Drive Your Career: Avoid Costly Career Mistakes

In my line of work, there is enormous satisfaction in placing the right executive in the right opportunity. On the way to that outcome, I have thousands of conversations that give insight into what can go wrong.  Driving your career over your lifetime takes a proactive stance and a relentless commitment to your growth.  As important as it is to focus on good work, it is equally important to steer clear of blunders that can set you back. Today I share the most common dangerous moves made in career.  

1.    Putting your interests before the team.  Before taking a particular action, ask yourself if you are making this move to serve you, or the greater good of the company? One example is taking this step before sending emails to prevent interpretive grandstanding.  If teammates sense someone is only operating for their own success they are reluctant to trust, and may ostracize him/her.   

2.    Wasting time.  Whether a lack of effective planning, poorly run meetings, or chatting too long at the desks of others, being insensitive to time is a killer. Gossiping can not only waste time, it can also be cancerous to a team's culture. Additionally, in your time outside of work, are you investing in your own success? If you are not motivated to further master your craft outside the office, it may become apparent you are a weaker link on your team. Be mindful of your number one resource, time, and ensure your commitment to effective time management aligns with your goals.

3.    Inappropriate personal relationships.  Personal relationships amongst teammates are vital- we build trust and make work more fun. Frankly, these relationships are vital since we typically spend more time with our co-workers than our family. However, if relationships get too personal, there is perceived bias in action and question of ethics. I have witnessed many careers get shaken based on an unprofessional relationship between a manager and his/her report, and even peer to peer relations invoke scrutiny with question of loyalty. When you have the workplace in common, keep boundaries up on what you share and where your interests stand.

4.    Assuming your career is linear. Sheryl Sandberg said it best, "Careers aren't ladders, they are jungle gyms." Accepting new challenges along your career will help you create your own career path. Running after titles is a rookie's game. Go for the experience and the title that best reflects your responsibility. Your career growth will come from places you leverage most of what you bring to the table, and much of what stretches you.

5.    Ignoring the voice inside you. Staying in a role when you know there have been negative changes and not taking action to protect your growth. Begrudgingly going to work everyday because you need the stability, while knowing there is something bigger for you elsewhere and taking no action. Be true to yourself and make an appropriate plan when the voice continues to get louder. Whether address an issue with a difficult conversation, or plan a search. Neither are easy, but change is not supposed to be comfortable.

6.    Putting Money First. Accepting or staying in a job exclusively for money may have short term payoff, but long term it can be counterproductive. The value you bring to an organization should align with market demand. If you stay in a role because of pay, and stagnate on growth, your skillset may become questionable and impact your marketability.

7.    No Media Presence.  There is no social or professional media, it is all media, and it part of how you are evaluated. Candidates who choose not to participate on any social media platforms are at minimum considered suspect, and at worst discounted entirely. Each profession may hold a different expectation of media prowess, but in our current world, at minimum have a strong LinkedIn presence. You will not know the opportunities missed by staying off the media play field.

There is not one perfect career path. We all will make mistakes and embrace the lesson learned. However, our career has a timeline, and if we can learn from the path of others on pitfalls to watch out for, we have the opportunity to maximize each step. Steer clear of mistakes that can impede your growth.