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Brain Circuits
Are you creating career opportunities or waiting for them?
People often mistakenly assume their hard work will automatically be recognized and rewarded. Jennifer Jordan shares what it really takes to advance.
Why careers stall
Itâs tempting to want to believe that every decision in an organization is based on merit, but this is rarely the reality. Hiring and promotion decisions are more often influenced by numerous biases, from affinity bias to confirmation bias, making every decision subjective. And because companies sometimes prefer to fill senior roles without advertising them, relationships matter more than applications.
Compounding this challenge is the fact that, once you reach a certain level, everyone is a top performer. What counts now is not so much results but what differentiates you from the pack. The scenario can be more complicated in global organizations, where leaders and teams are frequently dispersed across locations, making it even harder for decision-makers to see or appreciate your unique contributions. In effect, your work canât speak for itself because it doesnât have a mouth.
Having someone more senior speak positively about your results gives you added credibility.
What it really takes to advance
For these reasons, visibility is key: advancing to senior roles requires intentionally taking charge of your career by building your network, seeking visibility opportunities, communicating your goals, and asking for support.
This means giving serious consideration to your profile and how you are perceived by decision-makers, especially when your next role is not obvious. In effect, you need to let the âsystemâ (or more precisely, key influencers in the system) know where you want to go.
Having someone more senior speak positively about your results gives you added credibility here, because it comes from someone whose voice already carries weight.Â
Developing negative capability by âfailing forwardâ is also key. This means cultivating the ability to take risks, sit with discomfort and uncertainty, face rejection, and persevere, especially as you move into more senior roles.
Checklist
Ask yourself the following questions when thinking about your career progression:
- Am I investing significantly more time in my performance compared to my exposure, brand, and network-building?
- Am I clear on what will move me forward, and am I acting on these forces?Â
- Am I comfortable with embracing discomfort?
- Am I willing to make myself vulnerable by asking for support?
- What stretch opportunities can I seek out?
- How unique are my contributions within the system (i.e., what differentiates me from others at my level)?
- Have I identified potential sponsors within or outside the organization?
- How do I increase my visibility with key decision-makers?
- Am I communicating my goals to the people who matter?
Key takeaway
Career progress requires intentional action, clarity about where you want to go, visibility around the value you create, and investment in the relationships that shape opportunity.
Authors
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