{"id":3015,"date":"2019-10-31T17:52:10","date_gmt":"2019-10-31T17:52:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carolinegourlay.wordpress.com\/?p=3015"},"modified":"2020-11-06T12:14:26","modified_gmt":"2020-11-06T12:14:26","slug":"the-one-thing-enhances-chances-career-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carolinegourlay.co.uk\/the-one-thing-enhances-chances-career-success\/","title":{"rendered":"The one thing that enhances your chances of career success"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/span>
\nWhat makes some people more successful in their careers, particularly leadership careers, than others?<\/p>\n

It’s tempting to answer that by considering the attributes of successful people. Generally, they are smart enough to handle the complexity inherent in a senior role and to make decisions whose ramifications may not be fully understood for five or ten years. They have good interpersonal skills. They have the resilience to deal with pressure and setbacks and to cope with having their judgement subject to constant scrutiny. They have the drive, energy, ambition and determination to get to the top.<\/p>\n

But there’s another way of looking at the question. Rather than focusing on what characteristics you might need, consider what you can actually do to increase your chances of success.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

The basics<\/h2>\n

There are lots of things you can do to progress your career. Start by getting really good at your job and promoting yourself (though not too much) so that others notice. You then have to develop a completely different set of skills to manage other people who do the job you spent all that time getting good at. These skills won’t just appear by accident, you’ll have to work at them. Broaden your horizons beyond your functional area and plug any knowledge gaps. Cultivate a broad network, develop political acumen and hone your influencing skills.<\/p>\n

All of these are important. But as a psychologist, I\u2019d say that there’s something else you can do to advance your career which is often overlooked.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

How well do you know yourself?<\/h2>\n

Developing a realistic picture of yourself is one of the most important things you can do as you progress in your career. \"ManRecognise and celebrate what you\u2019re good at but acknowledge that no one is good at everything. Find out what your particular limitations are and figure out how you can work around them. Incidentally, if you\u2019re thinking \u201cno really I am good everything\u201d then I\u2019d suggest that your particular weak spot is over-confidence which has a number of associate risks, not least the way you are perceived by others.<\/p>\n

Good leaders are often not well-rounded people. They may be spectacularly good at some aspects of leadership and barely average at others. Good leadership teams, on the other hand, cover all the bases. The trick is to find people who complement you, who excel at doing the bits you can\u2019t \u2013 or can\u2019t be bothered \u2013 to do well. But if you don\u2019t acknowledge your limitations, how will you know who those people are? And if you get to the top with blind spots about your capability, who\u2019s going to be brave enough to tell you?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve seen plenty of senior people whose management style suits their own personal idiosyncrasies and who believe that their way is the right way. They then surround themselves with people who are just like them, creating collective blind spots and unbalanced teams. The nearer you get to the top, the more important it is that you know yourself well. There is even evidence that the level of self-awareness of an organisation’s leaders affects its financial performance<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

How do you get a balanced view?<\/h2>\n

So how do you get a balanced view of yourself? Well you can start by taking a long hard look at your performance and appraising it as you would someone else\u2019s. Are there areas where you\u2019re letting yourself off the hook when you\u2019d expect more from someone else?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s always useful to get feedback from others. The people most qualified to comment on your leadership style are the people you lead. Paradoxically, the leaders who most need feedback are the ones least likely to get it. No one wants to confront a tyrant. Get used to seeking feedback and dealing with it maturely early in your career and you\u2019re less likely to become that tyrant.<\/p>\n

Another way, of course, is to get an objective outside view. Using a range of state-of-the-art assessment methods, a business psychologist can not only help you identify your relative strengths and weaknesses but can show you how you compare to leaders across a range of industries and, indeed, across the world. If you\u2019d like an independent perspective on your \u2013 or your team\u2019s \u2013 leadership capabilities, I\u2019d be more than happy to talk to you: caroline@carolinegourlay.co.uk<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Photo credits<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a9 Duey | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images<\/p>\n

tschundler<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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