Career Development Strategies that are all About You!

I recently read about the Hawaiian tradition of Ho'oponopono and was particularly interested in one of its principles which is: "I am 100% responsible for all that I experience." What a powerful concept for those focussed on career development because you, and only you, can create your desired work situation.

Whenever I go into organizations I often witness a common behavior - blame for poor work situations, lack of promotion, poor training or little in the way of career progression planning. The employee blames their supervisor, the supervisor blames their manager, their manager blames their senior manager and the senior manager blames the CEO and the CEO blames the whole lot of them for lacking initiative.

Imagine the difference if each person practiced the Ho'oponopono method where they were not only responsible for their experience, and here's the kicker, but also accountable for the issues of others!

I know it is difficult for most people to comprehend that they have created all aspects of their life, both the good and the bad. So being responsible for others is probably a mind blowing concept.

But if we stick to the basic ideology of being responsible for ourselves then there is no place for, "My boss is unreasonable." Or "My team member just doesn't take their job seriously". These complaints are not indicators of how unfair the modern day workplace is, but instead how willing workers are to play victim to circumstances.

If you're serious about your job satisfaction and career development, then you need to be 100% responsible for your current workplace circumstances and adapt them to create future career growth.

Following are three tactics to get you started.

1. Take Back Control

You teach people how to treat you.

When you let them steal your ideas, bully you, dump too much work on you, ignore you at meetings or leave you out of crucial conversations without saying anything. Your silence conveys a message of, "I'm obviously OK with your bad behavior so feel free to keep doing it."

YOU are letting THEM create your workplace experience.

Stop handing over the control and start stating what is and isn't right for you in the workplace. Not only will you gain respect there's also a high likelihood that you'll increase your level of job satisfaction because you are creating your reality, not someone else!

2. Realize Your Worth

I was speaking to a client who was a top performing sales representative at a computer company. He came to me because he wanted to start his own business, but after a few sessions I noticed a more pressing problem, confidence issues, which if left unresolved, would not only affect his current career but future business success.

When I asked if he could pinpoint a time in his career where he felt unsure of himself he told me about his previous boss who was out one night and punched him in the face.

I was shocked and asked him what he did about it, he replied, "I didn't do anything because I didn't want to lose my job."

To which I replied, "So instead you lost your self-esteem."

You're probably thinking, "If someone physically abused me at work, there is no way I'd stay."

But let me ask you, have you ever experienced any of the following:

- Receiving criticism that is not constructive. - Not being acknowledged for work you've done. - Working long hours each week because your boss over promises task delivery. Interestingly, they still walk out the door at 5pm leaving to toil away. - Feeling unable to say "no" at work.

These are just a few examples but they illustrate one thing - lack of worthiness. Not worthy of receiving feedback in a civil manner, not worthy of being recognizing for good work, not worthy of saying "enough is enough" or setting boundaries.

When you recognize your worth, it's virtually impossible to attract verbal or physical abuse at work. Plus, realizing your worthiness assists you in undertaking the next tactic.

3. Look Out for #1

Once you start setting boundaries and recognizing your worth you can start focusing on your career.

Too often employees think they're lucky to have a job, instead of thinking their employer is lucky to have them! Having a good work ethic is great, but having a progression path is even better. You need to start thinking about what you want out of your present job and what your company has to offer in order to build your skill set.

Many years ago I conducted employee performance reviews. I noticed that many people regressed to their school days where they felt like they were meeting with their teacher and getting feedback on their report card.

Even those that did a great job were often scared they were going to get poor reviews. As a result, they were so relieved when the discussion went well that they never came prepared with a list of how the company could serve them.

Take advantage of performance appraisals and set up meetings with your manager in order to have your say.

Be responsible for your career, look for skill gaps (they're not a weakness, learning and development is part of growing in your job) and determine ways your company can help you improve your work skills.

By taking control of your career, you're back in the driver's seat and the possibilities are endless.