ON GROWTH || 5 Reasons Why You Aren't Advancing in Your Career
Do you feel stuck? There's a phenomenon amongst the current generation where they feel they should be in a managerial or even director-level position before they hit 30.
If they haven't hit this milestone when they turn 30, they feel like they're a failure. If you're in this boat and you're wondering why, I will ask you to turn a mirror to yourself, and I'll share 5 reasons why you're in your own way. All you need to do is get out of your way and be willing to do what other people aren't willing to do for an extended period of time. The grit to see this through gives you the freedom to lead the life you want.
1 | You prioritize what you like to do
Let's face it, when you start out in a new career, you will end up liking 20% of what you do and hating 80% of it. It may be the project, product, client, budget constraints, or any other variety of factors that you find limiting. The people who thrive in these challenging situations, who figure out that the limitations present opportunities for them to learn and prove themselves—are the ones who move forward. The ones who blame their misfortunes and failures on roadblocks, other people, and circumstances will stay right where they are and wonder why they're still there a decade later.
2 | Your business relationships are transactional
The clients today are your best prospects for revenue tomorrow and down the road. Suppose you push your product or services in a transactional way and neglect after-sales service or nurturing your client relationships beyond the single transaction. In that case, you miss an opportunity to build stable income streams and a solid reputation for your business. When your clients can recommend you by saying they've worked with you for several years or decades, that is a powerful vote of confidence. What's good for their business is good for your business. Go with the recommendation that will maximize the client's benefit and not yours; it will safeguard your business in the long term.
If you work in a corporate setting, it's doing what's best for the business. Management looks for these types of behaviours and actively seeks out those with the ability to identify what is best for the company.
3| You're not investing time in yourself
Self-care is great, and it is important to ensure you can keep running forward, but those who 'get ahead' and advance in their careers allocate their time differently. Self-care, in the eyes of those with ambition, dedication, and commitment, isn’t spending every evening binge-watching tv shows; they use their downtime to enhance their already strong skill set. A friend recently said, "9 to 5 is to keep up. Weekends is to get ahead." Do you know what our 'hobbies' are in our off hours and on the weekends? Discussing upcoming business investment opportunities, interest rate offerings at different banks, and reading to expand our knowledge.
4 | You're investing time and effort in the wrong things
Arguably worse than not investing in yourself, investing time and effort in things your prospective employers don't care about won't move the needle for your career. We see plenty of resumes come through, and we note what candidates are investing their time into. The latest online course certificates and abbreviations after your name only get you past the initial filter. The more important skill is gained from experience and an in-depth understanding of what is required to do your job well. This does NOT mean you're slaving away at the job; it means you are so efficient that you can complete 3 hours of work in 1.
5 | You want to follow your passion
You can freely follow your passion when you've earned it. Having built my career from scratch, I've learned that you earn your freedom; to keep your passion alive, sometimes the best way is to separate it from your main income stream. Here's what I mean by earning your freedom. First, you must be financially independent to pursue your passion with all your heart.
Depending on the market cycles, the types of careers and jobs that make the most money will change. Right now, it would be jobs in AI and cybersecurity, given that corporations want AI experts to show them how to maximize AI to reduce costs and restructure their companies for the next wave of technology. Advancing technology has also posed many threats to the security of firms; think of the Las Vegas hack that happened recently and how that paralyzed the heart of Sin City.
If you want to get unstuck and move forward with whatever you pursue, know that starting anything new is going to be hard for the first year or two; build your relationships with a long-term vision and focus, and invest in yourself and in skills that matter to the current and future market. You’ll feel your life change because you’re pointing yourself in the direction you want to go. These actions will unlock the real, and full, potential of what you’re capable of.
