5 Must-Haves For Careers and Career Leadership

When asked about your particular job and career choice, it's likely that you respond with one or two of these statements:

• "It's a great place to work" (culture)

• "The guy I'll be working for seems really nice" (command)

• "The people are fun" (comrades)

• "The pay is really good" (compensation)

• "I'll get to do what I want" (contribution)

But Pay Attention to This

The problem is that just one or two of these criteria are typically not enough to keep us excited about our choice. We soon we find ourselves not enjoying our work. Although we love the pay maybe the boss is difficult; or, we’re not getting to do the tasks we enjoy; or, something else we overlooked is now an issue.

You can avoid this problem by thinking about 5 C's of your career at the outset. Here are some questions to consider:

1. Culture

In what kind of company do I want to work? - Large or small? Public or privately owned? Nurturing environment or "sweat shop? Fun or serious?

2. Command

For what type of boss/supervisor would I like to work? Warm and friendly or distant? Micro-manager or hands off? Dictator or leader?

3. Comrades

With whom do I want to work? Team players or mavericks? Highly social or indifferent? Helpful and supportive? Shared work ethic?

4. Compensation

What would I like my financial package and other benefits to be? How much money do I want to make? Do I want professional growth and development? Would I like to work on a commission basis? How important is recognition to me?

5. Contribution

What would I like to give in my work? Do I need to make a difference in the world? Do I need to express myself creatively? Do I need to take on a lot of responsibility? Do I want to lead or manage people?

The 5 C's raise your awareness and ultimately improve your job satisfaction, because you're more likely to be doing and experiencing what you love, than taking what you can get.

Although you can't control all these aspects of your career nor the people in it, being clear will help you ask better questions and do better research as you evaluate your career. The key is in getting the most you can, and also agreeing with yourself that what you are able to get is what you truly want.

Career Leadership for Managers

Managers: Use this list as a conversation starter with job candidates or direct reports. Sometimes it's tough to get the discussion rolling. These are the kinds of questions that your people hope you will ask. And, they'll lead to a deeper understanding of the folks on your team.

This could be an effective step toward becoming known as a Career Leader in your organization.

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Note on the life of the famously obscure(?)

If you are a regular reader here you are aware of our honor as a nominee for Best Leadership Blog of 2008. The voting runs through July 31 and every blog in the running is worth your attention.

And: We're equally thankful to Dustin Wax for his inclusion in Lifehack's "50 Personal Productivity Blogs You've Probably Never Heard Of."

This is creating an identity crisis here this week:-)

 

 

Comments

[peter vajda]

Hi, Steve,

Marshall Goldsmith, one of the few executive coaches whose no-nonsense work I admire (of "What got you here won't get you there" book fame, and i have no affiliation)interviewed more than 200 high-potential leaders from around the
world for his book.

He writes, "A key question that we asked was: "If you stay in this company, why are you going to stay?" The top three answers:

1. "I am finding meaning and happiness now. The work is
exciting, and I love what I am doing."
2. "I like the people here. They are my friends. This feels like
a team-like a family. I might make more money if I left, but I
don't want to leave the people here."
3. "I can follow my dreams. This organization is giving me the
chance to grow and do what I really want to do in life."

More curiously, he continues, "When my friend asked people who were on their death beds what really mattered in life, and when I asked young, high-potential
leaders what really mattered at work, we heard about the same
thing."

You write, Steve, "This could be an effective step toward becoming known as a Career Leader in your organization.

My take is that this type of conscious and honest reflection will not only support folks to 'become' career leaders, and engaged folks, but will 'stay' there as career leaders and engaged folks.