Great Article- Own your career

Own Your Career - Part 1:  Choices
by Patty Homrich Gould, HK&A Search Partner

What responsibility do you have for your personal career development?  Are you relying on your company to recognize your efforts and progress you accordingly?  The best way to attain your long term goal is to not wait for it to find you. The truth is, no one cares more about your career than you do.

 Part 1:  Your personal choices and actions will drive your career.

Every day I hear people define career advancement in different ways.  These definitions are based upon personal preferences and specific "wants or desires".  Are these goals and wants compatible? 

 Typically, people value the same factors in their job.  It is the order of importance of those factors, which can determine how an individual's career is shaped. 

 The most common "wants" are:

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  •  Company/Corporate Culture
  
  
  • Compensation
  
  
  • Location
  
  
  • Quality of Life
  
  
  • Advancement Potential/Challenge
  
  
  
  

If a person believes that their ultimate goal is to be a CFO, but they count quality of life and location as their top two "wants'', it may be incompatible.  One would expect that the advancement potential/challenge and company/corporate culture would be more important for a CFO.  Additionally, compensation improvement may not be compatible with a job that does not require a strong time commitment and quality of life sacrifice.

 Therefore, the key is to define the end result from a career perspective and evaluate if that goal is consistent with the current "wants".   

If they are not consistent, which elements are the most critical for you?  Are you willing to sacrifice quality of life to have the potential to be a CFO?  If you are not, what types of roles within the company would provide a better fit for you?  There is not a right or wrong answer.  Each person has his or her own truth.