Keep your career ladder rungs strong

When you think about climbing the career ladder, what do you focus on? The top probably. It’s good to keep your eye on the prize but keep looking back down and make sure the rungs of the ladder are strong enough to carry you up; Such rungs include the following;

RUNG OF RESPONSIBILITY: You must work towards a consistently higher level of responsibility over time or you’ll be stuck on the lower rungs. Channel your passions productively. Offer yourself up for strategic assignments and do them well. Broaden your range of experience and be able to handle more difficult or complex tasks. If you’re looking to advance, you have to find a way to get your name in the hat. Don’t wait for someone to come and find you.

RUNG OF SUPPORT SYSTEMS: You can’t climb the ladder all on your own because your journey won’t be without obstacles especially if your goals are bold. Identify people who can support you; whom you can make commitments to and hold you accountable. Engage with people who can give you insights and help you ready yourself for where you want to get to. Take time to learn from them.

RUNG OF UNDERSTANDING THE BIG PICURE: You cannot get far if all you know is the work you do and what happens in your immediate environment. Take interest in the bigger picture, of your organization, your industry etc. For example, be aware of what your organization is trying to achieve and how you can support that.

RUNG OF PERSONAL VALUE ENHANCEMENT: The value you bring must increase consistently. Value can come in the form of skills, your strategic sense, your networks, your ability to cross-work etc- in short what you bring to the table shouldn't be skills alone. A way of assessing if your value is increasing is to ask yourself from time to time the following question?; in what ways you have grown and the value your offer increased?. Develop at least one area of expertise.

RUNG OF CONSISTENT ACHIEVEMENT: Long service is now never really the marker for going up. It obviously takes time to do all the above and chalk some notable achievements. But without a clear track record or story of what you’ve ‘’built’’ to date, your climb will be stunted.

Now take action: Which rung on the ladder you are climbing do you need to strengthen?

Don't spread negativity

No workplace is without its share of negative people; people who not only wallow in negativity but also spread it by complaining, whining, criticising or gossiping. However, one sure way of becoming valued is if you become a person who focuses on the positive. Here’s how to make the switch is you are tired of being negative.

KNOW THE IMPACT OF NEGATIVITY: No workplace is without its share of negative people; people who not only wallow in negativity but also spread it by complaining, whining, criticising or gossiping. Negativity has been proven to poison the work environment, stresses colleagues and breeds pessimism. Don’t be someone who exhausts everyone around by being chronically angry, indignant or focussing on doom.

COMMIT TO BECOMING PART OF THE SOLUTION: When you make this commitment you must stop the complaining, finger pointing and blaming and contribute to finding solutions; you don’t stand back and constantly talk about the problem and expect someone else to do something about it. Don’t dwell on the negative things or exaggerate issues you are facing or make things look worse than they really are.

MAKE A CLEAN BREAK WITH NEGATIVITY: Negative people tend to gravitate towards each other and often form cliques. When you commit to not being negative, you have to stay away from your former fellow complainers. This may not always be possible as you need to work with them. The alternative is to find someone to hold you accountable by drawing your attention to when you default to complaining and whinging. If a negative person comes to you wanting you to lend them an ear listen the first time but make sure not to join to reinforce the negatively. If they come to you again draw a line and disengage.

MAKE POSITIVE SUGGESTIONS: As a member of your workplace it is automatically your responsibility to help improve things; not assume it’s the job of only the managers. Bring your commitment to being positive to life by making some specific practical suggestions especially related to something you are concerned about and which you would have complained about but now have the chance to address more positively. Even if it’s someone’s responsibility specifically to fix something, if it impacts you, it’s always useful to see how you can help rather than criticise others from the sidelines.

ZIP YOUR LIPS: If you can’t come up with a positive doable suggestion or are not sure that you can say something positive then simply keep quiet. Negativity can be contagious and can negatively impact productivity. So do your workplace a favour by not saying anything if you can’t trust yourself to say something positive. Being in conversation with a negative person is extremely draining so don’t be that kind of person.

FACE THE OBSTACLE: Becoming positive is not a simple ‘sitting by the fireplace experience or process’. It takes guts to hang in there and stick to your commitment. Don’t revert to complaining at the first sign of down times or a situation that you cannot be positive about. When feeling this way avoid people who are likely to reinforce your negativity or make you feel justified to air your grievances.

Now take action: Reduce interaction with negative people in your workplace.

Earn a seat at the table

Most people want to be listened to and have a say whenever they feel they have something to share. That’s not too much to ask; these are things that any decent workplace should guarantee. But to be a real mover and shaper at work you need to develop your influence. Here are ways to step away from the crowd and grow clout.

GET OUT OF YOUR BOX: At work most people want to be listened to and have a say whenever they feel they have something to share. That’s not too much to ask; these are things that any decent workplace should guarantee. But to be a real mover and shaper at work you need to develop your influence and grow clout. One way is to be resourceful in ways you never had to before. Improvise, adapt and overcome barriers. Don’t let structural divisions or compartmentalisation in your workplace be an excuse for remaining in your corner.

ACT THE PART: A seat at the table calls for someone who is self-motivated, self-directed makes way where there is seemingly no way, can see around corners and ahead, can roll up their sleeves and be able to roll with the punches. Show perspective and ability to see things from other’s viewpoint. Expand your knowledge so that you can ‘speak into’ conversations rather than ‘hijacking’ them by pulling them down to topics you are comfortable with.

BE DISCERNING: Don’t be one of those who believe the workplace is divided into two groups of people; thinkers or deciders on one hand and the ‘doers’ on the other and that you are just a doer. If you think this way you’ll constantly feel disempowered. Some people’s jobs make them decision makers but you can be creative about influencing decisions. Reach out, offer an opinion or even instigate discussions and deliberations that give you voice. Don’t make people guess what you’re thinking neither should you go shooting from the hip. If you can make this mindset shift you’ll become able to engage more at increasingly higher levels. Don’t think in ‘this or that polarising’ terms. Seek exposure to new people who are relevant so that you have access to new thoughts and ideas.

SHOW YOUR METTLE: Go above and beyond. Be visible, be useful and be interested. Don’t go for easy work or duck out of challenging situations or assignment at the first opportunity. Don’t sit back and expect someone to identify your capability or to build it. Get out there and show what you can do. Understand the strategic challenges of your organisation and find or ask for the opportunities you feel prepared for that will help you participate in what will take the organisation where it needs to go. Show by the way you work that you deserve to be taken seriously. Be flexible within the corporate structure and be open to responsibility. Most people are happy to lay back, perhaps not content but not also willing to do anything different so your being proactive will take you much further along.

Now take action: What one thing will you do to increase your influence at work?

Become more strategic

Strategic’ is probably one of the more overused words in the workplace and it isn’t always clear what this looks like in action. But being strategic is important to how impactful you become. Here’s how to operate in a more strategic way.

DON’T REACT EQUALLY TO EVERYTHING: ‘When you are strategic you know not everything is important or deserves attention. Don’t plunge straight into things without stopping to assess whether you need to take action or not or indeed what action to take. Avoid reacting immediately. Focus on the few things that will deliver the best result and will advance the key agendas.

DON’T GET WRAPPED UP IN SMALL THINGS: Have a goal that you are driving toward and key your eye on that goal so that you don’t get too much into the tactical issues. Stay knowledgeable about the key things your organisation is implementing or driving forward and stay involved. Don’t look at issues in isolation but develop the broader organisational understanding that helps you identify where to invest your time, energies, skills and insights. Avoid simply performing functions rather than taking a view on whether and how to make your engagement more meaningful.

KEEP EVOLVING TO MEET BUSINESS NEEDS: Don’t be a relic expecting the organisation to meet you where you are. You’ll fizzle out. Don’t just focus only on the now and what’s directly ahead. Know what is changing and tune how you work so that your role becomes what your organisation needs it to be. Identify what you need to get better at; because you cannot afford to remain the same. You cannot keep up good work without growing. And you cannot be part of any transformational activity if you keep doing everything the same way you’ve always done it.

DON’T ALLOW THE MEANS TO OVERTAKE THE ENDS: Keep your eye on your end goal and measure the right things at the right level along the way. Have meaningful measures not measures that are simple but don’t tell you much about how you are progressing. Protect yourself against urgent demands that take you off course. Plan well so that important tasks are done when they need to be done. Focus on reinforcing what will help you achieve your targets.

STAY COURAGEOUS WITH CONVERSATIONS: Playing nice or safe when you need to make critical shifts will keep you in a rut. Face up to basic questions such as what’s not working, what specifically has to be fixed and what will be the fallout if you don’t deal with what needs tackling. Being strategic calls for not missing the opportunity to do what needs doing, when it needs doing or indeed creating the space to do so. Honest and open conversations are risky and uncomfortable but unless you are willing to be bold in uncovering and addressing what’s impeding growth, you’ll go no where.

Now take action: How fit are you for what your role needs to evolve?

Do the needful to deserve better

Most people appreciate the importance of honing skills, working well with one’s manager, finding mentors, setting strong goals and getting the right experience in order to advance one’s career. However, there are other things that are equally vital. Here are a couple of critical questions to help you reflect on how to increase your chances of personal and career success.

WHAT WILL YOU STOP TOLERATING?: Some typical things not to tolerate are sloppiness, tardiness, toxic people, time wasters and mediocrity (in yourself and in others). You teach people how to treat you so don’t do anything that will give others the excuse to disrespect or treat you badly. Be friendly with everyone but who do you want to be associated with? Avoid office cliques because they generally do not have a good reputation; but there should be nothing stopping you from having a network of high performing colleagues in your workplace to learn from.

WHAT BAD HABITS WILL YOU DROP?: It takes courage to do this especially if you’ve had these habits for a long time. But it comes down to a simple choice, carry on as is or take action and free yourself to become better and do better. Have a ‘stop doing list’ which should include all the time wasting activities; for example being on social media endlessly on company time, keeping company with the complainers and office gossips or even keeping up what may seem like a harmless habit like wanting everything you do to be perfect. Procrastination is also one to ditch!

HOW WILL YOU PRE-EMPT YOUR STAGNATION?: Doing well in one’s career isn’t just climbing the corporate ladder. Growing your career can also involve gaining diverse experiences even if it means making lateral moves to stretch yourself and become more competitive. You can do this by using your strengths more, improving your time management so you can be involved in more things. Purposely put yourself in challenging situations, try new things, seek more stretch assignments and look for opportunities to work in not so familiar situations. Identify new skills you want to develop, how you will go about developing the skills and how you will know you have gained such skills.

WHAT BOUNDARIES WILL YOU CREATE AND ENFORCE?: Establish boundaries that can keep out unhealthy influences, stresses and negativity. Avoid in particular those who always create conflict, complain or are plain hostile. Enforce boundaries that help you maintain your sanity and be more accountable and meet your commitments. Boundaries that enable you focus attention on what is crucial. Do what helps you keep your sanity and takes unnecessary pressure off you. If a colleague oversteps the boundaries, have a constructive discussion about why you have set those boundaries and that you’d appreciate others respecting them.
Honestly answering these questions and any additional ones of your own will help you remove a lot of the toxicity and pitfalls that can stall your career or at worst flat out kill it.

Now take action: What one action will you do to avoid professional stagnation?

Don't just be a job holder

What do you consider to be your purpose in your organisation? Many would say they are there to do a job. Fair enough but being a job holder is not good enough. When you act like just a jobholder, you get lost in the ‘average’ crowd and make it difficult for your superiors to entrust you with anything important. Don’t leave yourself behind; Play your ‘A’ game. Here are some ways to start.

MAKE YOUR WORK IMPORTANT: If you see your job as’ just a job’ and do it as such, you could end up on the margins of the organisation or even let go if the organisation is not getting what it needs from you. Don’t just hold the job, run with it, take pride in your work and give it your very best. Stay on your toes and ensure that your output contributes to what makes the organisation tick and perform well.

BE ESSENTIAL TO YOUR ORGANISATION: And not just in your job. There are two types of essential people in any organisation. The first group are those in positions considered critical and the second are those who become so by virtue of their contributions. When you are essential you don’t limit your assignment to that under your authority. You push yourself and let people know from your attitude and results that you will never let them down or get involved in triviality.

SHOW RANGE: You don’t have to be a jack of all trades but need to show versatility Have a body of work that includes everything you create, effect and impact positively. Your knowledge, experiences and accomplishments should tell the story that you are evolving and growing in terms of the depth and breadth of your contributions and increasing level of responsibility.

ALWAYS TRIUMPH: Triumph suggests difficulty, hurdles, even obstacles. You need to be seen as someone who can get the job done no matter what is happening around them or the challenges you face. Most people can do their job well where things are plain sailing but can you do as well when things are stacked against you? You must give confidence that you persevere and come through whatever difficulties you meet.

BE A THIUGHT LEADER: When an organisation does not generate enough new thinking to drive improvements it becomes stale. So consistent improvement should be your philosophy. You must always be aware of the challenges that your organisation or team is grappling with and engage with it. Keep up with trends so that you can add your insights. Set time aside to do some quality thinking and propose ideas worth listening to.

Now take action: What one new additional responsibility will you take on?

Get better at execution

Everyone agrees planning is important but ability to execute the plan well is equally important. A good plan gives you a headstart but good execution is your commitment and follow through to making important things happen. Here are my 7 ‘S’s of strong execution;

SET UP: First thing is to be clear what is the defined problem or issue you are trying to overcome or solve. This clarity helps you plan how to move forward. The key question to ask yourself is ‘’What am I aiming to tackle and what workplan is fit for that purpose?’’

STANDARD: Be clear what results you are committed that ideally exceeds expectations. Prioritise the right activities that will ensure the quality you desire. Keep an eye on even the small things and check that any tasks you delegate will be delivered to a high standard too. The key question to ask yourself is : What will be my best and most effective work I can and should do?’’

STORY: Take responsibility for understanding why you are doing what you are doing; (And don’t say it’s because your boss asked you to do it). When you know the purpose you approach the task with the end in mind and can think through what you have to do, what you will require for the purpose to be served. The key question to ask yourself is: ‘’Why is what I am doing important and worth doing well?’’

SPEED: Be clear when you need to do the work by. Define meaningful progress checkpoints so that you keep a good pace and keep on track. Build in some time slack for dealing with unforeseen events that might risk slowing things down. If you need other people’s involvement, get their commitment and involvement early. The Key question to ask yourself: ‘’When do I need to get this done by and how can I ensure I deliver on time?’’

SHOCKS: Plans don’t always go totally accordingly to plan. So anticipate potential obstacles and challenges and have a strategy for dealing with them. A Key question to ask yourself: ‘’What could derail or delay progress and how will I address those?’’

SUBSTANCE: Know from the start what is tangible evidence that you are implementing to a high standard and getting the right results. What will you measure and how? A Key question to ask yourself: ‘’How will I know I am doing this task well?’’

SMARTS: Take time to reflect on how things went, what you can learn in order to set even higher standards and do even better next time. A Key question to ask yourself: ‘’What new thing did I learn that I can apply next time to improve my execution?’’

Now take action: How can you execute your assignments better?

Don't dwell in your normal

Stepping out of your normal way of doing things can be unsettling for some but you will cheat yourself out of your full potential if you with business as usual. So here are a few tips to stir things up and move towards more interesting professional experiences;

TRY SOMETHING NEW: What is it that scares you about doing something new? Are you afraid you’ll fail or not do it well? Manage your expectations and fears. After all, you will be trying something new and you shouldn’t expect the best of yourself immediately. Stepping out in your quest to be better is what matters and for that you must give yourself the treat of failing a few times!.

GO FOR A NEW LEVEL: Get outside your comfort zone, take those things you do regularly to a new level. The benefits can be hard to see through the tension and discomfort you might feel in the process. But you’ll start to learn things about yourself, do things at different levels and bring more meaning to your work. If a job becomes too comfortable, develop a professional interest you’re passionate about perhaps even outside your day job to keep you growing.

DEAL WITH THE AWKWARD: Because many times as you work through challenges you gain a richer work experience and personal growth. Believe that if you face the discomfort and survive; you’ll be well on your way to uncovering the talents, new perspectives, skills, and experiences waiting for you beyond your safe zone.

KEEP EXPERIMENTING: It’s easy to pack up as soon as you hit a wall. If what you’re trying doesn’t feel okay you can decide on something else till you get a good fit. The point is to make sure you are not getting stale doing old boring job. The important thing is to ensure you are not going through your work day in a blur.

Now take action: What one new thing you will do to shake your normal routine

Six questions you must ask yourself

From time to time it helps to take the time to check that you are your best path to where you wish to be career-wise. Here are some questions to help your reflections;

WHO ARE YOU AS A PROFESSIONAL?: What’s your work ethic and working style?; How do you contribute to a positive work environment, how do you balance your aspirations with those of your organisation? How do you establish and maintain important professional relationships? What are you known for in your professional circles? What are you like at your best?

WHAT’S YOUR CAREER STRATEGY?: What do you want to achieve and in what timeframe? How do you push yourself into more ambitious places? How are you proactively managing where you go from here? How do you assess what options are available regarding the direction you want to go in? How do you make an informed decision on whether you are on the right career path?

HOW DO YOU HANDLE OBSTACLES?: Which of your own behaviours are becoming barriers and sabotaging you? How do you distil lessons from your mistakes?. How do you navigate when you are outside of your comfort zone? How do you bounce back from setbacks? What do you need to develop to strengthen your resilience?

WHAT ALARM BELLS ARE YOU IGNORING?: How do you know when you’ve stopped growing? What excites you that you no longer make time to engage in? What lame reasons are you telling yourself for not doing what you know you ought to? What are you tolerating that’s hurting you or your prospects?

HOW DO YOU MANAGE SELF DIRECTION? How do you handle change? How do you adapt when you find yourself in a situation that is new to you? How do you handle uncertainty? How do you proceed when you have to handle an important responsibility without clear direction? What actions are you taking now that will prepare you better for challenges?

WHAT WILL PUT YOU IN THE TOP LEAGUE?: What are you doing or not doing that’s keeping you from making the top league? How are you building on your successes? Who are you intentionally learning from? How do you know when you are ready to compete at your next level?

Now take action: Based on your answers to the above, what do you need to get better at?

Keep it REAL with your boss

Your boss has a responsibility to help you be productive; but this is a partnership that requires you to be proactive in ensuring an open, honest and mutually beneficial process that facilitates this. Get R.E.A.L by demonstrating;

RESPONSIBILITY: Don’t just do tasks; make proper choices, solve problems that emerge and do things when you say you will. Being responsible includes having a strong work ethic and keeping a positive attitude when the going gets tough and rough. Focus on the right priorities. If you work with the same boss for more than a year, ensure that you demonstrate increasing capability year on year to strengthen their confidence in you.

ENGAGEMENT: Keep a conversation going with your manager. Know what your boss’s full scope of work is so that you keep your bit in perspective. Don’t surprise them with bad news or leave important work undone. Don’t be so attached to the way you like to do things that you fail to adapt to a way that works for both your manager and you. Engaging with your manager regularly helps you identify what’s changing and what’s on the horizon. It also helps you be aware when he or she is extremely busy and will appreciate not coming to them with issues are not urgent or critically important at that time.

ACCOUNTABILITY: Personal accountability should be paramount, take responsibility for your own performance. Know the performance metrics your boss pays attention to. Don’t do anything that will let he or she or indeed others question your integrity. Don’t complain without making effort to improve things. Highlight potential problems quickly and indicate what you are going to do about it. Don’t put problems on the boss’ shoulders, if you need help be specific about what you need.

LEADERSHIP: Show you can operate different situations. Don’t get stuck in ‘how great your previous boss was’’ and hope your new boss becomes like them. Every boss is different and must deal with their own challenges in their own way. Don’t let all your discussions with your boss be about problems, show that in time of trouble you can fix things and in stable times you can fly higher and sail further. Let the mention of your name bring positive attributes to mind.

Now take action: What can you do to improve how you work with your boss?

You can be A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!

When you want to be at your best, what do you usually do? How do you do it? Firstly don’t aim to be perfect, only be AMAZING? How so?


ACKNOWLEDGE AND ACCELERATE: If it’s going to be it’s going to be up to you; whether it is getting that opportunity, increasing your value or learning from failure. There is always something you can do, learn, share or develop to inch you step by step towards your goal.


MEASURE AND MAGNIFY: Determine '' what your amazing is'' and how you are going to measure that. Find a mentor who will help you do whatever it takes to get to your amazing self; that person you respect and are prepared to take instruction and advice from.


ACCOUNT AND ACCOMPLISH: Be accountable for your choices, actions, responsibilities and goals and follow through with your commitments. Be responsible for how you communicate, how you behave and how you handle responsibility and manage time.


ZOOM AND ZING: You can only be fantastic with your strengths not by trying to fix your flaws or stressing over your limitations. Don't be reticent. Find a way to start monitoring how often you're using your strengths and how you feel when you're using your strengths. Exude energy.


INVEST AND INCENTIVISE :Invest in your craft. What is the one thing you can say you are really good at? Increase what you bring to the table. Be your best and reward yourself when you achieve. Yes, it's ok to be happy for you! .


NIP AND NAVIGATE: Nip mediocrity in the bud. Do your very best whatever level of responsibility you are given. Navigate challenges instead of giving up when you hit a wall. Don't be afraid to learn even the hard lessons, these might be what prepare you for thriving in situations that most people might not.


GROW AND GUIDE: Make your choices on the basis of potential for growth and keep raising your standards. No matter how prestigious your job or role looks is if it does not offer room for personal or professional development, you are as good as sitting in a rocking chair, making a lot of movement but going nowhere.


Now take action: How can you become more accountable as a person?

Don't be a complainer!

We all complain from time to time but chronic complaining could hurt your reputation and professional relationships. How do you know if your complaining is getting out of hand? Here are some signs;


‘BUT’ IS COMMON IN YOUR VOCABULARY: You are a ‘resister’ and your first instinct in any situation is to find a reason to object. No matter how good things are, you still see only the bad or toss the issue round in your mind till you find your ‘but’.


YOUR LANGUAGE IS NEGATIVE: Negative phrases like won’t, can’t shouldn’t are not uncommon with you. You think ‘life isn’t fair’ and you find examples to back up this view. You think everyone’s out to get you. You are regularly argumentative and persistently voice out your disagreements.


YOU EXAGGERATE DIFFICULTIES: You make everything seem worse than it is, you focus on spotting flaws and mistakes. You’re overly sensitive and get easily offended. You are in your element when there’s controversy or drama.


So what can you do to stop complaining?

UNDERSTAND WHY YOU COMPLAIN: And try to be as specific as possible as regards what you are unhappy about so that you can address it.


KNOW WHAT IT’S COSTING YOU: Complaining is not a harmless habit, it wastes your time, drains your energy and fouls your mood. Complaining could leave you stressed and even sometimes isolated because people do not like to be around someone who complains all the time.


DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT: Whatever you tend to complain about, decide that you will do something about it. If it’s a situation you can’t do anything about then let it go or learn to live with it. That will take a lot of stress off you. Do something specific; you can start small; for example decide not to complain for one full hour, then one full day, then another. Complaining is a choice, one that you can stop.


KEEP COMPANY WITH THE CHEERFUL: If you’re always griping enlist the help of someone cheerful to remind you there are things to be grateful for. Reflect on what makes you happy and focus on that.


Now take action: What one thing will you stop complaining about?

Flip the S.W.I.T.C.H

Getting ahead in your career takes more than doing a decent job or holding steady in whatever role you have. If you want to advance you'll have to do better than just be a safe pair of hands. Here are some tips for stepping up;


SPEED: You must demonstrate speed, in getting results, in learning what you need to, in transitioning to new roles or settling into bigger responsibilities. Be self-directed, disciplined and always thinking ahead.


WISDOM: Wisdom isn't cleverness or even intelligence. It's the thoughtful analysis of knowledge and information and deciding a way forward. Enhance your capacity to make decisions even when you don't have all details you require. Don't operate on the basis of assumptions, speculation or your own biased opinions.


INITIATIVE: Seize opportunities, stay ahead of problems, follow through with what you take on. Show you are dependable and that you can step up. Think beyond your day to day work and gets things done without anyone standing over your shoulder. Rise to the occasion and always prepared.


TALENT: The mark of a good professional is one who brings something concrete to a role but also has room to grow. Don't be limited by the boundaries of job specifications. Bring not just your skills, but your energy, passion, your common sense and a relentless quest for excellence.


CHARACTER: Performance alone is not enough; integrity are key. Don't do anything that will undermine your credibility. Face difficulties and challenges squarely and be gracious to your colleagues. Be reasonable in your interactions with others and by all means be transparent. Operate on principles not emotions.


HEART: You can never really do your best unless you care about what you are doing and the difference it will make. Working with heart means you go the extra mile because your take pride in your work; by being committed and doing your best, you'll become smarter and smarter.

Now take action: Where in your career do you need to go one gear up?

How accountable are you?

Personality accountability is definitely a competency and those who embrace it have a strong sense of responsibility; Here are some ways to show you practice personal accountability.

KEEP YOUR COMMITMENTS: In simple ways such as being a person of your word, honouring people’s faith in you, dealing with your challenges in a mature manner, delivering on your promises to all- your peers, the reportees not just your manager.

OWN WHAT YOU INFLUENCE: You influence people, results and not just the things you directly do have authority. For example who is looking up to you? Who can you positively influence by your right example?.If someone were looking for a mentor would they ask you? Keep things professional and focus on what you can create to be a positive impact instead of reacting to what happens around you.

BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR BEHAVIOUR: You can expect others will behave a certain way but the only thing you can guarantee or control is your own behaviour. So try not to behave on the basis of how someone behaves towards you. Seemingly calm or content people are not those who don’t have any problems but those who have chosen to keep things in perspective.

MAKE INTEGRITY VISIBLE: This does not mean you have to be an angel or infallible but you cannot fall down on the basics, such as leading by example especially when it’s difficult, willingness to draw the lines between right and wrong, what’s acceptable versus what is not.

DO YOUR BEST ALWAYS: Not only when circumstances are ‘perfect’. A reasonable workplace or boss would not expect that you do brilliantly in sub-optimal circumstances but only that to do your best in whatever circumstance. Aim to be productive always.

Now take action: Where do you need to show greater personal accountability?

Improve the way you think

Whether you are a good thinker or not manifests in what and how you communicate; and people who communicate clearly, justly or not attract more confidence from others. So here are some thinking skills to hone as you seek to advance yourself.

THINK CLEARLY : Clear thinking requires more than just logical thinking. You need to be able to sift through important bits of information and present them in a way that suits your audience. For example the level at which you’d pitch information with senior managers on a particular topic will be of a much higher order than those you may share with colleagues. Clear thinking shows connectedness between different bits of information, clear focus and flow of argument.

THINK STRATEGICALLY: Don’t be a thinker only focused on the here and now. Obviously there will be small level decisions that require thinking about what you do now. But you need to be able to think through complexity and make some sense of it. Ask questions like; what’s the purpose of what you are thinking about?, what could be its impact in the mid to long term?. What connections can you make about the situation that may not be immediately obvious?. What are the priorities and which ones are urgent? What risks are involved?- all these questions will help you think about the broader issues instead of the matter at hand.

THINK WISELY: This is demonstrating common sense, having a good sense of judgement and not being influenced by just what the rules say. Focus on not only on the things that make sense but also why they make sense and what the trade-offs are for the choices you’re making. Wise thinking is thoughtful, shows reflection has taken place and not just based on ‘raw thoughts’.

THINK FORWARD: By bringing new insights to a situation. Don’t be paralysed by analysis. Show foresight and anticipate what’s round the corner. Seek information from different credible sources but be flexible enough to incorporate new insights as they come to you or become available.

Now take action: Identify one way you can improve your thinking.

Start a mastermind group

Two heads are better than one, right? If you believe that then starting a mastermind group is a good way to use the support of others to progress in ways you couldn’t achieve by yourself. Who should you invite to join your mastermind group?

PEOPLE WHO UNDERSTAND GIVE AND TAKE: First you must make sure you yourself have something to offer others and then bring to your group people who also have something to offer and are willing to contribute to the professional needs of others. When you are clear what you are offering you can confidently choose who will benefit the group.

PEOPLE WITH DRIVE AND COMMITMENT: Otherwise the group will fail even before it starts. Make sure the goals of the people you invite into the group are in a ‘similar league’ For example if one person’s goal is to make it to senior management and another’s is to start their own business, this requires serious commitment on both counts. So do your homework and make sure you are bringing people who have a career mission to take forward and not looking to ‘network’.

PEOPLE WHO ARE ACCOUNTABLE: You need people who mean what they say, are reliable and can hold mastermind group members accountable to goals they set. Such people will for example regularly attend scheduled meetings, deliver any assignments to a high standard and establish positive working relationships.

PEOPLE WHO WILL TOGETHER OFFER DIVERSE SKILL SETS: You need to know yourself, your strengths and weaknesses in order to bring on board others who can for example help you develop in an area where you are weak but they are strong. You can learn different approaches from different members and get good advice or even get help to develop a meaningful personal development programme.

PEOPE WHO ARE SOLUTION FINDERS: A Mastermind group must have a common purpose and irrespective of the nature of the individual members’ goals that purpose should be to help people make progress in chosen areas, get good feedback on the actions they are taking and help each other solve problems.

Now take action: Make a list of who you might invite to your mastermind group

Handle conflict constructively

At work how do you respond when someone offends you? Fact is no matter how ‘mad’ you are, you have to deal with it professionally. Here are some tips to help you keep things in perspective and stop offence from escalating unnecessarily.

NO SNOWBALLING PLEASE: If someone offends you and you find yourself telling a lot of people it suggests that it bothers you in which case you probably need to resolve it. Continuing to talk about it instead of dealing with it makes you come across as cranky. So deal with the issues quickly and with integrity.

NO RESOLUTION VIA EMAIL: We communicate a lot by email these days and the temptation to settle conflict or deal with offence through email is tempting. Some may even deliberately use email because it takes away the discomfort of having a difficult conversation face to face. But this never works as email leaves a lot of room for misinterpretation, plus you miss out on non-verbal clues like body language which are very important in communication.

DON’T REACY WHILST STILL EMOTIONAL: This can be tough but one good incentive to do so is that when you’re emotional, you could be irrational and act in a way that you feel embarrassed at later. Choose to act soberly. It’s a good promise to make to yourself. Chances are you will be working with whoever offended you don’t get overtaken by your offense or nurse your hurt feelings for too long.

KNOW WHAT APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR IS: No one can tell you how you should or not feel about a situation but unfortunately how you express whatever you are feeling should be measured and in line with what is deemed reasonable behaviour. Even if you are very angry of feel grossly offended, take a deep breath, focus on any facts of the situation to keep things balanced.
Now take action: What one thing can you do to keep your cool?

TEAM your best everyday

If you work in a team you are more than one member of a collection of individuals. You have a responsibility to make the team strong, be dependable and work towards achieving objectives. You must ‘TEAM’ everyday; he’s how to do so;

TAP YOUR TOP TALENT: You know yourself best and should tap into your top skills. Take joint responsibility for creating the kind of environment you like to work in, where you feel confident to draw on your skill sets and opportunities to use those skills. As a team member, make efforts to know the talents of your team and how yours complements theirs to deliver team objectives.

ENGAGE FOR EXCELLENCE: Don’t get so focussed on doing the day job that you don’t make time to reflect on whether you are doing your best as opposed to just ticking off items on your ‘to do’ list? How do you tell if you are doing your best, what does your standard of excellence look like? How does that compare with what the team together is trying to achieve?

ACCOUNT FOR CONTRIBUTION: There are two parts to your job, the first is to do it and do it well and the second is to make sure what you are doing is productive enough to demonstrate tangible results. If you had to define your contribution to team goals without referring to the tasks you do, what would you say? What would your team lose if you did not do your best work day in day out?.

MOTIVATE FOR DISCRETIONARY EFFORT: Make what you know you are capable of the yardstick for your performance not the Job description. Find your own triggers and incentives to drive your higher performance. That includes putting yourself in the best frame of mind to work well and knowing how to pick yourself up on the days you feel lousy.
Now take action: What is the one thing your team can always count on you for?

Will you pass the 3 way test?

Most people only care about what their boss thinks. But for long term career progress you’ll want to take interest in what others think too. Your work is judged every day by several people. Here are 3 groups whose views should matter to you.

YOUR PEERS: Your peers are probably the ones you work most closely with and who have direct experience of your work. What they think is important because their direct feedback can be available to you day to day and that feedback can help you improve your work as you do it. If your peers think highly of your work, you are on the right track.

YOUR SUPERIORS: These are more than your direct manager. They are people above you in the hierarchy, the ones who make decisions about your future. And that’s not the only reason why you should take their opinions seriously; you should because they operate at a higher level and have a broader view of how your work contributes at an organisational level. Such views are critical as they demonstrate the extended value of your contribution beyond your team.

YOUR COLLEAGUES: These are those who are neither peers in terms of rank nor your bosses. And many people make the mistake of ignoring the people less senior to them. Often because they feel they don’t need these colleagues. They may not have a direct say on your career prospects but their suggestions can help you lead well. If you aim to become a better leader you can’t do that without listening to a range of views. Also, although you may not manage these colleagues, you have a responsibility to set a good example, be the leader they want to look up to.

Now take action: What would you like your peers to say about your work?

Pick up the pace on your career

To advance your career you need to do certain things including a regular stock-taking to assess what you are achieving, where to get back on track if you’ve strayed and where to raise your game. Here are some others;

START A BRAG-LOG: Brag-logs are short pithy statements of information about who you are and what you’ve done, positive things you can say about your work which together show what you are capable of. If you don’t have one already, create a journal in which you keep track of your achievements with a small note explaining why they are important; even better if you can show where possible how your achievement helped your company or made a difference on a broader level.

SHORE UP YOUR CONSISTENCY: You will hardly get your ‘’big break’’ from a one off brilliance. You need to be seen as a safe pair of hands delivering the required top standards day in day out, that you come through when it really matters even if you drop the ball occasionally. Check in with yourself from time to time how you’re doing, how you’ve addressed any obstacles in order to keep doing your best work.

ATTRACT INFLUENTIAL SPONSOR: Solo success is near impossible. A sponsor is someone who knows your work, your potential and your work ethic and therefore willingly vouches for you sometimes even without your knowledge. Sponsors are not friends in high places who may put in a word for you as a favour but people who are prepared to stick their neck out for you because of your track record. Where such a sponsor is well regarded, their word on your behalf is likely to carry a lot of weight.

GET MORE RIGHT EXPERIENCE: Long experience alone will not open doors, it has to be enough of the right experience. That’s why it’s important that you clarify your career aspirations early on, have some concrete goals and develop experience that fits those goals. Based on your goals you must work out the experience you need to transition quickly to the next stage of your working life. Get others to tell you strengths that you might be taking for granted so that you can use them more and develop them further.

Now take action: Based on your goals how can you get more ‘right’ experience’