How to achieve career success

In the USA studies of how people achieve career success identified seven broad strategies:

• ·         Competence in the current job
• ·         Working long and hard
• ·         Developing new skills through training and job experience
• ·         Opportunity development through volunteering to take on new tasks in the work place and networking
• ·         Developing sponsors and supporters, colleagues, mentors and advocates
• ·         Image building so that you appear successful
• ·         Navigating organisational politics to avoid pitfalls and ensure longevity.

So how successful will you be in your career? Do you have the plan, the will and the skill to do all of those things?

Of course some of you may have spotted the flaw in this.. what is the researchers definition of success? Do they mean people who climb to the top of the greasy pole? IS that the only measure of success?

I think that if you are ambitious and want to attain power and influence in an organisation then this is just the advice that I would give you but first you need to challenge any assumptions that this is what success means.

Designing a beautiful bridge, supporting a troubled teenager, ensuring an old person dies with dignity are all fantastic  contributions and are successes. There is no law that says you can’t be a success without achieving a high status role. In fact I’d say that success is what you want it to be. So work out what you really want and not what some old fashioned, outdated concept of career implies you should have. Then work out how to achieve your own personal vision of success.

For more support and advice on how to find out what will make your career a success, go to www.maryhopecoaching.co.uk