Career Ownership

I've been saying for years that people, especially women, need to drive their own careers. Career ownership is vital to success. If we don't take an invested interest in our own careers, nobody else will. But how do we steer our careers so that we are the drivers and controllers?

There are several things that you can do to make sure you keep ownership and accountability in your career.

* Own it! That's right. The first and most important step is to take ownership. Be accountable for your own choices. If things are not going the way you expected them, don't blame someone else. Look in the mirror and then decide what you are going to do to fix it. Be accountable because nobody else owes you anything in this world. You want it, make it happen.
* Make Decisions- It's up to you to decide what is best for your career. Sit down in a quiet place and gather your thoughts. On paper, free write for at least five minutes. Write the things you hope to accomplish, things you will accomplish short term, things you will accomplish long term, what is needed to reach these accomplishments, and who you need to know to make it happen. It doesn't need to be in any specific order. Once you get it all out, put it in a clear plan. Set deadlines for each one. Make the decision on which goals are most important and focus on those.
* Develop and manage key relationships- Once you've made your decisions on your goals, you need to find and build relationships with key people who can help you in your career. Now, do not target people you can use. The objective is to get to know these people and include them in your network. Work to build a real give and take relationship with them. If you go into the relationship with impure motives, believe me, it will soon be brought to light. Be honest and realistic with them and your self. Once you build these relationships, treat them as the valued prizes they are.
* Get a Mentor- Find one or two people who are where you want to be in your career. Reach out to them and let them know who you are and what you hope to accomplish. A mentor relationship is much different than a key networking relationship in that a mentor will be there to guide and advise you. Be realistic about your choices because everyone is not cut out to be a mentor. Create an interview process. Seriously! A mentor relationship is very important and not one you should enter into lightly. There needs to be a fit between the parties. Make sure your mentor fits.
* Make your work (and results) more visible to those who matter- This doesn't mean arrogantly tooting your own horn every chance you get! Doing great work alone is essential but not sufficient when it comes to getting recognition and visibility around the organization. A key ingredient to success is also making sure you are getting visibility for the work you do. You can get visibility outside of the company by speaking at conferences, participating in networking events, sharing your expertise with your peers, volunteer, and by writing articles. A note of caution. If you choose to blog, please be cognizant of what you say. Remember, the "internet" has a long memory so be careful of how you represent yourself there. Finally, look for assignments and projects that allow you to showcase your expertise.
* Brag on yourself- When important milestones happen for you, share them. Sharing your accomplishments allow you to let others see what your capabilities are. And, it could potentially lead to bigger and better things for you. Don't be afraid to toot your own horn.
* Get educated!- Get the credentials and education necessary to help you achieve your goals. Whether it's a continuing education course, going back to school for your degree, or certification, it all counts. Don't go into extreme debt, but don't "skip school" because you feel you can't afford it. Look for scholarships, grants, tuition reimbursement, a sponsor or any other means that will allow you to get the education you need.

There is no one size fits all plan for taking ownership of your career. But if you take the steps above, you can be in control of your destiny and pave your own path. Remember, your career starts, progresses and ends with only you. Be accountable. Own your career.