I have a case of career blahs…I want a great career
What’s your strategy for make your career great?
Your Rant: My career is just so-so. I don’t hate my job, but then again I don’t love it either. Is this as good as it gets?
911 Repair:
One of my favorite quotes of all time is from the famous comedy family the Marx Brothers. Chico Marx was once asked if he loved his brother Harpo. He replied, “No, but I’m used to him.”
That seems to be the attitude that many of us have about our careers. We don’t exactly love our careers; we simply learn to tolerate them. I believe that we spend too many hours working on automatic pilot. So it’s worth the time and hassle to find a job that is something that you can really be passionate about. I’ve listed a few questions to help you do this, below. For more, check out “5 Paths of Extraordinary Careers” by Citrin and Smith (Crown, 2003).
Do you appreciate your own value? There seem to be two kinds of people in the world, people who consistently overestimate what they can do and people who consistently underestimate it. To me, the key to career success is to have a clear view of your strengths and the value you bring to work each day. This requires getting lots of feedback from the people you work with and for, so you can really understand your contributions. And humility has no place at work, you need a realistic view of what you bring to the table.
Are you benevolent? There are lots of people at work who look out only for themselves. It’s rare to find someone who is benevolent and looks out for the good of everyone. Good guys and gals might not always finish first, but on average they’re amazingly successful at work because they have a network of people who will look out for them. Do favors for people and you’ll be surprised at how often they return the favor.
Do you overcome the permission paradox? I recently read that Amazon’s highest award is called the “Just Do It” award, where employees are recognized for contributions made without their boss’s permission. I’m not arguing for anarchy, but I do agree that it’s usually easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.
Do you focus on the urgent or the important? It’s tough when stuff is coming at you fast and furious to pull back to decide what is really important, and therefore what should consume the majority of your efforts. At work the important should always trump the simply urgent.
Are you always a little bit hungry? I once asked a friend about his approach to business. He said that while many people were either satiated or famished, he always tried to remain a little bit hungry. This is precisely the attitude I try to bring to work each day.
The Marx Brothers turned their passion for humor into great careers. Use the tips above and you just might turn your passion into a successful career.
911 pulse:
What best describes your career?
- A hot air balloon, 20.5 percent
- A ball and chain, 35.8 percent
- Like the bunny hop (one step forward and two steps back), 43.5 percent
User strategy:
Our winning strategy for a successful career comes from B.T. in Bremerton, Wash.: “The key to a successful career is to always have a contingency plan. Because when you have something to fall back on that you know you can support yourself with, you can take more risks and end up with something that you really want to do. So I always play to angles, my main goal and my backup plan. It’s worked like a charm for me.”
Bob Rosner and Sherrie Campbell author the nationally syndicated workplace911 column weekly. Bob’s a best-selling author and award-winning journalist who has responded to over 50,000 emails from employees, bosses and entrepreneurs. Sherrie’s a relationship expert and award-winning comedian who has offered quick, intuitive and humorous responses to over 30,000 people. He’s been called “Dilbert, with a solution.” She’s the counselor with a kick. Together they’ve turned rants into raves via TV, radio, print and live on their website at workplace911.com.
Filed under: Identifying Your Talents (G), Job Search Strategies & Skills (F), Your Dream Job (F) | Tagged: career success, Dream job, finding meaning at work
