Dear Employees: Here’s How You Can Help Managers Support You in Your Career

We expect so much from managers.

What we might perceive as a position of prestige, power and authority is actually one that is full of pressure. There isn’t a day when I don’t see a post on LinkedIn that talks about our ideals of how managers (or leaders) should be like.?

As a Career Agility and Transition Coach, I’ve worked with both employees and managers who have their share of pains and disappointments about their jobs, or even about each other. The bad news is that issues crop up after they’ve already left or as they are leaving the organization. Too late.?

So instead of crying over spilled milk , try taking small steps as early as now.?

In the last edition of the Career Agility Newsletter, I shared the top things employees wish their managers knew to help them in their career well-being. In this edition, I speak to all employees on behalf of your managers.?

I am not a fortune-teller, please don’t let me guess your career aspirations and needs

Yes, managers might have more knowledge and experience than you, but that doesn’t mean they know everything. Just like any other relationship, open communication is critical. Don’t leave them guessing just by dropping hints that you’re in need of a vacation or are eyeing a promotion.

In a recent LinkedIn Poll I conducted, 34% said that they can’t guess what they need. Irvin Domingo Jr ., VP for HR Strategy and Organization Development, said that sharing one’s challenges is an indicator of commitment rather than a manifestation of one’s weakness. Communicating shows a desire to deliver and cognition of a challenge and the need for help.

Go ahead, tell them your career goals or ask for the support you need.?

I talk more about the hesitation to speak up in this video:

I am not a genie, I can’t grant every career wish

About a month ago, I met Grace (not her real name), a new manager in a conglomerate. She was grateful that unlike other teams, she did not experience attrition in hers. She broke into tears when she said that she can only do so much in providing what her team needed (better pay and working conditions) in a culture that was in itself getting toxic.?

So believe me when I say that managers are trying their best, but they cannot grant your every career wish.?

So why not work together instead to co-create and innovate solutions that will support career well-being?

I am not Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz, I have a heart (and my own career) too

Just like you and me, managers also need affirmation. They get offended by hurtful words. They question their ability during challenging times. They get overwhelmed and pressured by business targets. And they are also thinking about their own careers!

You don’t need to throw them a party, a simple “thank you” goes a long way.?

Thank you for checking on me when I got sick.

Thank you for asking if the deadline is feasible.

Thanks for choosing me to take that training.

Did you know that LinkedIn has a feature where you can send kudos to your connections? Why not send one now to your boss?

In Talent Development, I am the Gardener, not the Plant

One of my key takeaways from learning about People Agility in organizations, is that managers (and Human Resources), just like gardeners, are there to help create the conditions for plants to grow. But they cannot do the growing for you.?

You are responsible for your own career growth.

The role of managers in your? career or in talent development is that of an enabler. They are there to help you navigate through your career, support you in overcoming obstacles or even show you new paths. But at the end of the day, you drive your own career.

They’d love to support you in advocating your ideas and hope that you don’t get intimated along the way, says Josephine “Arjho” Turner .

In summary, communicate and cooperate

I close this two-part series on things we wish our managers and our employees knew by saying that growing and developing our career requires communication and collaboration.?

Communicate openly and frequently

In another LinkedIn Poll I conducted, 29% said that they don’t talk to their bosses about their career goals and 15% are unsure about doing it in the first place.?

My hope is that through what I’ve shared, we open doors to communicate. There will always be things we wish the other party knew, but they never will until we take time to speak up and to listen.

Collaborate! Career and talent development cannot be done alone.

We start with ourselves by knowing what we want and what’s important. We seek the help of managers, mentors and coaches to guide and support us along the way. We cannot do it alone.?

Career coaching helps.?

Book a 30-minute complimentary coaching session with me.