When it comes to our career success, we are often not honest with ourselves about reality and what needs to be done to take our career to the next level. After all, we are responsible for our own careers — not our boss, not our co-workers, not the human resources department, and not our significant other. If we are responsible, then we are the ones who are going to have to do something about it. Examine the following seven essential ingredients to career success and honestly rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being the worst and 10 being the best) to see what area you really need to focus on.
1. Know where you want to go.
If you are not sure where you are going, you may drift in a direction that wastes your time and does not bring you the joy and fulfillment you desire.
2. Know where you are.
You must know where you are in order to plan how to get where you want to be. In your assessment, be honest about what you currently think about yourself, the people around you, and your situation.
3. Let the past go.
Stop dragging your failures around every day. Learn from the lessons of the past that will be helpful and move on. Don’t get stuck in the memories of how you were wronged. Give it up and move on. Life has never been fair and will never be fair. Let go of the past and enjoy your life.
4. Focus on what you can control.
Since you can’t control other people, concentrate on what you can control — yourself and your responses. When confronted with a problem, one of the most important questions you can ask yourself is: “What am I willing and going to do about it?” Answering this question will help you focus on what you can do to resolve issues and reach your goals.
5. Be coachable.
Be willing to listen and learn from everyone. For example, when you receive negative feedback, be careful not to shoot the messenger. Resist the temptation to dismiss advice from someone you may not like. Instead, try on the feedback like you would try on a hat and see if it fits. Consider whether there is anything you can take away from the feedback that will be helpful. Often the feedback we get defensive about is the feedback we really need to be listening to.
6. Be committed.
Commitment is about taking action based on what you said you would do, despite how you feel about it at the moment. Be committed to doing whatever you must do to accomplish your goal. What if failing is not an option? If you really want to be committed, tell people you are going to do something and ask them to hold you accountable for doing it.
7. Take action.
Planning is good, but action is the key. This is where the doers separate themselves from the talkers. We’ve all spent time talking about an idea but not acting on it, only to find out later that someone had a similar idea, implemented it, and reaped the rewards. Taking action is essential to accomplishing our goals. Remember, some action is better than no action. If need be, you can change, reverse, or alter your course later. The key is to take at least some action now.
Now that you have rated yourself, pick the lowest score. Share those scores with five people and ask them for their advice. Then choose three specific actions that you will do based on this advice. Ask someone to hold you accountable and then do the things you need to do. For extra motivation (and for accountability reasons) set up a consequence for not following through.
The only person you can control is you. Take full responsibility for your career success. Make things happen and enjoy the ride to the next level of your career. It will take commitment and hard work, but if you are ready, you can climb the ladder of success — however you define it!
