up other opportunities previously unavailable to you.

 

In Episode 053 (https://www.managingacareer.com/53), I covered what you should do if you've been laid off, but many of those same strategies apply if you find yourself being quietly fired.

 

 

A career coach can help you navigate these difficult times and set yourself up for future success.  If you need a career coach, reach out to me via the  Contact Form at ManagingACareer.com (https://www.managingacareer.com/contact/).  I'll schedule an introductory session where we can talk about your career goals and determine if we would be a good fit for coaching.  If we are, we can arrange regular sessions to help you put your career on the fast track to advancement.