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Are you feeling stuck in your career?
You're not alone. Most people feel this way at some point in their careers. That's why it's so important to take control of your own development and have regular conversations with your manager about your aspirations and long-term plans.
Taking control of your career doesn't have to be difficult. It just requires a little effort on your part – like setting aside time for regular conversations with your manager, and making sure you're both providing and receiving feedback. With the right tools, you can make great progress in your professional life.
Continue reading to learn how to take control of your career!

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Employees wait far too long for management to initiate career development discussions. They must understand that most managers are preoccupied with their own career challenges. They must reclaim control of their own professional lives. They must set aside time for one-on-one conversations on a regular basis. They must ensure that they are receiving and providing feedback, as well as discussing not only their performance but also their aspirations and long-term plans.

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Sample House-Keeping Items Before You Begin Career Development Discussions:
  • Ensure you are meeting the expectations of your current role. No point in talking about career development when you are struggling with the current role.
  • Ensure you have detailed Roles & Responsibilities defined for your role and there is an agreement between you and your manager. This will avoid the situation where you thought he wanted you to paint the wall blue when he wanted you to paint the wall red.
  • Ensure as part of the R&R you establish key performance metrics that you will be measured on. Ensure there is an agreement between you and your manager. These metrics vary depending on your role.
  • Schedule regular one-on-one meetings bi-weekly to discuss your current performance with respect to the R&R and performance targets.
  • Ensure any feedback from management allows you to make adjustments to correct any misalignment with expectations in a reasonable timeframe. The feedback must be evidence-based. Meaning it can't be arbitrary comments or assertions from the manager. They must provide supporting details to back up what they are saying.
  • Ensure you have meeting minutes of all discussions. This can be important when there is disagreement.
Sample Career Development Related Items:
  • At the start of every year outline, what is expected of you for your current role and gain agreement from your manager. In that outline, ensure you list the development activities you would like to focus on. These could be courses, projects, skip-level interviews, etc.
  • During your regularly scheduled performance discussions, ensure time is set aside for your development discussion. Only if you are meeting the expectations of your current role.
  • Gain agreement from your manager on taking charge of your development. Meaning book your own skip-level interviews and seek out courses and projects that will help you develop. This ensures you are not placing a burden on your manager and also your manager is aware of your activities.

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