September 21, 2009
On Career Development
What should be done to improve career in the next few weeks, months and a year?
This has always been a question. Let us know answers from a research conducted by several people, psychologists, and management specialists, among others.
There are three main groups of performance factors.
The first group consists of intellectual abilities.
This does not relate to educational qualifications even though this is how it may be assessed but shows a strategic perspective. This means that you can rise above matters of detail and see broader issues and implications in what happens. You can think of overall strategy rather than concentrating simply on day-to-day tactics. You need to be able to take account of influences inside and outside the company before deciding what to do.
Then you need the ability to analyze and judge, analyze problems, devise solutions, scrutinize details. Plan and organize. You need to be able to identify priorities, allocate time and resources, and delegate work appropriately.
How do you know if you have done these abilities? The higher up in the company ladder you go, the more you need to take a wider view. But lower down, you should be able to look at your own department or work group in these ways: What is the department for? How does it fit in with the company as a whole? What makes it successful? What is our own contribution?
Practice your problem solving skills and aim to talk over your solutions with your immediate boss. Not all your ideas will be accepted, or even welcomed, but keep trying. It keeps you in front of the boss’s eye and shows that you are worth considering for promotion. Sounds boring? You probably do not have the real interest and motivation for promotion, so maybe you want it for the wrong reasons – status, money or power. Time to think again.
The second group of performance factors consist of interpersonal skills. You need to be able to manage staff, motivate them to work well, monitor their performance and develop
their skills.
You need to be persuasive – to influence others to give their agreement and commitment, and in the face of conflict to offer ways of compromising and reaching agreement.
Then you must be assertive, able to take change, willing to take risks, ready to take decision even in the basis of limited information. You should have the sensibility to show consideration for the needs and feelings of others and must be prepared to change your views in the face of reasoned argument.
You need to be a good communicator to be able to tailor your way of speaking and its content to the level of understanding of your audience.
Some say they’re a tough set of requirements. So you have to know if you have them. Examine your relationship with colleagues, bosses, and people outside the working situations. If you have few friends, many strong dislikes among the people you deal with, lots of everyday small conflicts – these are areas where you need lots of practice.
It takes more skill to get what you want from people in authority than it does to give orders, so it is good to negotiating practice. It is also quite a rare skill to be able to give orders in an acceptable way, and this is another good area in which to practice on family and friends. If they get angry or defensive, you have done it badly! There are many good books available on management techniques. You can try out some of the ideas and techniques in practical situations.
The third set of factors is related to getting results.
You must have wonderful interpersonal skills but they will be of little value unless the company is profitable. You therefore, need energy initiative, motivation to succeed, and good business sense. This means that you are the originator of ideas and activities, you need to produce a high level of output, both personally and departmentally; you need to see demanding goals for yourself and others, and make full use of your time and resources.
You need to be able to identify good opportunities so that energy is used to the best effect. You need to recognize whether the company’s aims and methods are sound, to identify new markets, to be aware of the changing needs and to understand what must be done to meet those needs.
How good are you on this group of skills?
Look again at your present job and department. Try to measure it up in terms of efficiency, output, problems, solutions, staff relationships. Compare it with other jobs and departments. Take an overview and think about what could be done. In other words, practice your management skills before you get a management job. Learn by your mistakes. Keep on trying.
Moreover, one final factor – and the most important in today’s business situation is adaptability. Can you adapt your behavior to new situations, be resilient, cope with adversity or unfairness?
Flexibility is the survival factor. Rigid objects break more easily than flexible ones. When you are looking for a higher level job, remember that most candidates will have and be expected to have technical competence in their specialist area. It is those all-important management skills and qualities that will differentiate between applicants. If you know what is expected, have thought about your own qualities, and give some evidence and support, demonstrating the kind of qualities being sought; then developing a career will not be far from your aim.
What is your aim? Good luck!
Copyright Rose Flores – Martinez 2009
Revision of my old article
September 28, 2009
P.S. Try Ezine Articles, What's Your Aim?
On Career Development
What should be done to improve career in the next few weeks, months and a year?
This has always been a question. Let us know answers from a research conducted by several people, psychologists, and management specialists, among others.
There are three main groups of performance factors.
The first group consists of intellectual abilities.
This does not relate to educational qualifications even though this is how it may be assessed but shows a strategic perspective. This means that you can rise above matters of detail and see broader issues and implications in what happens. You can think of overall strategy rather than concentrating simply on day-to-day tactics. You need to be able to take account of influences inside and outside the company before deciding what to do.
Then you need the ability to analyze and judge, analyze problems, devise solutions, scrutinize details. Plan and organize. You need to be able to identify priorities, allocate time and resources, and delegate work appropriately.
How do you know if you have done these abilities? The higher up in the company ladder you go, the more you need to take a wider view. But lower down, you should be able to look at your own department or work group in these ways: What is the department for? How does it fit in with the company as a whole? What makes it successful? What is our own contribution?
Practice your problem solving skills and aim to talk over your solutions with your immediate boss. Not all your ideas will be accepted, or even welcomed, but keep trying. It keeps you in front of the boss’s eye and shows that you are worth considering for promotion. Sounds boring? You probably do not have the real interest and motivation for promotion, so maybe you want it for the wrong reasons – status, money or power. Time to think again.
The second group of performance factors consist of interpersonal skills. You need to be able to manage staff, motivate them to work well, monitor their performance and develop
their skills.
You need to be persuasive – to influence others to give their agreement and commitment, and in the face of conflict to offer ways of compromising and reaching agreement.
Then you must be assertive, able to take change, willing to take risks, ready to take decision even in the basis of limited information. You should have the sensibility to show consideration for the needs and feelings of others and must be prepared to change your views in the face of reasoned argument.
You need to be a good communicator to be able to tailor your way of speaking and its content to the level of understanding of your audience.
Some say they’re a tough set of requirements. So you have to know if you have them. Examine your relationship with colleagues, bosses, and people outside the working situations. If you have few friends, many strong dislikes among the people you deal with, lots of everyday small conflicts – these are areas where you need lots of practice.
It takes more skill to get what you want from people in authority than it does to give orders, so it is good to negotiating practice. It is also quite a rare skill to be able to give orders in an acceptable way, and this is another good area in which to practice on family and friends. If they get angry or defensive, you have done it badly! There are many good books available on management techniques. You can try out some of the ideas and techniques in practical situations.
The third set of factors is related to getting results.
You must have wonderful interpersonal skills but they will be of little value unless the company is profitable. You therefore, need energy initiative, motivation to succeed, and good business sense. This means that you are the originator of ideas and activities, you need to produce a high level of output, both personally and departmentally; you need to see demanding goals for yourself and others, and make full use of your time and resources.
You need to be able to identify good opportunities so that energy is used to the best effect. You need to recognize whether the company’s aims and methods are sound, to identify new markets, to be aware of the changing needs and to understand what must be done to meet those needs.
How good are you on this group of skills?
Look again at your present job and department. Try to measure it up in terms of efficiency, output, problems, solutions, staff relationships. Compare it with other jobs and departments. Take an overview and think about what could be done. In other words, practice your management skills before you get a management job. Learn by your mistakes. Keep on trying.
Moreover, one final factor – and the most important in today’s business situation is adaptability. Can you adapt your behavior to new situations, be resilient, cope with adversity or unfairness?
Flexibility is the survival factor. Rigid objects break more easily than flexible ones. When you are looking for a higher level job, remember that most candidates will have and be expected to have technical competence in their specialist area. It is those all-important management skills and qualities that will differentiate between applicants. If you know what is expected, have thought about your own qualities, and give some evidence and support, demonstrating the kind of qualities being sought; then developing a career will not be far from your aim.
What is your aim? Good luck!
Copyright Rose Flores – Martinez 2009
Revision of my old article
September 28, 2009
P.S. Try Ezine Articles, What's Your Aim?
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