For many years I was a student of media literacy. I even attended a one week training at The New Mexico Media Literacy Project. One of the lasting impressions it had on me was how important it is to critically consume what we tend to consider as entertainment.
One of my early teachers in media literacy was a man named Bob McCannon. He reminded us repeatedly that “Those who tell the stories shape our culture.” If we are lucky we have successful family, friends or other real life role models.
But today’s most prolific storytellers involve film and digital media. Even if you don’t consume it at all or don’t consume it critically, there is powerful mythology surrounding what it takes to get ahead and advance in one’s career. In my experience, the mythology that surrounds our ideas about career is just as powerful as the mythology that informs our ideas about love.
If I had to guess what the most frequently uttered “lines” are in reality television and other character depictions in traditional TV and movies – as it relates to people trying to “win” or “advance” in their careers or goals – they are:
“I’m not here to make friends.”
&
“It’s not personal…it’s just business.”
Somehow, this conveys the idea that to get ahead one needs to be the “last person standing” and/or be ruthless in the pursuit of one’s goals. While that may be accurate in some businesses like the entertainment industry or stock brokers and venture capitalists, it certainly is not true in the helping professions.
Below are some of the traits that I think are essential to career advancement.
1. Assertiveness
Many people confuse an aggressive stance with an assertive stance. Believing that they are right and others are always wrong is a form of aggressiveness that interferes with effective professional relationships.
Overconfidence can also come across to others as aggressive. Bragging is never a complimentary stance in an interview. Assertiveness involves knowing that you are “okay” just as you are and not any better or worse than people with whom you interact. This will put you and people you come in contact with at ease. If you have a tendency to feel “uneasy,” it may be a reflection of not believing that you are “okay.”
A passive stance occurs when one doesn’t believe that they have something of value to contribute and as a result remain quiet and keep ideas and thoughts to oneself. All with the misguided idea that being quiet will prevent bad outcomes. Which is not only not true but it doesn’t allow any agency. Which leads to the next pillar – self efficacy.
2. Self Efficacy
This involves having a belief in your own ability to succeed and also your ability to make something happen. It is not only our choice of words but also our body language that communicates what we really think about ourselves and the circumstances that surround us.
Therefore, self efficacy is not something that can only be conveyed in words. Your belief in your own ability needs to be grounded in something true. An awareness of what you are good at and a willingness to speak about it without embarrassment and feel good about who you are is the underpinning of self efficacy.
Some people struggle with self efficacy, while at the same time lack in assertiveness. Their ultimate fear seems to be not wanting to oversell themselves because of concerns that they can’t deliver. Their self talk is “play it safe” which translates into body language that reads “I’m not certain.”
If you don’t believe in your ability most of the time other people won’t, especially if they have never had a chance to observe what you are capable of doing.
3. Interpersonal Skills
Perhaps one of the single biggest factors in career advancement is the ability to build rapport with others. Developing effective respectful working relationships with others is a skill that can be acquired. Interpersonal skills are often displayed in how we communicate.
Therefore it is important to develop awareness of our own thoughts and emotions as well as noticing how others are responding. It also means letting that “self” and “other” awareness inform your decisions about what you say and your actions. To me, this includes things like being aware of oversharing, under-sharing, being authentic, and managing anxiety about being in close contact with others and respecting boundaries.
If you have difficulty building and maintaining rapport with others, it is worth pursuing counseling to assist in this skill set, ideally with a humanistic therapist.
4. Flexibility
Many organizations and places of employment struggle everyday with competing demands. This can lead to disorganization and at times chaotic work climates. While this can be frustrating for anyone, the ability to tolerate “imperfect” environments is an important pillar of career advancement.
Change is something that is ever present. We can choose to adjust to those changes or to complain and kick and scream all the way.
Sometimes job duties alternate with very little notice and employers implement new policies in a reactive manner. Instead of experiencing life as happening to you…consider that it is happening for you… so that you can learn.
5. Willingness to Learn
Sometimes a willingness to learn or to teach yourself is essential to being an invaluable employee, contractor, or even business owner. This doesn’t mean you have to learn and know everything. But I do suggest that you remain open to learning by displaying curiosity; following through on opportunities to learn and putting what you learn into practice.
If you are exposed to new ideas or new information and don’t do anything with it, you have not integrated that knowledge into your work process and practices.
People promote others and think to share opportunities with them based on a myriad of things that are likely difficult to define. But I think this list is a good start for anyone interested in career advancement.
What would you add to this list?
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