Back To The Future: Strategy For Career Growth

One of the best stints of my career was in TCS, where over 14 years, I had the privilege of working with some of the finest people in the industry. Moving out was a difficult decision to take when I was doing well in the company and enjoying my work.

But, this was a landmark decision and taught me powerful lessons in change.  The rapid learning that it engendered and the career growth that followed, were gratifying.  In hindsight, this decision put me right back on track to my future.  

In this day and age, people who work in the same company for several years are becoming increasingly rare.  However, even 'less is more' if you are not fulfilling your aspirations and achieving your professional and personal goals.  

So, how do you find out that the path you have taken will not lead to the goal you have chosen? How do you put your career on the growth trajectory without losing time?  How do you get back on track to your future? 

You need to take a reality check!

Interestingly, some companies such as TCS, and IBM have a significant segment of employees who have been in the company for 5, 10 or 15 years and sometimes even longer. There is no denying the fact that these are highly competent and productive employees who make a quantum contribution to the company. However, are the organization's goals aligned to their own goals over time and are they really happy? That is a different issue altogether!

So why do you need a reality check?  

Consider what could happen to people working in a single organization over an extended period of time. 

Here are the pros (+) and cons (-) of staying in one company for five years or more.  (The period of five years that I have considered, is indicative and could vary from person to person.)

1. You have probably carved out a niche for yourself

(+) Being in a company for that long allows you to understand the culture and align yourself completely with it. You would have also discovered what facet of your work the organization values most and possibly started focusing on it.

(-) However this comes with some disadvantages. What you deliver best results in, may not be the area that you really want to work in. You may also have stopped learning in that space and operate out of experience alone.

2.   You would have built strong relationships and have a vibrant network within the company

(+) Your work becomes easier and most of what you want to do gets done because of the relationship you enjoy with your superiors, peers and subordinates. There are fewer challenges to your leadership and work life becomes more predictable. You are also able to achieve more through less

(-) Having fewer challenges at work and enjoying continuing support based on the time that you have spent in the company, could lead to complacence. You are more and more disconnected with what it takes to do your work in a challenging environment. When a real challenge comes your way, you could end up feeling inadequate or worse still, buckle under pressure

3.  Your thinking could have become more predictable and less Out-Of-The-Box

Organizations value conformity. Over the years you learn what is, and what is not acceptable to the organization. So, over time you tend to take more and more decisions that you think will not upset the apple cart and in doing so stifle your creativity and thereby your ability to get exponential results! 

4.  If you stay long enough you will reach a point where change becomes very daunting to you

(+) Working in an organization over a long period of time can make you a very good fit for the organization. However, this can come at a price

(-) Human beings, as a rule, do not like change. The length of time that will make you averse to change, varies from person to person. But, there comes a time when you simply don’t want to take the risk of making a change and starting all over again. Once this happens, you are on a downward spiral, as you perceive you have nowhere else to go!

5.  You could perceive people as more important than performance

(+) By virtue of a long stint you get to know people who matter to the organization well and make it a point to be connected with and be perceived favorably by the powers-that-be. This can de-risk your career growth to some extent as you can leverage your relationship with those very people who matter to your career, the most.

(-) The problem is that your focus starts to shift from performance to aligning with people who matter and maintaining that alignment/relationship. Most companies have groups of people who have greater clout than others. People who spend long time in one company start to invest in aligning themselves with this group to the extent that even performance takes a backseat

6.  You could be distancing yourself from reality

(+) When you continue in one organization over an extended period of time, your view of the market and the industry could be influenced by the organization’s view. Your own ability to operate and get results is best in your own organization, considering that you are aligned to your organization and enjoy its support. Your perception of your own capabilities and strengths could therefore, be exaggerated

(-) Working in one organization sometimes limits opportunities to take on new challenges, test your skills and capabilities and come to a realistic estimation of your skills. You may not discover what you are very good at and what is it that you really enjoy doing.

So what do you do if you want to accelerate your career growth?

Take a reality check

Are you in an organization because you enjoy your work, are taking on new challenges regularly and enriching yourself or you are unhappy but have not considered any other option?                                                                                                   

Here are 20 questions that will help you figure this out.  Please tick one of the five responses to each question with 1 being an emphatic 'no' and 5 being a confirmed 'Yes'.

       Question                      

1. Do you think your role continues to challenge you adequately? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
2. Do you enjoy your work? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
3. Is there ample opportunity to learn and acquire new skills in your role? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
4. Do you think you are adding value to the organization and yourself by continuing in your current position? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
5. Have you acquired any new skill in the last one year? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
6. Is your growth at par with that of your peers who have changed jobs? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
7. Do you have a say in your work or do you operate within strict parameters? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
8. Have you moved across roles within your organization? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
9. Do you consider your skills marketable? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
10. Are you aware what a person with your qualification and experience is being compensated in your industry? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
11. Are you compensated in accordance with industry norms? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
12. Does your company value you at par with a lateral entrant of a profile similar to yours? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
13. Is a majority of your work in an area that leverages your strengths? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
14. Do your organizational goals align with your personal goals? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
15. Do you have a sense of achievement at work? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
16. If you consider your biggest accomplishment in the last year, do you think it would be valued the same in the industry as it was by your company? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
17. Do you spend more time in relationship management than work? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
18. Is your career path in your organization clear to you and are you on track? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
19. Do you think you could do better but don’t have the opportunity to do it? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
20. If you got an opportunity to move to a role of your choice in another organization would you move? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

 If you have ticked ‘4’ and ‘5’ for most of your answers, you are working in a role that enriches you, provides you challenges and your compensation is possibly aligned to industry norms. So, continuing makes  sense.

If a majority of your answers were in the '2' and '3' categories, then you need to collect some more information to answer the questions conclusively.  

However, if your answers are more in the ‘1’ and ‘2’ categories then you need to take a really close look at your current position and explore your options before it is too late!

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About the Author: Srinivasan is an independent consultant working in the area of strategy and technology interventions in the public sector domain. He has worked in companies like IBM and TCS and has over 30 years of experience across 24 countries.

Some other posts by the author

https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/smart-cities-india-track-srinivasan-r

https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/back-future-strategy-career-growth-srinivasan-r

https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/20140811033748-131598137-the-art-of-making-a-brilliant-presentation?trk=pulse_spock-articles

https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/5-powerful-management-lessons-from-animal-kingdom-srinivasan-r

https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/20140915035428-131598137-6-keys-to-success-in-a-career-in-it

https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/20140902040945-131598137-nine-myths-of-success

https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/20140818033531-131598137-are-you-a-skilled-negotiator

https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/20140909041557-131598137-8-qualities-of-leaders-that-inspire

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