Everyone would like to have a satisfying and successful career. While many of us may struggle on occasion, there are times when we also enjoy success in our efforts. These moments can lead us onward to fulfilment and achieving our goals. But for some, success creates pitfalls, especially in terms of behavior. A person who achieves results with flawed individual practices may see no need to improve; in fact, negative behavior may end up getting reinforced by inordinate success.
Some problems that can derail a promising career are obvious, and may not even be job-related; getting into trouble with the law in Salt Lake City will make it difficult to succeed in the Silicon Slopes unless a criminal defense attorney intervenes. Other mistakes may be less conspicuous, especially if the short-term impact isn’t noticeable; but taking the following measures to improve will avoid any lasting negative effects.
Define values and priorities
Every company has formulated its vision and values. But each employee also has their individual priorities and sense of values; long-term problems arise when there are conflicts between a personal vision or code of values and the nature of tasks or responsibilities that are part of one’s employment.
Lack of self-awareness could lead to dissatisfaction or chasing titles instead of meaningful goals, and trying out for jobs which might embellish one’s CV rather than those which could actually utilize your core strengths and lead you towards concrete progress. This sort of trouble can be avoided by having well-defined values and priorities. Then evaluate your current organization to see if they are in alignment with you; if not, you’re better off in the long run working for and with people who share your values.
Tend to the relationship aspect
Often you may feel satisfaction at work knowing that you’ve given your best effort and accomplished what needs to be done each day. Yet while hard work should rightfully be valued by colleagues and managers alike, it’s only part of the equation for achieving greater success; professional relationships are at least as valuable, and can spell the difference between standing in place and having new doors opened for you.
Cultivating good interpersonal relationships at work isn’t about being self-serving; as you may know from experience, people can tell when someone’s sucking up, and the results could be disastrous. Instead, be a problem-solver; give honest, constructive opinions, and be open to feedback. Treat others with respect, collaborate to achieve common goals, and show that you’re a team player.
Continue to learn and adapt
When someone gets promoted at work, it’s a common perception that this is a reward or recognition of what they’ve done. However, dwelling on such thoughts can lead to the error of assuming that no further improvement is required, and this mistake can easily put a ceiling on your long-term growth.
Taking on a higher role often involves a greater element of leadership and initiative; this in turn demands new skills. Advancement can be a result of excelling at the previous role, but without acknowledging the need to adapt and learn the new position, a person’s career and performance can stagnate at this level.
Small successes can be the platform you need to build up and progress towards your career goals. As long as you maintain awareness of these aspects, you can avoid the mistakes and traps which have cost many their shot at succeeding in the long run.
