How to Build a Sustainable Career Path

A recent conversation with a mentee trying to navigate the next steps in their career reminded me of an essential rule I always emphasize: You own your career, therefore you have to be in the driver's seat. They recently received some feedback from their manager that was confusing as it didn’t align with previous feedback. The conversation on next steps was very vague. Reality check: waiting for clear guidance or validation from others can leave you stuck in neutral. Instead, you must proactively manage your own career path. Here are a few things I suggested: 1. Do a Self-Assessment You need to understand your strengths, weaknesses, passions, and career aspirations. Identify what excites you and where you see yourself in the future. Remember they can all change due to new experiences and gaining new skillsets. 2. Seek Constructive Feedback While feedback from leadership is valuable, it’s important to triangulate. Reach out to mentors, peers, and others in your function that you admire for their insights. Feedback is just one piece of the puzzle. Use it as a tool for improvement, not as a definitive roadmap. You never know when you might run into an unconscious bias. 3. Continuous Learning and Development I’m ever curious and always looking for learning opportunities. Look for opportunities to learn from other functions. The business world is continusly changing, and staying on top of the game, requires investing time to learn. Stay informed about your current industry trends but also look for best practices in others. 4. Advocate for Yourself People can’t read your mind, so they don’t know what your career goals and aspirations are. Don’t be afraid to articulate them to your leadership. Express your interest in new projects, responsibilities, or roles that align with your goals. 5. Adaptability and Resilience Career paths are rarely linear. My own has been a lattice. Be adaptable. Embrace challenges and view setbacks as learning experiences. Being in the driver's seat of your career means taking an intentional role in your professional development. While others can give you guidance, the ultimate responsibility for your career lies with you. What else would you tell him?

Are you struggling to get ahead in your career? You might not be focusing in the right places. I used to think success came from working really hard, working long hours and always raising a hand to take the initiative. I was wrong. Career growth is measured in results and impact. This means it is so important that you focus your time working on the right things. Quality over quantity. Work smart, not hard. With the first month of the year almost behind us, take the time to reflect on your accomplishments and outcomes. Are you on track or are changes required as we start into February? Here are a few things to consider for this year to help you get ahead in your current role and career goals: 1. Clear goals. Personal ones, team ones and an understanding of how they connect to the company goals and drive results. Insist on this, without it you don’t have the needed clarity for how you are measured. 2. Clarity on how you are performing in your current role. Use your 1-1s to ask your manager where you should focus. We all have areas that we can grow in. 3. Understand what it takes to move to the next level, or to a specific role you’re interested in. It’s hard to go from A to B if you don’t know the career path! 4. Always be learning. Don’t wait to be assigned training. Instead, research ways to build your skills. Stay updated on industry trends, take note of what peers who are where you want to be are doing. Skills are the currency of the future of work. 5. Network. Build and maintain a strong professional network, both internal and external. Connect on social platforms and nurture relationships for potential opportunities. You never know when a door will open. What other tips would you add for how to get ahead in your career? Please share in comments. #career #futureofwork #careergrowth #leadership

If it isn’t sustainable in the long term, it doesn’t matter how well it works for a few weeks in the short term. Several years ago, I found myself about 20lbs overweight. Upon deciding to go on a health and fitness journey, I came across a zillion ways to get into shape. Moderate carbs. No carbs. High intensity cardio. No cardio. Heavy Weights. Light weights. The list goes on. As I would try all these approaches, the question I kept asking was this: Is this sustainable? So many of these approaches produce results immediately, but they weren’t sustainable. So I’d give up and start all over again. 🙃 The strategies that worked for me were the ones I could maintain and feel at ease about. The same is true in life, leadership and careers. There are so many approaches you “should” try or habits you “should” keep as a leader. There are so many tactics you “should” use to build your career or business. As I celebrate five years of running my business, I can honestly say that boring, unsexy consistency over time has been a key part of not just my success, but ability to stay in for the long game. But: ▫️What’s sustainable for you in pursuit of your goal? ▫️What approach aligns with your values and how you want to live? ▫️What aligns best with your energy? ▫️What feels most like you? Sustainability means it’s easier to be consistent. What do you accomplish by hustling in the short-term only to face burnout which kills your confidence and motivation over the long term? #womenleaders #careers #leadershipdevelopment #confidence