Can career-path conscious professionals follow your yellow brick road?
Remember the Warner Brothers film, The Wizard of Oz? This film adaptation of the L. Frank Baum stories follows Dorothy and her three friends on a memorable journey. They all have the same goal. They want to find someone who can help them make the necessary transitions so they can pursue their dreams. During their journey they encounter others whom they need to either overcome or trust, in order to reach their destination—which is arriving at the Land of Oz and meeting with the Wizard. In their minds, Oz holds the keys to their futures.
Similarly, career management pursuits can sometimes become a journey and can often turn into political maneuvering. These twists can happen when people do not identify their true intentions, or their true needs and wants. As a result, they end up with a, “What is going on behind the curtains?” kind of scenario.
In my mind, everyone can save a lot of time, and even enhance opportunities, if they would be a little more upfront about what they are looking to do. So, I encourage organizational leaders, and their people, to think along these more open and transparent lines.
Don’t make assumptions. Clarify and, whenever possible, synch business goals with career management goals.
In my work, I see employers who are interested in the career management goals of their employees. Obviously, frustrations occur when the needs of the organization and those of the employee don’t always intersect.
When employers and employees come to the career management table, it helps to share and clarify definitions. Career management can mean very different things to different people, depending on who you ask. Again, when everyone is upfront about their intentions, this clarity can often override many of those ‘behind the curtains’ kind of assumptions such as:
- Assuming that a manager’s motivations—or that individual who is serving in a career decision-maker’s capacity—are triggered by the same career issues as those of the employee.
- Assuming that everyone in an organization wants to move up and that everyone wants more status, higher pay, more responsibility, etc.
In other words, what you can become faced with are clarification and synching issues. For instance, what motivates one individual to either move up or make a horizontal career move may not synch up with an organization’s actual needs, or what is motivating the organization to make certain decisions.
Again, it can be an incorrect assumption to think that everyone wants:
- to move up;
- to be promoted;
- more status and/or
- more responsibility.
Healthy workplace relationships, which are also built on trust, require great communication skills. Managers should really get to know and understand their employees. Employers may learn that not everyone in their organization wants a more complex and sophisticated job. Many employees enjoy what they’re doing, and they do not want to get promoted. Some people want to try out new responsibilities, but they also want to remain at their same levels. They may just want more variety.
Then again, other employees do want the traditional move-up opportunities. These employees may want increased responsibilities, and they may want to supervise direct reports. Some professionals may be looking for another role, a new job, faster advancement or even a career change and an improved lifestyle. When employers can better understand and meet employee expectations and needs, then obviously everyone benefits.
In a future HRTools.com Insight, I will review steps that employers can take to develop effective career management plans for their employees.