Progress Report MAC029-MAC034

Managing A Career

After every six episodes, I have a review episode to highlight some of the episodes you may have missed. This progress report covers episodes 029 to 034.

Episode 029 - Building a Network covers several ways that you can grow your network. Much like Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon, you are only a few connections away from someone you can help you advance your career. Through formal professional organizations or local informal groups, the key to building your network is meeting new people. Make connections and leverage them to build additional connections.

The next episode was Episode 030 - Getting Ahead By Saying "No". There is often a desire to say yes when offered an opportunity. It shows that you are a team player, willing to do whatever it takes to help the organization. However, it is sometimes better to pass up an offered opportunity. If the new role will upset your work/life balance or isn't in alignment with your long-term career goals, saying "no" may be better for you personally.

When it comes to gaining additional responsibilities within your team and organization, being trusted is one of the most important aspects for achieving it. In Episode 031 - Does Your Manager Trust You, I talk about some techniques you can use to increase the trust your leader has in you. Understand how your manager makes decisions so that you can make the same decisions, escalate appropriately, and communicate clearly and concisely.

In Episode 032 - What If I Don't Want the "Next" Role, I talk about my relative who isn't interested in a promotion that appears to be eminent. This episode is the culmination of the previous two. My relative has been building trust with his leaders which is putting him in a position for a promotion. But he is unsure that the next role will be in alignment with his career goals. But, this could be an opportunity to negotiate a different mode for the promotion. This episode covers how this situation could apply to you and how to deal with it.

I wrap up this block of episodes with Episodes 033 and 034 which are a two part series of episodes covering Office Politics. In part one, I talk about the different roles within office politics as well as strategies you can leverage to work within the politics of your office. Building a decision map to know which people will play each role, building your network to have people on your side, and becoming the go-to person for some aspect within your organization allow you to navigate the corporate politics and continue your career success. In part two I cover some of the most common challenges you will face when it comes to office politics and some ways that you can mitigate them.

Building trust and building a network can put you on the fast track to opportunities. If you missed any of these recent episodes, go back and listen to them. The should all be available in the podcast player of your choice.

For the upcoming block of episodes, you should go back and review Episode 002 - Individual Development Plan and then go to the Contact form at ManagingACareer.com to request your free IDP template. The next few episodes will be taking a deeper dive into putting together a solid IDP.