how to manage your career

HOW TO MANAGE

YOUR CAREER

Managing your career is up to one and only one person – you!

People who get promoted are outperforming everyone around them

THE THREE PHASES OF A

CAREER

First, take on rocket fuel

Build transferable skills

Build sustainable relationships

Then, pour gasoline on your

strengths

Pick jobs and companies that play to

them

Take on stretch assignments that

build on them

Don’t spend too much time shoring

up or hiding weaknesses

Finally, pass the torch

Give back by paying it forward

Do that inside your organization and

outside as well

HOW TO GET PROMOTED

Nail the basics of excellent

work hygiene

Things managers should never

have to talk to you about

Attendance

Hours

Attire

How you treat colleagues

Things that happen out of

the office

Be organized

Be professional

Volunteer for extras

Deliver on commitments

Good attitude

Live the values

Constantly learnRead business books/articles

Join professional groups

Practice universal skills like speaking, writing, presenting, analytics

Articulate, and be Articulate!Speak up!

Always know who owns what

Don’t use words like “stuff” and

“things”

Start doing the job you want to

move into

If it’s vertical, take stuff off your boss’s plate

If it’s horizontal, volunteer for stretch assignments

Do that while you’re still in your

current job

Do really well at it

Give thought to succession

Regularly work OTBSee the bigger picture

Redesign processes, don’t just execute them

Be a master of feedback

Giving it gently – espouse the

Whale Done mentality

Receive it regularly Ask for it

Internalize it gracefully

Act on it

Ask again

Make sure you’re visible enough

HOW TO WOW YOUR

MANAGER

Show up for every check-in with

the full agenda – send it a day or

more ahead

When you are asking your

manager to communicate

something (an email to the

team, a reference letter, etc.),

draft it for him or her

Do a start-stop-continue analysis

once a year on all of your key

activities

Own your own development plan

and check in on it at least

quarterly

Read a relevant business book

and ask your manager to discuss

insights with you

Dress for success – even casual

can be neat and “client ready”

Respond to every email where

you are on the TO line within a

day, even if it’s to say you will

respond longer form later

End every meaningful interaction by asking for informal feedback on how you’re doing and what else you can be doing

Do something that’s not required

but that you feel is a best practice

(If you have staff reporting into you) Show up for every check-in with your manager with a list of all staff issues and highlights

Own the solution, not just the

problem

Own cross-functional projects

Managing your career is up to one and only one person – you!

People who get promoted are outperforming everyone around them

HOW TO MANAGE

YOUR CAREER