“If you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for
permission.” - unknown
Every
employee would like to climb the corporate ladder and be at the top. However,
each wonder what has to be done in order to get there. Some feel that it is not
attainable except with some stroke of luck.
What
does career progression really mean? The Cambridge Business Dictionary defines
“career progression” as “the process of making progress to better jobs”. Some have described “Career progression” as
“climbing the corporate ladder”; “getting ahead”; or even “working up the ranks”.
In a nutshell, it means that as you gain experience in your field you should
earn more challenging projects and responsibilities. The downside of career
progression is that, it's more work for you. As the popular saying goes, “the
reward for good work is more work”. However, career progression also has an upside.
The upside is that you get a better title, higher pay and increased prestige, which
is essential for building a successful career now and in the future.
Career
progression in Nigeria is not an “utopia” – “an imagined place”. It is a
reality, as several stories abound of people who have joined organizations from
a lowly position and have risen to the peak in their career. I will give us
just one example here. Take the case of Jim Ovia, the co-founder, former CEO
and now Chairman of Zenith Bank. Jim Ovia started his working career as a clerk
at Barclays Bank, DCO, and now Union Bank in 1973. Thereafter he worked as
Financial Analyst at International Merchant Bank (IMB) where he rose to Senior
Manager Position In 1987. From 1987 to 1990, Jim was the Head of Corporate
Finance department at the Merchant Bank of Africa. In that same year 1990, when
Zenith Bank was founded, he was appointed its pioneer CEO. This is a good
example of rising from the low level to the peak of the banking career. And the
examples go on in various sectors of our country, Nigeria.
There
are several things you need to do in order to map out a steadily growing career
path. I will be reviewing just seven of them, which I consider key:
1.
I believe that the critical decision is
“determining your choice career”. Go for your passion. Don’t look for a job,
look for something that you are passionate about and enjoy doing.
2.
Get all the information you can on this
choice career, and what it would take you to grow from entry level to the peak
of the choice career.
3.
When you have acquired the necessary
skills and secured an entry level position in your choice career, it is
advisable that you do your work very well. Don’t belittle the work given and
carry it out haphazardly, as the quality of your work will speak for you when
the need arise in future. You never can tell who is watching. When a higher
responsibility or opening becomes available, you will be surprised how others
would rate your hardwork and dedication to duty.
4.
Find someone who has reached the peak of
your chosen career and seek guidance. If possible, ask to be mentored.
Mentoring is key to becoming the best and would make it easy for you to reach
the peak of your career quickly. Because the mentor has been there before you,
you do not need to reinvent the wheel. You will receive appropriate guidance
that would help you rise very fast above your peers.
5.
Invest in improving and developing
yourself. Don’t wait for the organisation you work for to send you to training,
before you think of developing yourself. Find out what is the new trend in your
chosen career and keep yourself abreast of these developments, and acquire new
skills that will enable you become more productive and efficient. Acquisition
of these new skills will enhance your chances of moving one ladder up.
6.
Have career discussions with your
manager, whenever possible, to find out what is required to grow and move to
the next level in your place of work. Put these things into action, and
check-in from time to time with your manager to find out how you are doing and
how you are being rated.
7.
Look out for professional associations
in your chosen career, as well as groups on LinkedIN and Facebook. Join these
groups in order to network with professionals. You will get to learn alot and opportunities
for advancement would usually present itself. You need to be ready, so that
when opportunity presents itself, your breakthrough will show up.
How
do you determine that you have reached peak of your career? The peak of one’s career is what you have
defined for yourself. As a young HR professional, the peak for me would be to
grow from a HR Intern or HR Assistant, for example, to becoming an HR
executive. For someone in the military, it would be rising from a constable or
private to a general. As you know, the road is not usually easy, however, if
you do the right things at the right time, doors of opportunity will show, and
when it shows and you are ready, your breakthrough will become apparent.
Very apt and enlightening piece, especially as it alights what to do. Thanks for sharing sir
ReplyDeleteThank you sir for this piece. I sent a mail to you this week on the issue of mentorship, I sincerely want you to mentor me. My email is gloria.odunikan@gmail.com. God bless you as you continue to impact knowledge on young HR professionals.
ReplyDeleteThanks Gloria. Please check your email for my response.
DeleteThese are great tips for young professionals. I have read keenly and agree that it takes patience and hard work to rise from one career level to the next. An impressive read.Thanks Mr. Michael.
ReplyDeletePassion is very key and you have to be very innovative. Routine approach will only produce similar outcome.
ReplyDeleteGreat Piece.
Good one and we'll said.
ReplyDeleteThank you so so much, i hope you do not get tired of my thank yous lolzzz! This really speaks to me. I need to do more.Omotola
ReplyDeleteThis is very insightful... More power to your elbow sir. For an entry level HR practitioner who has to cave out an HR department on his/her own in an organization and not opportuned to work in an HR group or under an HR head, what are the chances of growth for such person?
ReplyDeleteI feel like re****ing
ReplyDeleteNever mind
Inspired