One of my favorite parts of my job as a career coach is to help clients develop their career.  I was just hired to create a workshop for a client who wants me to work with her emerging leaders.  The group has been together for a few years and some of them have been promoted into leadership roles.  This blog post will cover three strategies that I will share with this impressive group.

Develop  Your Career Strategy #1:  What Leaders Have Influenced You?

Take a moment and ask yourself the following questions: 
1.  Who is the most dynamic leader who has influenced you?
2.  Why did you select that person?
3.  What did you learn from this person?
4.  What challenges have you experienced as a leader or with your own leaders?

Once you answer these questions you will have a good idea on who has influenced you.  Take the positive experiences and add them to your toolbox.

Develop Your Career Strategy #2:  Assess the Quality of Your Relationship with Your Boss

1.  What do you get from each other?
2. Do you consistently get what you expect from him or her?
3. To what extent do you enjoy this person’s company?
4. How much do you respect him or her as a person?
5. How much do you trust him or her with personal matters?
6. What conversation do you need to have with your boss to help you develop your career?

If you are fortunate to have a good relationship with your boss, you will be able to share ideas on how to save money or improve productivity.  It’s time to get noticed.  If you don’t toot your own horn, who will?
Once you have your own team, remember these questions so you can develop an open and trusting relationship with them.

Develop Your Career Strategy #3:  Change Your Negative Self-Talk so You Can Move Forward 

1.  Change the following sentence from, “I have a mean boss” to “I need to discuss how my boss could help me be more effective.  I need to let my boss know what I need from her so I can give her what she wants.”
2. Change the following sentence from, “I can’t motivate my people” to “I have to determine what I need to do to engage my team.”
3. Change the following sentence from, “I don’t receive promotions” to ” I need to find out what I need to do to receive a promotion.”

People stay stuck when they constantly feed negative thoughts into their mind.  Listen to your self-talk and ask yourself what you need to start saying to yourself so you can develop your career.

Who can you speak to when you don’t have a good working relationship with your boss so you can learn what you need to do to develop your career?  We are in charge of our careers and it’s up to us to work around challenges that may be stopping our promotions or professional growth.

I want to hear from you

Add a comment to my blog on how you have developed your career.  How have you worked around a negative boss who tried to stop you from developing your career?  What stories or expressions help you?

You will receive a response from me because I enjoy connecting with my readers! 🙂  You are always welcome to send me a private email with concerns that you are experiencing at work.

Do you want more information on how to resolve conflict or advance your career?
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Until next time,

Joyce Weiss, Career Coach & Corporate Communication Strategist

Have a great week.

Remember, YOU Get What You Tolerate!