Great participation and conversation ensued during a recent Taking Ownership of Your Career seminar in Raleigh, NC! Taking ownership means being strategic, proactive and committed to your growth. Is is not sitting idle waiting for someone to notice you or offer you more opportunity.
We talked about when and how we know we are getting too comfortable in our current careers/jobs. Some responses included:
- no longer challenged or inspired
- we stop growing
- no longer intellectually stimulated
- it feels like a job not a career
- we start pushing the limits, seeing how much we can get away with
I also asked the group what matters most to them in their career. Some of their responses included words like fulfilled and challenged – so I asked them to get more specific, choosing words that better describe what really matters. Here is what some shared:
- being engaged (in their work)
- being creative
- feeling accomplished
- variety
- service
Being more descriptive like this helps you know more clearly what you are seeking when making taking greater ownership of your current career or seeing a career transition.
We also talked about the importance of your mindset and beliefs when taking greater ownership of your career. This includes what you believe about yourself (capabilities, potential, adaptability, etc), what you believe about the world of work (there is something I am interested in learning more about or pursuing, there are opportunities no matter what the economy, there are many people I can learn from, etc)
Taking ownership of your career requires stepping out of your comfort zone, either small steps or giant leaps.
How willing are you to step into a bit of discomfort to take your career to new heights?
Take Ownership of Your Career