5 Steps to Career Progression

By Michael Rees

Like losing weight, the process for advancing in your career is not complicated. But, (also like losing weight) remaining on the path can be difficult. Have you considered why some people able to advance their careers while others who are similarly skilled seem to stay stuck? And the equally important questions, "can ANYONE become more successful in their career"?

As I've studied these questions, it's clear that professionals who believe they can progress, do. They also tend to follow the five practical actions outlined in the remainder of this article. Like losing weight, they know the process and they stick to the path.

Step 1: Find Happiness First

It’s not unusual that the motivation for finding a new job or career is dissatisfaction with a current role or career. So you may be asking, why do I need to be happy in a job I want to leave anyway? There are a couple of reasons for this:

• Your dissatisfaction and unhappiness in your current role, will “show up” as you network and interview for new positions. If you are miserable in your current role, people will feel that negative energy as you meet with them and as you share your employment experiences. The reverse is also true. As you find things to enjoy about your current role, your energy will be much more positive during networking events and interviews.
• Secondly, people who are in a positive state of mind are more effective. Our brains are more creative and more capable of generating solutions when they are in a positive state. This added brain power is exactly what you need as you plan your next career move.

You may be thinking, “Well that sounds great, but I really hate my current job/boss/industry. How can I be happy in a situation I really don’t like?” Here are a couple of ideas (note: I am not suggesting you stay in any situation where unethical or illegal actions are taking place):

• Think about the things that excited you when you first started your job. If you’ve been in the role or with the company for several years, think about the circumstances that have caused you to stay.
• Write down things each day that you are grateful for about the job. What has the job taught you? Has the job afforded you opportunities outside the work itself? Have you met people along the way that have blessed your life.
• Think of ways that you can assist others at work. Are there new employees that you can encourage? Do you have a special skillset that someone could benefit from?
• Do you have any extra bandwidth to volunteer for projects?
• Evaluate your work/life balance and ensure you are intentional about taking care of yourself.

Step 2: Own It

Here’s a hard truth: your company and your boss don’t care all that much about whether you have a long, extremely successful career. Your level of career success is (100%) your accountability and interest. This doesn’t mean you can’t get help (you should get help), but it does mean you need to stop blaming others if you aren’t getting promoted or making progress in your career. It’s not your boss’ fault, it’s not the economy’s fault, it’s not your lack of a degree, it’s not a spouses fault. You are the only one who can create success in your career. And, you CAN!

Bosses and companies frequently have good intentions as they implement development/training programs or try to create career paths for specific jobs. This is a great start, but it’s not enough and only provides a handful of opportunities for a large number of employees. You will need to be accountable for your career growth and look for opportunities both inside and outside your organization.

The biggest myth is that if you work hard and deliver good results, you will be promoted. I’m here to tell you, it takes more than hoping your good efforts will be recognized and rewarded. It’s up to you to take calculated risks with projects, to self promote at times, to ensure your boss knows your career ambitions, and to go after roles that might seem like a stretch.

It might be a little scary to realize you can’t blame others for your lack of career progression. It should also be liberating to know that you have the ability to control your success.

Step 3: Articulate Your Goal (and Document)

This is a total no-brainer right? So, have you written down your career goals? Writing down goals is a universally accepted best practice, and yet, almost no one that I’ve met with regarding their careers has done it. Putting a goal in writing doesn’t just serve as a reminder, it helps to clarify exactly what the goal is. As I’ve worked with professionals to write down their career goals it’s common to initially only have generic or directional goals. However as they work to document the goals, additional clarity is gained. 

Documenting your goals is a great step, but it’s only a small piece required in creating a path for your career progression. The next step is a process that holds you accountable for maintaining progress toward your goals. Make sure you schedule a weekly self check-in to evaluate progress toward your goal. Or, even better, find a trusted coach that is willing to meet with you regularly to hold you accountable (see the “Get Help” section below)

Step 4: Get Help

For some reason, professionals don’t want to ask for help with their career progression. Perhaps it makes them feel less capable or maybe they just haven’t considered how beneficial it is to have someone in their corner. You need to know- people around you want to help! They enjoy seeing others succeed. And your chances of success increase dramatically when you have people rooting for you and holding you accountable. Here are some people you should ask for help from: 

• Your Boss

Your boss (if he/she is good at all) will be a great resource for providing necessary but tough feedback. Bosses are good at telling you what you need to get better at. You’ll need to tell your boss about your career goals and then ask for feedback that is specific to reaching those goals. It’s most helpful if your career development conversations are separate from other 1x1 meetings where you discuss the day to day work.

• Executive or Career Coach

The highest level professionals have coaches- athletes, musicians, artists, actors, etc. We also recognize the value of coaches as workers enter the job market. But, for some reason, few professionals have taken advantage of the benefits a coach can bring to career progression.

A good coach will challenge your ideas, hold you accountable to do what you say you’ll do, and help you think of new ways to approach situations. A career coach might be a trusted coworker or a long-time friend with a solid business background. Your coach needs to be someone who can challenge your thought process without you becoming defensive or offended- you need to believe that your coach has your best interests at heart. You might also consider a professional career coach; this can be beneficial in removing personal relationships that might make coaching awkward.

• Mentor (someone with experience in the role you want).

Connecting with a leader who is in the role for which you aspire to be in, is extremely helpful in understanding whether your career plan is solid. Mentors can tell you about important experiences that you may have overlooked. They might also give you insight into the position that could cause you to rethink whether it’s a career you want to pursue. Senior leaders tend to enjoy being mentors, but you’ll likely need a warm introduction in order to get on their calendar. You might only get 30 minutes per quarter with higher level executive mentors, but that 30 minutes will be incredibly valuable.

• Cheerleader

During the course of climbing the career ladder, there will be plenty of people willing to tell you why you aren’t good enough or qualified enough to do certain things. A cheerleader is someone who focuses on your good qualities and helps you to see how those qualities make you a good fit for particular roles. The cheerleader tends to be a little biased in their thinking about how great we are. They are the go-to people when we are doubting our skills and our ability to complete difficult assignments. Unlike the coach, the cheerleader is more concerned about improving our mental state than questioning our decision making process.

Step 5: Increase Visibility

A great product with poor marketing is unlikely to get noticed. You need to think about your career like a product that needs to be marketed. You need to make sure you (and your accomplishments) are visible. The easiest way to increase your visibility is to maximize the formal performance conversations you have with your boss. If you aren’t meeting with your boss on a regular basis, start! If you are meeting with your bass regularly, own and maximize the process. Here's how: 

How I can help you:

As an executive coach with an extensive HR background, I help professionals meet their career goals every day. And more importantly, I believe you can progress your career!

With over two decades of professional Human Resource experience, I provide engaging training and coaching with a focus in leadership and career development. My work across a wide variety of industries and within multiple human resource capacities, offers my clients targeted insights into their individual professional needs.