How to improve your organisational career

Organisational demands are often quite different from individual needs and career goals. The company and its managers are mostly concerned about operating effectively and efficiently, about generating profit, and about improving productivity. It’s not that these organisational concerns are unimportant to individual employees, but they are secondary to the individual’s primary concern for self-fulfilment and self-actualisation

Organisations which want to provide career opportunities for its employees have to recognise the needs of all employees. Unfortunately, the needs of some individuals are often in conflict with those of other individuals in the same company. For example, one person’s desire to take on new responsibilities and expand their area of operation may conflict with the existing authority and responsibilities of others. Prudent management must always consider consequence of job enrichments, as a result.

Organisations need skills to fulfil all the roles and responsibilities that correspond to the organisation’s design and structure. Yet, some roles may be seen by an employee to be restricting their ability to develop their capability and realise their potential. Similarly, some jobs are simply boring – such as doing required paperwork – but even though some tasks may be neither challenging nor interesting they still need to be carried out.

Some managers have to be assigned to locations or functions where their specific knowledge and skills are needed. For example, good managers may be required for setting up an operation in a new geography. Yet, this location may not be ideal in terms of their home and family life.

Career conversations

Given all these conflicts and complexities, it shows that organisations are wary about having career conversations with employees for fear of raising expectations that can’t be delivered against. But not discussing employees’ career aspirations won’t make them go away and just because it’s difficult to achieve alignment between the needs of the business and individual employees is not a reason to avoid or ignore it.

Why are organisations afraid to discuss career expectations with employees? These types of discussions are certainly not a threat to management. On the contrary, it helps employees to know what they need to achieve and the method of consistency in their performances in order to climb the ladders of expectations. If they achieve, the organisation will grow! If the organisation grows, it creates many opportunities for promotions.

Hence, if management had discussions with the employees with regard to their career expectations, the management will now be in a position to provide career paths and prepare candidates to undergo specific structured training and development to rise to the needs of both the management and the employee him/herself.

So, it’s important that you find ways to improve your organisational career for your own development.

Do you sometimes feel that your hard work is “invisible”? Perhaps you do such good work on a regular basis that your manager takes you for granted. Perhaps, because of this, you’re no longer recognised and rewarded for your efforts. Do you feel that working in your company doing good work is like wetting in your dark pants where it gives you a warm feeling but nobody notices?

You might be the hardest worker in your organisation, and the one everyone wants on their team – but if you’re not in people’s thoughts, then you’ll be passed up for new projects, additional responsibilities, awards, and promotions.

Developing specialist skills

New businesses often hire generalists, because they can perform in so many different roles. As organisations grow, however, specialists are often hired to focus on key areas. This may leave the hard-working generalists feeling pushed aside and disempowered.

If you’re a generalist, think strategically about what types of skills your organisation needs. Work on building these skills to become a specialist. The more knowledgeable and skillful you become in a particular area, the more likely you are to be noticed and you could climb up in the career ladder.

Remember that organisations also tend to look for people with great “soft skills“ – non-technical skills such as creative thinking, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, communication skills, flexibility, and coaching. These are often as important as professional expertise.

If you’re thinking about becoming a specialist in a certain area, don’t forget to consider these important soft skills. Helping your boss resolve a major conflict within your team will help you just as much as delivering a great presentation or sales report.

Get educated

Most employers prefer hiring and promoting employees who have college degrees. If you know that you have a better chance of getting promoted by having a degree, it would be worth your time and financial investment to obtain a college degree.

If you have a degree, consider what skills you can learn in order to improve your job performance. Large corporations frequently offer free software, communication or management training. If your company does not offer courses, research classes being taught in your area; your company might subsidise the cost if you make a case for it.

Building a network

Essentially, if you help people out when they need assistance, then people will help you out too. And if you take the time to build and nurture relationships with the people around you, you’ll build a network of “allies” who can help you get assigned to interesting, significant, or eye-catching projects that might otherwise go to someone else. They may also recommend you to other departments, which can open up opportunities that might not have been available to you without their recommendations.

Build a network of alliances within your department, with other departments, and with the executive team or board. Try to get assigned to teams that involve a wide variety of people. This can help you build your reputation, and make important friendships.

Also, build your network outside of office hours. Socialising with colleagues after work often makes everyone feel more relaxed and open to new friendships.

Tracking your accomplishments

When you’re working hard, it’s easy to forget all of your achievements over the last six to 12 months. This won’t help when it’s time for your performance review.

Keep track of all of your accomplishments within the organisation. If clients or colleagues give you compliments, write them down. If the compliment came in an email, print it. If you exceeded last quarter’s sales goals, get the paperwork that proves it.

Put all of these great compliments and achievements in a file, and bring the file to your performance review. This gives you hard evidence to prove to your boss what a great job you’re doing. Then, when it’s time to ask for a pay raise or promotion, it may be harder for your manager to say no.

Think back to when you were hired. What skills did you bring to the table that made you marketable? Remember what makes you unique to your company, and promote your skills. While it’s easy to get accustomed to a work routine, think of out-of-the-box ways to leverage your skills to improve your company. Even if your boss doesn’t agree with your idea, he or she should respect your initiative. Also think this…Are your capabilities and skills for which you were hired still valid? Would your company re-hire you?

Getting out of the shadows

Sometimes, whether intentionally or unintentionally, your manager or colleagues may present your ideas as their own. However, if you want to be recognised, you must receive credit for your ideas.

If this happens to you, first find out if it’s also happening to anyone else. Often, a colleague or boss “borrows” ideas from several people, not just one. One way to discover this is by simply watching other people’s body language around this person.

If your colleague or manager is taking credit for only your work, but no one else’s, then document it every time it occurs. If the person claims your ideas as their own in a meeting, gently but firmly correct the mis-statement.

Take on more work

In addition to performing the tasks required of you, you should research trends and happenings in your industry to share with your colleagues. When passing along information, consider how it affects your company.

Be an expert in your field. By taking this extra step, you will show your boss that you are passionate about your industry and are invested in producing superior quality work. Take on new challenges. One of the best ways to find your “hidden talents” is to try new things.

Find a mentor

Some organisations provide mentors as part of the performance management system. So, make the full use of it. Mentors can offer valuable advice and career coaching. The chances are that the mentor has been through the same situations that you’re experiencing, and can help you navigate them successfully.

Be proactive

Try to always be a step ahead at work. Anticipate what will be asked of you, and offer your services. Be perceived as a “can-do” person. Make sure you are always informed of what is going on in your company and any opportunities that may arise.

Manage expectations

From day one, make sure you and your boss are on the same page with what you are expected to deliver. If you don’t know, create your own set of expectations to show your boss, and make changes as needed. If no six-month or yearly evaluations are set in place within your company, check in with your boss every few months to confirm you are meeting expectations. Document everything, including project feedback from your boss and colleagues, so you can use specific ways to measure your progress.

Learn from your mistakes

We all make mistakes in the workplace. The worst thing to do is try to blame someone else or deny that the mistake was made. The best thing to do is to accept responsibility for your mistakes and learn from them. Mistakes can help you improve your performance and communication skills with your co-workers and supervisor. Your supervisor will be very impressed if they see you can bounce back from mistakes and keep improving.

Communicate with your supervisor

Keeping the lines of communication open between you and your supervisor can only benefit you. The more you communicate with him or her, the more they will keep you posted on current events in your office. Your supervisor cannot watch you all the time and know what you are doing. Send them an e-mail with updates on your work progress and any questions of things you are not sure of. You never want to “assume” anything you are not really sure about, and it is always important to know where your supervisor stands on all work-related issues.

Find solutions

Don’t go to your boss every time you have a problem. The more problems you can solve independently, the more responsible and valuable you will look. It will impress your boss if you go to them with a tricky issue and then suggest ways to resolve it. Always try to offer solutions; this will give your reputation a boost.

Act the part

First impressions are everything and you always want to make sure you dress and act professional at all times. Your attire doesn’t need to be outrageously expensive for you to have credibility. It just needs to be appropriate to the environment you are operating in.

Consider clean lines and clothing that makes you feel comfortable and communicates who you want to be. If you’re going for that big promotion, go for it in your appearance as well as your job performance. Colleagues, customers, managers and peers will also pick up what you communicate about yourself in the way you behave. Taking the right steps to advancing your career can lessen your chances for being laid off or terminated.

You don’t have to do all of these things in one day and you may not have to do all of them to see an improvement in your career. Keep a journal or check list of the tips you think can improve your chances to succeed at work. By writing your goals down, it will be easier for you to see your accomplishments and stick to your plan for success.

[Dr. Nalin Jayasuriya (DBA, California, USA) is a much sought-after business and management consultant. He is also a management trainer of international repute. Dr. Nalin was a visiting lecturer to the Marketing Institute of Singapore, addressed the Indian Chamber of Commerce, Selangor on three occasions, addressed the CEO Forum in Brisbane, Australia and has presented management papers in the USA, UK, Greece, Poland, South Korea, Hong Kong, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, India, Kenya, Dubai and Pakistan. Dr. Nalin has trained over 5,000 senior managers in over 15 countries since 1988. He has been a consultant to Airport and Aviation Services, Ceylon Electricity Board, SriLankan Airlines, SLTPB – Ministry of Tourism and to several multinational and blue-chip companies in Sri Lanka. He was co-consultant to set up the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), the first multi-sector regulatory agency in Asia. Dr. Jayasuriya has led consultancy assignments for the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, UNDP, Institute of World Problems (USA) and PricewaterhouseCoopers.]