If You Want to Amp Up Your Career Story You Have to Slow Down at Warp Speed

Perhaps you’re at a crossroads in your career and losing sleep trying to decide, should I stay or should I go?

You noodle with friends and colleagues. You make pro/con lists ad nauseum. You imagine the future you want to live into. But somehow you’re not moving.

Noodling with friends and colleagues is a vital and affirming part of the journey to what’s next, but nothing is as important as the conversations you should be having with yourself to help you pull that stay-or-go trigger. 

So this post contains a masterclass workbook set of questions to use as your companion for getting over the stay-or-go hump at warp speed. In other words, take it to heart and block time in your calendar to pay attention to YOU. Right now.

CURRENT REALITY FIRST

I'm going to start with the all-too-common refrains (complaints) I hear from clients. And first, let me say, I believe you. I believe your experience. The questions that follow those refrains below are designed to help you take another pass at your experience and do a searching inventory. Not so you can blame yourself—there’s too much of that going around—but so you can be clear-eyed and make some good decisions.

“I’m not being seen or recognized for my abilities and potential.”

• Are you having regular conversations with your boss? 

• Are you letting stakeholders know about your results and accomplishments?

• Are you using your influence and asking for projects and opportunities that raise your visibility?

• Have you expressed your brand story and superpowers in a way that demonstrates how you can solve your team or organization’s challenges?

“I’m not being included. It’s a big ol’ boys' club.”

• Do people know who you are and what you bring to the party?

• Do you ask to be included?

• Have you expressed your disappointment about not being included to stakeholders and gatekeepers?

• Have you asked for a turnaround in behavior?

• Have you made it clear that a turnaround would benefit them and the company?

“I am working way beyond my job description, killing it, but I’m not getting opportunities to advance and grow.”

• Why are you working “way beyond your job description”?  Are you saying yes to the right things, and no to the wrong things, or are you being a doormat?

• Who, besides you, knows what you were hired to do and what you’re doing now?

• Have you rewritten your job description and had a focused conversation with your boss about a promotion AND a raise?

“I am working way below my potential and in a position that does not make best use of my strengths.”

• How did that happen? Can you retrace your steps and decision points?

• Was it bait and switch? Bad communication? A reorganization? A promise that wasn’t honored?

• Or did you take the role hoping it would lead to bigger and better things?

• Did you express your desire/intention for those bigger and better things when you were hired or soon after?

• Have you excelled in your work despite the role feeling like the wrong fit?

“I’ve been passed over for promotion and the roles are going to chumps and people less experienced than I am.”

• Were the metrics or “rules” for promotion clearly expressed when you were hired?

• And does it seem as though those rules are being followed?

• Have you received clear direction about what you need to “work on” to be promoted?

• If you’ve received clear direction about what you need to “work on” are you being given the people and resources to accomplish those things?

• Are you being told things like “you’re too strong/weak” or “you’re too quiet/loud” or “you need to speak up more/stop talking so much”?

• Are promotions being given to people who look like you?

Those may be tough questions, especially when you’re going 90 miles an hour, 24/7, keeping your head down and just getting stuff done, right?

But if you’re going to take steps toward your career mission by getting that new job or claiming that promotion or landing a seat at the table, and if you’re going to be paid beautifully for the work you perform, you are going to have to be a bit ruthless on behalf of yourself. Like I said, at warp speed.

NOW, LOOK BACK TO MOVE FORWARD

I’m going to assume that you’re the kind of professional who consistently tracks your accomplishments in your current role and former roles. I’m also going to assume that you know how to quantify your accomplishments (money saved, money earned, productivity increases, or processes improved, reputation shifts, etc.).

So take a look back at the last week, month, quarter, year and into past roles as far as it makes sense and write down all your accomplishments focusing on impact. You don’t want to regurgitate your job descriptions, you want track change. For example, “increased customer retention by X %,” or “landed three new clients resulting in $5M in revenue.”

When you’re complete with the looking back to move forward exercise, ask yourself:

• Do you know how to mine that data for your strengths, skills, and repeating themes?

• Do you know how to turn that data into compelling stories that communicate the value of you in your employer’s hands? 

• Do you know what to say when someone says, “tell me about yourself” or “what have you been working on” or “where do you see yourself in the company” or “where do you see yourself in five years”

IF THE ANSWERS TO THOSE QUESTIONS ARE MOSTLY NO...

I suggest you stay put and do some learning about how to craft the answers to those questions before you think about moving on because you will be asked those same questions and many more in the interview process for a new role.

Now, let’s say the answers to the last set of questions were mostly yes, and as much as you can tell, you’re doing all the right things. More questions:

• Have you been in your role longer than 2 years with no promotion?

• Have people in your organization and/or your network who are doing similar work been promoted faster than you?

• Has your compensation stayed pretty level (measly 3% increases or the like)?

• Are you running into walls and fences and locked doors everywhere you turn?

• Are you cranky and bored?

• Are your friends and loved ones sick of hearing you complain?

• Are you letting fear of change run the show?

IF THE ANSWERS TO THOSE QUESTIONS ARE MOSTLY YES...

It’s time to go. Your happiness and sense of purpose are on the line, and so is your financial wellbeing. Vacations. College tuition. Savings. Retirement. Charitable contributions. All of that is at risk if you stay.

So do the work. Make a plan. And pull the trigger at warp speed. We need you where you’re going.