Taking ownership of your career early on, is it good or bad? Taking ownership simply means holding yourself accountable and responsible for the decisions you take, the actions and the consequences that follow as an aftermath of your decisions.
It also means not surrendering to the fear of the unknown or allowing yourself the room of an excuse to play the blame game later. As we embark on the fast track route to career progression, we realize the need to cope with changes and challenges posed by the competitive environment around.
Grappling with the pace of change, one of the most important questions you should ask yourself is, “Where do you see yourself five years down the line?”
Through time, you got to refuel your ambitions, pump up your energy drive to navigate the career pathway with same zest and zeal, as when you started off. If you do not take the first step to change, somebody else will. Focus on prompt execution as the key to survival in today’s well-connected world.
Below are some tips to guide you right to take ownership and management of your career:
- Plan effectively
Accurate planning with a strategy, purpose, and vision is a strength that you can rely on, for careful execution to follow later. If you envision a dream, start writing down the steps you need to take to translate your dream into reality. Focus on specifics. The plan thus created, should be devoid of vagueness and ambiguities.
- Carve out your niche
For you to carve out a niche indisputable position in the industry, it’s important to delve deeper into your strengths and improve upon the weaknesses. Who might have thought some three decades back, that global borders will be blurred with technology coming to play in the times we are today?
Who thought Internet would be the next game changer, as we now foresee virtual reality tools, artificial intelligence, and robotics to take over soon. There are many things which have never been done or invented before. It’s for you to accentuate the power of now and seek for knowledge beyond.
- Develop a continuous learner mindset
In recent times, career experts have been stressing on the need to develop a continuous learner mindset. Be prepared to learn and unlearn along the career growth journey. Embrace openness in your social outlook towards life.
It’s the new-age networking era, so find someone who will be supportive of your pursuit of excellence in the stream that you choose. Staying off the social grid for long doesn’t actually help the new-age learner today. It can only make people doubt your willingness to explore new pathways. While you might revel in the security of the knowing, you should also allow leeway to make mistakes, accept, learn and grow.
- Choose to be proactive and not reactive
With the Internet making possible access to quick information at fingertips and allowing people the freedom to opine on issues of public interest, you can see trolls and followers almost stalking accounts.
In an age of social abundance of information presented with different perspectives, it is not just important to believe in knowledge, but also exercise the power of choosing when to respond, not respond or react. Learn to be proactive and not reactive.
- Prepare a list of everything that you’re good at
We all have certain special skills mastered to perfection in time. So, start by making a list of all your accomplishments, recognition, appreciation, and feedback received from family, friends and near ones.
Work on a plan now to convert your strengths into an intangible asset for a fulfilling career in the long run. Capitalize on your strengths and work towards improving upon your weaknesses. The guidelines listed above should help you steer clear of the roadblocks, navigate through challenges to plan carefully and tread cutting-edge winning careers.
Read: Soft Skills That Will Put You Ahead of the Competition