Who Owns Your Career?You do!By: Jan Johnston Osburn

www.linkedin.com/in/janjohnstonosburnwww.ZenCityCoaching.com https://twitter.com/ZenCityCoaching

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“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they

don’t have any.”

- Alice Walker

Who Owns Your Career

In a perfect world, bosses would be phenomenal mentors… but the world’s not perfect.

The reality is you own your career. Leaving your career development in the hands of others is a rather risky proposition.

So, you need to take control and set your own destiny.

Do You Drive Your Career or Are You a Passenger on the Bus?

Ask yourself these questions: Do you add value at work and move the company forward? Does your manager know all of the key talents you possess? Do you know how your background fits in with your industry? Have you created your professional development plan and are you on target with this

plan? Do you have a personal career mission? Do you have regular conversations with your manager on your accomplishments? Do you have mentors across various venues? (work, professional associations, etc.) Are you motivated at work? Do you feel motivated to carry out projects? Have you taken professional development courses within the past year? Are you up to date on your technology? Have you built a sound network of professionals in your field? Are you building your resume with accomplishments over duties?

Here’s Seven Ways to Start Owning Your Career:

Understand Industry Trends Conduct your Personal Gap Analysis Write a Personal Career Mission Statement Find a Mentor Possess Proper Motivation Measure Your Progress Toot your Own Horn

Step 1- Understand Industry Trends: Research and Recon

Conduct an internet search as if you were seeking a new career opportunity.

Review several position descriptions and you should start to see a pattern reflecting current industry trends.

What qualifications do they require?

Do you have these qualifications?

Do they call for a degree or advanced degree?

Are they looking for specific industry certifications? Are they seeking exact technology expertise?

Proactively researching current industry standards keeps you on your toes. You

may just find out how marketable you really are!

Step 2: Conduct Your Own Gap Analysis and Then Close the Gap

A gap analysis is used to determine what course of action should betaken to move from the current state of operations to what is desired in the future.

Grab a piece of paper and list the industry trends you’ve seen on one side. On the other side, list your skills, education, certifications, etc. The skills and expertise you cannot account for is the gap.

Where you see a gap, you have to devise a course of action and goals so that you can go about closing that gap.

Step 3: Write Your Personal Career Mission Statement

Companies have mission statements.

Departments have mission statements.

You should have a personal career mission statement.

Mission statements will evolve as the years go by. Focus the mission on the next 2 – 4 years.

As you transform, your mission will as well.

Step 4: Look for a Mentor

Richard Branson said “Whenever I am asked what the missing link is between a promising businessperson and a successful one, mentoring comes to mind.”

Why do you need a mentor?

Think of a mentor as a catalyst and a powerful career development tool that adds crucial insights as you develop.

Some thoughts to consider:

Before you find a mentor, understand your mentoring needs.

Find a mentor who understands your career field and the mentoring needs you have.

Have clearly defined goals so you both benefit from the relationship.

Realize that career development is a long term, ongoing investment.

Step 5: Possessing Motivation

Motivation is a critical component of personal success.

Motivation is what energizes our behavior to perform.

Ponder this question.

On a scale of 1 – 10 with 10 being the greatest, how motivated are you?

If you are falling on the lower end of the scale, you have to ask yourself why?

What has to happen to push yourself up the scale closer to the 10 range?

Motivation has an ebb and flow effect. It can be hard to maintain high motivation at all times.

Step 6: Measuring Your Progress

“A mind that is stretched by new experiences can never go back to its old dimensions.” - - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

Write down your progress. If companies give yearly performance appraisals, the likelihood is that they will remember the most recent accomplishment(s). People tend to forget what happened over 6 months ago.

Track your goals and progress along the way. That way, when the time comes you will not forget anything and will be recognized for your achievement.

Step 7: Toot Your Own Horn

“Without promotion something terrible happen – nothing.” Those words were echoed by P. T. Barnum.

Visibility is important because you will be at the forefront of your manager’s mind.

Visibility also makes you seem approachable, meaning you'll have more chances to discuss your accomplishments and responsibilities with others.