You & your career progression

Planning for the career advancement of employees is also an important component of business persistence tactics. The question however, is, “Who is supposed to be responsible for career progression – the individual concerned, the organisation being worked for or both of them?”

The discernment and sensitivity of this issue is a subject of continuous effort for the employers and employees alike. It cannot be denied that an individual per se ought to be in charge of his or her own progression to be able to dynamically participate in all career related activities. To amplify this point, is there any person who knows and understands ambitions, motivation and standards better than the person concerned?

It is an unfortunate matter that most employees fail to take onus for their own career advancement. If an individual seeks to have realistic opportunities to make the most of their career prospects and attain identified objectives, he or she should have no doubts whatsoever about their specific needs and goals. They ought to formulate a detailed road map to reach where they want to be. Should an employee fail to match personal objectives with organizational imperatives, he or she will also encounter failures; consequently their frustration levels will rise and output plummet.

If there happens to be no encouragement and guidance rendered to an individual, his or her aspirations and planning will be meaningless; the impelling is best affected by the organisation itself. The foregoing calls for an inescapable need for bosses to be aware of every employee’s visualizations and desires so that inherent inclinations and talents are transformed into convincing usages. This will also help employees find opportunities that go with individual capabilities and dispositions within the larger mosaic of organisational concerns.

It is also necessary that organisations also spell out their requirements to their employees. This makes it mandatory to make known the bearing on which companies are headed to and how it can be juxtaposed on the expectations of individuals. If this affected well, employees will be able to perform optimally and contribute in the attainment of organizational goals. You cannot lose sight of the fact that the success of organizational operations is contingent on teamwork as also individual competence, output and dedication. It is no wonder therefore, that companies are increasingly concentrating on providing career advancement opportunities to employees by way of imaginative enterprises, appraisals and training packages.

Now, if companies make efforts to look after career progression aspects of their employees, they also need to be at wheels. Employees should have faith in their bosses and identify suitable mentors to facilitate discerning gaps and solicit appropriate assistance to plug them. Keeping this aspect in mind, organisations today ensure that their employees enjoy a competitive edge by subjecting them to training in a horde of milieus.

The above notwithstanding, a fallacy exists in the minds of people that makes career progression synonymous with promotions. They fail to understand career advancement is not about vertical growth only; lateral movement also contributes to personal progress. In the true sense of the word, career advancement is realized if you become proficient in any sphere of activity.

You should be astute and intelligent enough to know that the crucial factor that will contribute to your long-term success is your ability to acquire, maintain and update your skills. Contrary to belief, any demonstration of your loyalty to your company ranks quite low in the list of imperatives. Companies find this task quite difficult and often accentuate this aspect in all learning and development programmes. The biggest challenge faced by them is the attrition of trained manpower resulting from glitches and faults in various spheres of work assigned to their employees. And to overcome this, companies formulate and implement retention strategies that focus on a continual engagement of the workforce, based on individual penchants and requirements. This entails fostering a persuasive and triumphing philosophy wherein employee performances are acknowledged and due counseling rendered, where necessary.

Remember that the strongest of the trees in a forest is not that is protected from the sides by other trees and which the heat of the sun cannot devour. In fact, the strongest is the one that stands in an open patch and survives hail, rain and blazing sun. You can emulate this tree by bearing in mind that the ladder of success is best climbed by stepping on the rungs of opportunity. And with companies focusing on the creation of an atmosphere in which employees feel an innate responsibility to move forward and also afford adequate opportunities for the same, whose responsibility is career progression - yours or the company’s? The answer ought to be evident. It is yours!