Tuesday, 30 June 2020

Moving Up: The Professional Hike You Need

“The starting point of all achievement is desire.” - Napoleon Hill

 

Most of us have a strong desire to do or achieve more in life. This is called ambition. Sometimes your current organization may not understand your ambition and fail to provide the position and salary according to your skill and knowledge. In some organizations, there are limited opportunities for further growth. In such scenarios, you have two options, either take the ownership of your career and work to achieve more or remain idle and wait for some miracle.        

 

It is often surprising to witness how some people tend to climb up the professional ladder quickly while others remain in the same organization for an eternity without aspiring for a promotion. I have seen many people spend 20-30 years in an organization and still complain. They crave for change but are scared or not motivated enough to take the risks. However, trends have changed, and people now prefer to hop organizations for better career opportunities. Gone are the days when people spent their entire life in one company.

 

Lest bust some age-old myths about changing organizations: 

  • Consistency counts. Changing companies frequently gives the impression of an unstable attitude. 
  • Being hopeless. People often feel that they can’t earn more than their current salary  
  • Pea size self-confidence. Assuming that they have less experience and knowledge for the higher position 
  • Not enough qualification. Believing that they are not academically good enough for a career hike   
  • Frog in the Well. Fear of relocation or entering a new work environment

  

There are two types of mindsets - Growth Mindset and a Fixed Mindset. Our fixed mindset always restricts us from further growth while your Growth Mindset shows you the right direction and motivates you to take new challenges. Below are some points which you should consider for moving up in your career:

 

Your growth is your responsibility

It’s your moral responsibility to work towards your growth as companies only care for their goals and see only their perspective. They need cheap labour to sustain in the market. Only you can evaluate your genuine worth. Organizations usually do not value their employees. However, when an employee submits their resignation, they are suddenly valued. They lure you with more salary and perks. It may sound offensive but it's true in most cases. Every individual has a meaning of growth. Knowledge, Money, Designation and Power all these are different aspects of growth. In the early career phase, Knowledge is important, after marriage and expansion of the family, Money is vital while in the mid-career phase, Designation and Power is desired.           

 

Lookout for Learning Opportunities  

More than often we get very comfortable or habitual in our everyday work environment. We communicate with the same set of people, face familiar issues and challenges and are very well trained in solving the recurring issues. Lack of multiple projects, big challenges and new professional connections limit our learning opportunities. We lack the initiative or the enthusiasm to acquire new skillsets.     

When you interact with new people and face unexpected challenges, you end up learning something. Every project has its challenges. Different experiences prepare you to handle different situations in life.       

 

Take up new Roles and Responsibilities

Every role has its challenges that come with a different set of expectations. When you are given a new role, working on those challenges gives you new learnings. For example, challenges of Software Engineer are quite different from the challenges of Projects Managers. According to Leonardo DiCaprio – “Every stage of your life will demand a different you”. 

 

Similarly, the higher designation has its benefits. You get more visibility and interaction with higher management. You are in a decision-making position and directly responsible for the growth of the organization. Accepting new roles and responsibilities in the career ladder opens the horizons of new experiences and knowledge. This feeds to your growth mindset and provides the position you aspire espier.

 

Overseas Opportunity

The essence of urbanization is exploring better work opportunities and an improved lifestyle. It is the quality of life and achievement of goals that inspires us to break out of our comfort zones. Similarly, grabbing an overseas opportunity is almost ten folds our typical urbanization. Working abroad serves you an entirely new experience and has a lot of advantages. You not only enjoy cosmopolitan work culture, different weather and landscapes, tasty cuisines but also experience a different environment and make new friends. Imagine interacting with people from diverse background and exemplary professional experience! Don’t restrict yourself to just one location and do not be scared to move out of India. Many countries like Australia, Canada and New Zealand provide excellent job options to professionals worldwide.

 

Big Enterprise – Brand value

All kinds of professional experiences are valued in the corporate world. Working in both small and big organizations provides an employee with a vast skillset and experiences. However, there are some sharks in the industry that have an influential impact on one’s career. Big brands always look good on the resume and prove beneficial in the long run. Working with brands like Amazon, Google, Apple and Microsoft has its charm. Such organizations offer a much stable process, exposure to the international market, changing trends, improve knowledge and growth. The big brand value increases your professional significance in a couple of years, after working with such organizations. 

 

Handsome Salary, More Money! 

Nobody can deny the importance of money. Money is an essential commodity that helps you run your life. Money is not everything, but you surely need money for everything. People who get paid more often produce better results as they don’t want to lose a well-paying job and intent to justify the handsome salary. It is easier to fix your own life on a premium salary as you may have heard of the saying, “Money can't buy happiness but it's more comfortable to cry in a Mercedes than a bicycle.”. You have fewer worries about meeting the necessities. I don’t need to further define the Importance of money in our life.

 

To seal the deal, your growth is your responsibility. It's your ambition that can drive your career in the right direction. It is completely in your hands to make it or break it. Step up your professional game, take the ownership and don’t just wait for a miracle. Water your growth mindset and ignore the fixed mindset because only the determination to move up can help you achieve the goals you daydream about.    


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