Emerge a champion in your career

The job market of today, with all its ups and downs, is a bucketful of opportunities for everybody. If at all there is somebody who needs to exploit prospects to ensure that you emerge a champion in your career, is you. Your initiative is essential to let you be in firm control of your career so that you do well in your career. Tin order to successfully achieve all your career objectives and put all your capabilities to gainful use, it is essential that you understand each and every basic requirement that contributes to your career success. 

You cannot afford to waste your life living in doubts and apprehensions. And your career is like a long race – you are there on the tracks in the field, waiting for the firing shot and all set to take off. You cannot run blindfolded and hope that you will win the race. To put it differently, you ought to be fully prepared, with all the goals that you set for yourself unambiguous. While your academic qualifications, experience and present work location are significant factors that could herald career success, it is your performance on ground that matters the most. The three basic attributes of performance that make you win your career race are:

• It never goes unnoticed and unacknowledged: All organisations that perform are prosperous setups, though there may be some odd aberrations. Unlike iron, gold never rusts; similarly performers do not lose their worth and their value is always set to register an upswing. The value of gold never decreases, though it may tend to be at a plateau for some period of time. But with the passage of time, it increases manifold, particularly in the long term. The fact is that no company will let go a good performer by a person with more experience. A good performer will invariably be recognised, retained and promoted. The way you acquit yourself at work will manifest your stalwartness, tenacity and competence. Your performance alone will count in your quest for excellence and efforts to do well in your career.
• It is not neither negotiable nor exchangeable: Surveys conducted have concluded that in any establishment, around three-quarters of the productivity are on account of the efforts by one-quarter of the employees. Companies are always keen to have such performers on their rolls; Even if there are adverse conditions, this category of people is always noticed and recruited. The balance people whose performance level is not as high are not seen as positive performers and hence their job protection is always subject to perils. It is therefore, no wonder that many employees are retrenched or superseded. On the other hand, good performers receive acclaim and promotions.
• It is the only decisive factor impacting success: Will you ever pay more than the marked price for anything? Will you ever purchase a substandard item? The answers are obviously no, particularly if there are other options available to you to get value for your money. Today, the working atmosphere in all companies and organisations is highly ambitious and aggressive; and it is only good performers find a place to hang on. Therefore, if you discharge your duties well, meaning you contribute to efficiency and effectualness, you will for certain witness career advancement.  Career progress implies moving up in the pecking order of any setup and entails acquiring a greater capacity to deal with demanding responsibilities so that profitability registers an upswing. Your good work gets acknowledged and you get to be called by the higher management and thus are in the loop for planning and implementation. Your growth is consequently facilitated.   

It is inescapable on your part to make certain that you do not lower down your aims and ambitions to match your performance. On the contrary, you need to ensure that your performance is bettered to be in harmony with your objectives and aspirations. And to be able to accomplish this, it is necessary that you should anticipate the picture of success that you seek and then work wholeheartedly to attain it in real realistic terms. It should always be kept in mind that your career success depends largely on the way you work and go about; and that setting objectives or dreaming about success alone will not help you. The price of success is always devotion, toil and total commitment towards the things that you want to happen to you.

Checking signs of disconnect at work - a managerial responsibility

The reasons why men and women quit from their jobs are many and diverse. It is rather difficult to make out one single most important reason; the time it gets to be actually known is when he or she is leaving a particular job for good. Among different reasons that employees state are problems related to maintaining a good work-life balance, relationships with boss and financial issues. It eventually boils down to work disconnect.

A significant aspect related to the above is that you cannot have a common solution to the problem.  It is only because of this that administrative officers and human resource managers remain perennially busy with matters related to resignation of employees and switching over to other companies. In the light of the foregoing, all organisations are today focussing intensely on instituting employee-friendly processes so that this trend of quitting is arrested. Five major issues related to this problem are:

• Demanding and & arduous tasks:  Work is work and may occasionally call for extra efforts and additional devotion of time. Now, if you enforce rigid work timings, it may not work. What could possibly be done is acknowledging sustained hard work put in by employees and even permitting them options like working from home or flexible hours of working. Giving such employees a break at company expense will generate a feeling of esteemed belonging among them.
• Proneness to work beyond stipulated work timings: Meeting deadlines and completion of projects is basically the responsibility of the immediate boss or departmental head. But it will be in the fitness of things, interests of efficiency and also consideration of employee welfare to carry out periodic scrutiny on the reasons behind people working overtime. The findings should be brought to the notice of seniors so that problems, if brewing could be nipped in the bud.
• Failure on the part of managers to handle juniors in a friendly manner: When organisational introspection is in progress, the people skills of managers should also be evaluated. This may not be an uncomplicated or simple job at all. It should be remembered that well-qualified managers are not necessarily good administrators or employee-handlers. And this is precisely the reason why industrious and efficient employees leave their jobs. It is therefore an inescapable requirement to subject all managers to acquire man-management skills so that they can address the beliefs and aspirations of those under them.
• Protracted and stretched-out deployment on a single assignment: It is a known fact that monotony in work schedule brings about a loss of interest and gusto. It is thus imperative for human resource managers to conduct intervallic evaluation to gauge inspiration levels among employees. Perhaps a small and casual interaction undertaken occasionally could throw light on indications of work-disconnect. Apprising department heads of the findings and recommending lateral transfers could turn out to be immensely helpful in motivating such employees to stay on.
• Why do sincere and conscientious employees don't do well? This phenomenon calls for a n exhaustive research and evaluation. Below average performance could well be a result of company-related and business-linked issues like inability to discharge laid-down duties and fulfilling stipulated objectives. However, the likelihood of some other reason contributing to work-disconnect and low inspiration level cannot be totally discounted.

The most important and vital asset of any organisation is its manpower. And that is why human resources have to be handled very intelligently. Excessive ruthlessness and excessive friendliness both have to be avoided for understandable reasons. That in essence is what good management is all about. You simply cannot inspire terror among the workforce; what needs to be comprehended is the need to build mutual confidence. Instead of pointing fingers and apportioning blames, the focal point of all human resource management processes should be to ensure that all erring actions are precluded and impacts of mistakes rectified. Once that happens, the workplace becomes an interesting institution. It is important to understand that at the workplace, there is no room for undue surmises, suspicions and ego; if this is not put into effect, employee motivation will plummet.  

It should also be remembered that human resources are individuals and not living entities of any judgement or reason. Employees are actually creatures of sentiments who have self-pride. Therefore, efforts have to be continually launched to make certain that their motivation levels are maintained at an optimum level. If that has to be the case, all managers should play the role of facilitators for their subordinates. Once that happens, work-disconnect will be checked and resignations prevented.

Engineer & manage your professional success

If you look around you, you will find several individuals who have very high ambitions and aspirations. They always dream big and they get to have whatever they seek. The conduct and behaviour of such people is typical and by itself serves to make them great. On the other hand, there are people who conduct themselves in a manner that ensures that their careers nosedive. The writing on the wall is thus clear - success is all a matter of how you conduct yourself. You may set for yourself lofty objectives and envision things positively, it is the manner in which you go about doing things that holds the key to a successful career.

Everybody seeks satisfaction and contentment from one’s job, career and life. To be able to do that, you need to be aware of aspirations and also manoeuvre well to display a trademark that speaks of excellence. It is also necessary that in times of need, people support and stand by you. Six actions on your part will facilitate success in your career and life alike: 

• Detach yourself from equivocation: You must be absolutely clear about your goals and what matters to you most. During the initial stages of your career, you could be rather weak, but with the passage of time, you need to become result-oriented. If you do not perform  well, just like many others, the reason is your inability to put your talents and skills to good use. In addition, you also lack skills to envision obstacles and tricky situations. It is therefore, essential that you remain alert to everything that is happening around you so that you have at your disposal different courses of action to deal with adverse contingencies.
• Guard your boundaries: You should be adequately flexible in your approach so that you can protect your boundaries, have due concerns for your concerns and appreciate different imperatives of success. This can be made possible if you have no ambiguity in your mind about your objectives in life, including your career. You will always find many people who are aware of what they want to accomplish, but fail to make any effort, more so during the final stages. The result is that they fail miserably. You need to guard against such a happening.
• Work wholeheartedly: Your devotion to work ought to be like the proverbial tree that faces a storm but does not shake with it. You should be able to take risks , but without being unnecessarily thoughtless. There is no harm in seeking external assistance when  you are stuck. In this way, you will be pledging yourself to working without pretence and sans any rigid outlook. Remember that those who are bent on overcoming their shortfalls certainly meet success faster than others who do not display such willingness.
• Nurture good associations: The be no doubt in your mind that you can go about advancing in your career totally all by yourself. Having good contacts and friends in the right places is also a factor for achieving success in your career. Therefore, when you are networking, people with whom you strike association should be those with whom you enjoy mutual trust, integrity and principles. At the same time, you need to make certain that you do not fall prey to efforts of people out to dent your image and reputation. You must stay away from people who indulge in obedient flattery and cut-throat activities.  To put it in simple terms, all your relationships and networking should be based on honesty and frankness. 
• Develop good communication skills: All successful people possess good communication skills. The manner in which they relate their efforts serves to impact others positively and inspire them. Men and women who make it big are always aware of the prompting factors behind their success stories and that they surely know the importance of their negotiating skills in influencing others. In other words, successful people know how to create a positive image in the environment so that they can elicit support and loyalty.
• Transform anxiety to inspiration: No career journey is an easy ride; you will be plagued with anxious moments. If that be so, the need to maintain your calm and keep away perturbation of any kind needs no emphasis. You need to exhibit a very high level of accountability and professional competence so that you are well-poised to cope up with difficult challenges. merging challenges. If you fail to draw lessons from your past mistakes and apply your experience well to prevalent situations, you are there from where you started. therefore, you  should leave no stone unturned to convert your worries into motivating factors to achieve success.  

If you fail to adhere to the above, your career journey will be an extremely bumpy ride. You may or may not reach the endpoint that you had envisioned, but you will remain unnecessarily discontented.  Remember that an ambitious you will surely make progress. However, your ambitions will not be accomplished unless you display a high degree of persistence all throughout. If there can be anyone who will serve to truly and regularly impel you to move ahead, it will be you.

Walk your selected career path with a sense of purpose

      For a large majority of people, both men and women, getting into a career in which they will stick and that will offer the job contentment that they seek is by itself a journey of sorts. It is a fallacy that only the privileged  and rich achieve success in the career that they chose. The truth is that people not so privileged can also be successful. Yet, despite the foregoing, people have a tendency to believe that successful and opulent people became rich overnight. They do not understand that all of them started small and became rich because of their perseverance and hard work. 

Even if you acquiesce with the above and reflect upon the suitability of any career for you, you will not be able to make a decision with ease. There are three very important issues that you need to understand well:

• Your principles & values that speak of you: It is necessary that you be aware of your values and principles based on which you have become the person you are. Certain things will fascinate you and certain things prompt you to discard them. When you decide to go in for a specific career option, it is all about yourself. because in the absence of any self-awareness, you will fail in your job interview. It has been seen that people focus unnecessarily on their kith and kin; and do not want to distance themselves from them. And there are others who like to work with only some colleagues rather than fit into any team. Now, it is all contingent on how much importance you attach to your values and principles; and in the process be geared up to experiment and also not to leave your comfort zone.
• Your strengths and fortes: It is essential that you view with utmost seriousness activities that you are good at and come out with flying colours. Such activities invariably draw out the best of your capabilities and skills. Your strengths and fortes form the very basis of you exercising a particular career option. If you have a penchant for languages and are physically not very strong, armed forces may not be the correct career option for you. Therefore, the need to know your strengths needs no emphasis and which can be accomplished through a variety of means. In a nutshell, the procedure will also entail being sure of your likes and dislikes, your aspirations and the means to attain them. Considering the foregoing, your work and workplace should match your personality more than any other factor like salary, work location and organisational structure.
• Things that you feel delighted doing: You should take precautions and ensure that you do not get ensnared in any untoward situation by getting into a career that you do not have like for. In all probability, you will have certain inherent traits that are inescapable for some appointment or the other. And there will exist opportunities and appointments wherein you can put such qualities to good use. It should not be forgotten that happiness and satisfaction in your job and career alike are extremely important issues and should always be points of consideration.

Some of us are indeed fortunate to have had a rich background and did not have to struggle much. And there also are many who have to really work very hard to sustain themselves to overcome challenges and progress in life. Irrespective of your background or current status, you can always live the life you want. It is essential that you aim big and be persistent in your efforts. If you seek to be a leader and a trendsetter, you should not be found wanting in zeal and ardour. 

Remember that you will continuously be subjected to tests on your devotion and loyalty. Your success will be contingent on the degree of your determination to keep excelling in every activity that you participate in or attain your objectives. In other words, whatever career you decide to embark upon, your prospects of success in it will remain high only if you work hard and with a sense of purpose. As long as you display passion, tenacity and confidence, you can do and attain anything in this world.

Pull through from a wrong career path

If you look around you, you will see many people who are stagnating in a job or stuck in a career that is not their cup of tea. You will run into scientists who wanted to be artists, lawyers who wanted to join the police or professors who dreamt of becoming doctors. The list could be endless - all not in professions that they once thought to be in, but doing well in them notwithstanding.

The reasons why people embark upon wrong career paths are many. Perhaps exigencies of life prompt them to do so. Monetary requirements could also well be the prime factor because unless you are financially stable, you cannot afford to be going ahead in your life in harmony with all your aspirations.  There are, by and large, four reasons why people get onto wrong career paths:

• Total reliance on gut feelings: There is a general tendency among people to not trust their intuition at all. Gut feelings are actually your sixth sense that warn you about things to come or goad you to follow a specific course of action. They may also tell you to either maintain status quo in a matter or retrace your steps. In other words, they serve to prepare you to move ahead. But paying heed to them and disregarding decisions arrived at after considerations and deliberations can prove to be rather disastrous. Yes, it is agreed that gut feelings are also some sort of forewarning apparatuses, but true perspicacity and astuteness on matters related to your job and career implies weighing the pros and cons of every issue seriously. It is only then that your future will be happy and contented.
• Disregarding advice of others: You should make a record of activities that interest you and from which, you get pleasure.  And because of this, you will feel delighted too and hence it will not take much effort on your part. It is essential that you do not get influenced by irrelevant matters and not try to imitate them or their dreams. At the same time, you should not ignore the advice of others, particularly when it comes from experienced people and those who you place great reliance on. However, you should keep in mind that there exists a possibility of such advice proving wrong. If that happens, you will land yourself in a situation that will be rather vexing, making your career path a real tough climb. In the light of the foregoing, you need to keep your wits about.
• Failure to admit mistakes: In most cases, people who are on an incorrect career path are themselves responsible for their problems. If at all you have made mistakes, you must evaluate how they took place and initiate necessary steps to preclude their repetition. Turning a blind eye to blunders that commit is just not done. At an opportune time, you may decide to look for assistance so that you do not go off-track. It is also necessary that you do not let feelings of remorse afflict you forever because then you render yourself more or less dead. Remember that your mistakes should serve to inspire you and not be alibis. If you erred in taking a wrong career decision, let not pride or arrogance in any form hold you back from admitting to the fact and taking a counteractive action.
• Wasting experience & qualifications gained: There are many men and women who were very passionate about their careers during initial stages, but as time passed, their outlook and disposition towards their work changed. Yet, it is a difficult thing to change careers because you fear that years spent working would go waste. And so would skills acquired and experienced gained be viewed similarly. Living a life like this is not recommended. Remember that life can only be understood backwards but has to be lived forward. Therefore, no amount of apprehensions should be allowed to gain an edge over you. 

You could be moving on an incorrect career path, but you can always pull through from it. You should be anticipative with regard to each and every happening in your career journey; and plan for managing adverse developments. Remember that life is all about maintaining your poise and hence it is inescapable to always remain confident, stable and pragmatic. 

Keep alive your on-the-job learning & do well

      A major workplace characteristic today is the tough competition that prevails there. In fact, the modern world is plagued with competition in every sphere of activity. Under such circumstances, career advancement is indeed a difficult thing to accomplish. You simply cannot assume that you will win in your career race and that your career journey will be an easy ride. Depending on what type of field you are in, you will have to remain in tune with all latest developments and acquire all necessary work-skills to progress in your career.

You may possess all necessary qualifications mandatory for the job that you are in. You could also be into a job that suits your personality. Yet, you cannot be certain that you will excel in your career because over a period of time, your enthusiasm with regard to application of skills on ground diminishes. You thus start regarding your work as mundane. However, in most instances, the routine that you follow generally brings about a feeling of pride and satisfaction. 

To be able to progress in your career, it is necessary that you acquire and practice latest skills in consonance with the requirements of your work imperatives. It does not really matter if you have just embarked on your career or have traversed some years in it; you can always improve upon your skills and affect better performance today, tomorrow and always.

Here are three methods that will help you to keep the on-the-job learning processes alive:

• Initiate the eternal learning process: You should have no doubt with regard to your prevailing and long-term goals, besides your expectations from both your job and career. It is necessary to visualise the place where you intend to be in about a decade’s time from now. You must introspect and query yourself on these issues to discern what you require so that you can formulate a tailor-made plan and chart a road map for your career. You can remain abreast of the latest developments in your field of work to include new skills available for acquisition by perusing books and publications. Even getting to know about latest rule schemes and strategy proposals will be of immense advantage. These could also be obtained by taking membership of professional clubs and attending workshops. All your initiatives will position you in a distinct frontline as far as your professional matters are concerned. But every thing has to be gradual and you have to consistently work hard. 
• Find better ways to discharge your responsibilities: The singular most important action and also the first one that puts you on a success path is a willingness to learn and acquire new skills. It is essential that you harbour a pragmatic approach to your work and which necessitates maximum application of your expertise gained over the years. And just in case you get stuck or encounter hurdles, you can always approach others for assistance. Your sources to gain awareness and familiarity could well be journals and books; and colleagues and other contacts with whom you could discuss issues. You thus get to know more about prevailing trends. You have all the reason in the world to achieve whatever you seek to achieve; and which will be made possible by your imagination plus ingenuity. The truth that creativity and innovation gives a boost to career advancement cannot be discarded.
• Keep track of your progress:  Learning is an eternal process and hence, you must frequently take stock of the progress made by you. Doing so will reduce the time otherwise required to acquire new skills and put them to good use on ground. You will evaluate things and draw conclusions which when acted upon in conjunction with what your seniors tell you will make you truly wiser about where precisely you stand. Your objective should be to tackle your weak spots and emerge more confident and proficient in your work. Remember that your preparedness to wrestle with your vulnerabilities will make your enthusiasm soar further.

       In this world, it is the best who progress and succeed, Your workplace is no different because you will have to face completion from different quarters. If you display a strong resolution to succeed, you will find yourself always rejuvenated and discover newer ways to overcome impediments. This would necessarily mean acquiring latest skill sets and remaining abreast with all new developments in your field of work. Once you position yourself like that, you will derive immense job satisfaction and your colleagues and bosses will have a word of praise for you. But you simply cannot afford to downplay the need to be on a continuous learning mode.

Be worthy of honour & respect at your workplace

Achieving professional growth is like a hot pursuit. The very fact that it is one, there is every likelihood of people breaking rules and not maintaining dignity. Such conduct could well be spontaneous, but surely, it can be avoided. Given the tensions that exist in modern workplaces, it is indeed a difficult proposition to maintain one’s dignity. And that is what lowers your honour and respect. On the other hand, if you maintain your dignity, you will earn admiration from all quarters. Moreover, you will also find your self-esteem registering a boost.

How can you be worthy of honour and respect at your workplace? Here is how you can do so:

• Be aware of your working atmosphere: You should ensure that the place you work in is safe and free from perils. But that should not imply that you should have a luxurious and   exclusive space to yourself. Your working area should be dedicated and congenial to performance of duties assigned to you. If you seek to maintain your dignity at your workplace, you simply cannot compromise on your safety and hence it is in the fitness of things to walk up to your boss and apprise him appropriately, in case suitable amenities are not being provided.
• Be frank and speak the truth: It is an erroneous belief that today, employers want to have everything computerised and that employees have to comply with all directions. To a large extent, such an assumption is not without reason; however, employers do welcome positive suggestions and want their staff to be enterprising and regard themselves in high esteem. You should not simply follow everything in letter and spirit; and let yourself be over-burdened with work. If you do not resist such overtures, there is great likelihood that you will lose out on dignity. You must occasionally claim just and unbiased conduct.
• Discard any inclination to grouse & complain: A person who constantly cribs is never liked by others. Grumblers are always viewed negatively and not welcomed in any team. If you have to maintain your dignity at workplace, you will have to swallow chunks too. You may be assigned tasks that has no volunteers or takers and which, will require you to work overtime or even on off days. That is the hard fact of any work schedule. If you happen to be the complaining type, your boss will form a downbeat opinion of you and when your turn for a raise comes, he can possibly put it on hold. That is the time you will say adios to your dignity too. 
• Give everybody their share of credit:  You may have worked hard and made useful contributions in the successful completion of a project. Maintaining your dignity also implies occasionally moving away from the spotlight and letting others enjoy it, even if they were not very instrumental in the project. Remember that organisations invariably look for people who are selfless and do not run for getting credit; such people are always held in high esteem by the management and get their due.   
• Make sure to assist your seniors with sincerity: You should understand that all your seniors are prime appointment holders in your organisation and that they influence your career advancement. Maintaining your dignity at workplace entails making it possible for them to look and feel superior; of course you need not forgo your own individual glory in the focus. You should avoid overshadowing them and take acclaim in entirety; it should be remembered that teamwork means shared credit.

It is not necessary that everything at your workplace will be to your liking. There will be people with whom your viewpoints will differ, as a result of which relationships may even sour. Tensions can thus be brought about. But then, that is what working and workplace are all about. You have to emerge from them without losing your balance. However, the most important thing is to be able to stand up for what is right and in organisational interests; and also be responsible for your actions. 

Remember that your very being and inner stability depends on your righteous stance; and that is what being dignified is all about.You should keep in mind that you will never be able to become a successful professional, if you lose out on your self-esteem. You ought to know and comprehend that knowing when to withdraw from tricky situation is percipience, being successful in doing so is courage and walking away with head held high is dignity. Infuse requisite punch to your career

Do some career vetting

Every working individual seeks to do well in his or her career. The foregoing is prompted by the fact that career advancement evidently generates immense job satisfaction. If that be so, wouldn't you too make certain that your career bearings are correct and that you remain happy throughout your career journey? If your answer is in the affirmative, then you ought to be doing some introspection to discern the degree of your readiness to infuse your career with requisite energy and enthusiasm with the aim of rendering you more potent and forceful. 

It has been seen that practically every individual starts off his or her career with all motivation and strength of will. But as time rolls by, they lose out on their drive and determination. They then hope that their careers will themselves adopt mid-term corrections and get back on rail. And after some more years roll by, they realise, much to their chagrin though, that there is nothing that moves ahead without giving it an impetus.  In the light of the foregoing, you should understand things in their correct perspective, formulate an action plan and adhere to it. This can be made possible if you do some career vetting in relation to you current situation in an honest and sincere manner. Some tips for the purpose are:

• Understand that success follows good planning: You will have to spare time to evaluate matters on a continuous basis and at the same time come out with ideas on how to go about or address them to serve your interests. In case you find yourself wanting in any field, you should make certain that you come up to the mark in it. It is simply an absence of appropriate knowledge and perception that has made you so. Remember that all changes call for time and therefore, it is necessary to have a complete understanding of various issues having an effect on you - adverse or otherwise - so that you are able to drive home the desired results.
• Engender an all-inclusive picture of your career: If your mind has no ambiguity about what you have set out to attain in your life, you can assume safely that success will be yours. In fact, you are already close to it and it will come to you in due course of time. However, it is essential that you know and comprehend what success signifies to you in absolutely clear terms. The picture of success as pertinent to you having been envisaged, you have to then evaluate all facets of it, including any spelt out by others. Thereafter, you need to arrive at a well-reasoned  conclusion of what is actually applicable to you.
• Set objectives in consonance with your own appreciation of success: You may have a boxful of aspirations. But they are not adequate grounds for you to be successful. You should be able to convert all your yearnings and goals into realities. This can be possible only if you set for yourself objectives that gel with your understanding of success because then they will serve to not make you deviate from the path that you embark upon. Additionally, such objectives will also assist in maintaining your gracefulness and balance. 
• Associate yourself with people on success path: People with whom you spend time at work exercise the most dominant clout in the milieu that you live in. If you are really earnest about success, company of successful people will matter a lot. You should identify such people who could be followed and whose attributes you could imbibe. In addition, there will be many aspiring people like you; their company will help you in doing something great.
• Be aware of your accountability: The degree of dominance that you exercise over your career is without any deviation, commensurate with the responsibility that you harbour towards it.  You need to focus on your work more and display an acute sense of devotion to duty. Such a disposition will boost your resolve and liberty to act as per your own preferences. If at you fail in any sphere of activity, you should never offer excuses or give an explanation for your weaknesses.  It will be in your interests to on the contrary, you should assume full responsibility for whatever you bring about in your career.
• Be proactive if you seek positive outcomes: If you are result-oriented, you need to be forward-looking and ardent in your disposition. You need to be dynamic, take initiative and act with resolve to be able to achieve whatever you set out for. Remember that if your circumstances are not in your favour, you need to alter them to your advantage. 

Remember that the stage of your career at which you are today has been brought about by a decision that you made some years ago. If that be so, where do you want to be after five years or so? If you take your career seriously and carry out periodic vetting, there is no way that you will not reach there. The need is thus to set your bearings in the correct direction, which implies having a well thought of plan.