The No. 1 CAREER Mistake Keeping Employees Stalled in LIFE

I’ve completed thousands of career consultations over the years. Most of these potential clients were already invested in a career with an employer, yet highly disappointed at the return on investment or payoff. Their career was either leading nowhere fast, or not in the direction they had once imagined. As each reached out for assistance in moving the dial on their career through Offer Magnet Job Seeker, I was shocked at one particular pattern I noticed.

Each of these capable, loyal, and high performing individuals spent most of their career with a mindset of betting on an employer.

Time and time again they were all-chips-in, double-or-nothing, winner-takes-all! They had entered an employment agreement with the mindset, “I’ll bet on you, employer, and you will take me to the promise land.” But the promise land never happened, ultimately leaving the employee feeling stalled in both career and life.

As your career success coach, I don’t want the same to happen with your career. Here is a different mindset that I invite you to apply to your life immediately.

"Quit betting on employers. Bet on yourself."

More wisely, bet on yourself through an employer.

• Your employer is the vehicle.
• You are the driver.
• And the destination is the vision that you have in mind for a great career and life.

When you align yourself to an employer capable of moving you in the direction of the vision you have for your career and life, everyone wins. For example, if you know that you want to one day own your own business, go all in and work for an employer within the same industry. Give your best self to that employer as they are ALSO equipping you with the knowledge, skills and abilities that you will apply there AND will one day need to run your own business.

In another example, if you know that you want to ultimately be a supervisor, manager, director, Vice President, or even a CEO, then align yourself to an employer who believes in growth and development of its employees. Utilize your employer to gain the knowledge, skills and experience to become an effective leader.

"Know WHY you are working for an employer and HOW this work arrangement will ultimately bring you closer to your dreams. "

Your employer is your vehicle to growth and success. You are your employer’s vehicle to growth and success.

If this resonates, then take assessment for a moment. Where are you right now? Are you in the passenger seat? The back seat? Or are you standing outside the vehicle watching it pass you by? And just as importantly, where is your career is headed? Where are you going?

You absolutely have permission to get out of the passenger seat, walk around to the driver’s seat, sit down, buckle up and take the wheel! Get in the driver’s seat of your career in order to affect change in your overall life!

"Your life is waiting for you to take control of your career!"

Here are four things you can do today to BET ON YOURSELF:

1. Define your own potential, stop allowing others to do it for you, and stop apologizing for what you desire. What does success look like to you? Is it a title, a position, flexibility in your day, autonomy, etc.? How far do you want to go with your career? What type of career will make you feel most happy in life? Remember, don’t allow anyone else to define this for you. This is your career and life.
2. Assess the gap between where you are today and where you want to be. Take inventory on what it will take for you to reach your vision. What knowledge, skills, abilities, and experiences do you need to reach the vision you have for your own career and life? What must you master in order to become who you want to be?
3. Start working to fill the gap using each of the vehicles you have at your disposal. Including your current employer, what other modes can you utilize to help you to bet on yourself. Education is a vehicle. Your networking relationships are vehicles. Your gifts and talents are vehicles. Use them as drivers in your life to get you closer to your vision. Stop confusing vehicles with destinations. Your destination is your vision. Vehicles help you get there faster.
4. Surround yourself with an intentional community willing to support your journey. Your life will begin to mirror the five people you spend the most time with. Why not be more intentional about surrounding yourself with people who are committed to helping you to reach the next level? Need help? Here’s a FREE 42-page Bet on Yourself: Village toolkit to help you create a village to support your vision in life.

And remember this. A rising tide lifts ALL boats. Bet on yourself through your employer and watch the win-win scenario you create. Watch this...

• Bet on yourself (i.e., set a vision for your career and life and invest in that vision).
• Get closer to the vision by growing more qualified, capable, and confident.
• Your additional qualifications and capabilities will allow you to show up stronger for your role.
• Your role (i.e., job function) will then show up stronger for the department
• The department will show up stronger for the company

And if every employee would bet on themselves, imagine how successful companies all over the globe would be?

 “How you land in your career IMPACTS the way you show up in life AND how you show up in life AFFECTS how you land in your career.” – Jenn Tardy

To bet on yourself means that you will invest in yourself. It means becoming more intentional about career decisions and career navigation, so the return on that investment creates a better life for you. People who are successful within their career and life know that there’s nothing different between them and anyone who has found great success.

Remember this great quote.

"The only thing wrong with you is that you think something is wrong with you. The only thing extraordinary about them is that you think something is extraordinary about them." - unknown

Good luck to you on your journey to Bet on Yourself. Email me at [email protected] or comment below and share one way you plan to Bet on Yourself in 2020. If you liked this article, you may also enjoy this motivational video.