Take Ownership of Your Career

Hello OfficeArrow Members!

As I was charting a course of topics the end of last year with OfficeArrow for our 2009 schedule, little did we know how timely this particular article would be for the month of February. I love when that happens; yet I'm not crazy about the fact that our economic climate is such that we have to seriously consider this.

Do you read USA Today every day? Do you read your local paper and take time to watch the news - listen to the news on your radio? In case you don't, every one of these news mediums point to layoffs, mergers, and more downsizing to come. Just the other day, I read that Microsoft is laying off 5,000 employees. Last week, a group of administrative assistants told me about a rash of administrative layoffs at law firms in Indiana.

I hope I have your attention because I have goods news to share with you! There is great opportunity for you to take ownership of your career. All you have to do is want to do it and realize that job security lies within you and not a company. I've always believed that you own your career and I believe it even more today. Here is an excerpt from my new book, Underneath It All, from the chapter called "I'm My Own Career-Manager and I'm ‘Heady' with Power!"

When you think "career" as opposed to "job" you are more likely to get serious!
After all, "career" suggests a long-term involvement and promising rewards. The first step is to do an analysis. This will take a little time on your part, but you will reap rewards for doing so.

Step #1: My career analysis:

• Where do you want to be in 1 year? 3 years? 5 years?
• What are you good at (e.g., cooperating with others, working alone, communicating, moving from place to place as opposed to reporting to an office day in/day out)?
• What type of industry would you enjoy working in?
• How much are you willing to invest in your future (e.g., staying late, continuing formal education or job training)?
• Do you want to move out of the profession some day?
• Do you want to look for other opportunities in your current company (whether in the administrative profession or not)?

The next step involves identifying roadblocks. If you make a plan for your career, you can count on hitting roadblocks. They come in the form of people, money, education, family, bosses, friends, and your own thinking. Your goal is to anticipate what might be hampering your movement now or in the future and plan how to work around those. This is just a sampling of questions to ask yourself.

Step #2: Identify and evaluate roadblocks to attaining job satisfaction

The following questions serve as a starting-place:

• What are some obstacles that stand in your way to being more productive?
• What is one thing you would like your executive to: do, stop doing, or do more often? (e.g., praise my performance, offer constructive criticism, and keep me better informed about things in general).
• What strengths do you bring to your role and executive?
• What areas do you think you need to develop?

Step #3: Navigate Your Career

Part of being professional is setting goals and navigating your career. Determining goals, stating them clearly and creating a plan are the hardest tasks for individuals. Many people don't get what they want; or achieve their career goals because it takes work! Once you determine what you want and write your plan, the road gets a little easier. But you have to learn how to implement the plan, monitor your progress, and overcome barriers. The benefits derived can be said in simple terms: "If you don't plan where you want to go, you will go wherever life and others take you. And that may not be where you want to end up!"

When you take charge of your career, you will feel fulfilled. You will also know how to reroute yourself when things at work aren't going your way; how to get back on course when changes occur at work, such as a partner leaving the company, or the company downsizes. And, don't forget to add retirement planning to your map. If you're at the beginning of your career, this may not enter your thoughts. Clearly, a plan needs tweaking as time goes by. So, tweak!

Some additional tips that may help you are as follows:

Action Steps:

• You can create your career within your current position. Maybe you don't want to move up or out of your area. Look for ways to expand your role. Take on new projects, use your creativity to make your job more interesting, and remember to look for ways to streamline processes.
• Remember, job security lies within you, not within the company.
• If you continually develop yourself, grow, and expand your talents, you will maintain marketability and have a competitive edge.
• Use every learning resource available whether it is a book, DVD or audio program, formal schooling, seminars, or the internet.

"Staying on the cutting edge; includes keeping up with technology, being willing to take risks, looking for better ways to do things, knowing what the rest of the world is doing, opening your horizons to other departments, volunteering for extra projects." (Source: my previous book, Become An Inner Circle Assistant).

Exclusive deal for OfficeArrow members: Order your copy of Underneath it All today and receive $3 off the retail price of US $19.95. Order online now.