Seven Ways to Grow Your Career

Take the reins: First, understand that no one is going to care about your career as much as you do. That means that you are in the driver’s seat and have ultimate control. If you believe that success is just luck and that things happen to you, then a mindset change might be just what you need.

Plan your progression: Pick a role that you aspire to. It might be a manager’s position, a high billing consultant, a Board Director, or a technical role that you’re interested in. Set your sights on it. Plan a timeline for yourself of when you would like to be in that type of role, what you need to do, learn and achieve to get there, and take the first steps in putting that plan into place.

Make your aspirations known: Ask for help to achieve your long-term goals. Find a mentor or mentors. Network and learn from others that have tread a similar career path to that which you aspire to. Let your current manager know what your career aspirations are and ask them how they, and the company that you work for, can help.

Set goals in your current job: Whilst you’ve got an excellent long-term plan now, focus on the next 12 - 24 months and what you want to achieve in your current job. People that do this achieve infinitely more in their careers in the long term, than those that wait for others to set the goals for them.

Go above and beyond: The most successful people that I know go above and beyond for their colleagues and clients. They work smart and are a positive source of solutions. Instead of presenting problems, they present problems and suggested solutions. They can always see a way forward, are decisive and solution oriented.

Say yes and no: Saying yes to great opportunities and putting more effort and time into projects that you believe will challenge and develop you, are excellent ways towards career growth. It’s easy to stay in your comfort zone but being brave and doing something new or hard can be incredibly rewarding. Say no to tasks and activities that are unproductive and that zap your time, and yes to high value, high pay off activities that help to progress your career goals.

Be the person that you want to become: The last and most important piece of advice that I can give any aspiring leader or individual wanting to progress their career is to display the values and behaviour that you believe someone would display if they were in the job that you want. Ask yourself, If I were a manager / high biller / professional in x area, how would I behave in this situation? How would I present myself? What sort of values would I display? If you can get that right, then you will be travelling a long way down the right path towards your career goals.