6 Career Approaches 🪽
Inspiration from Martin J. Eppler
Hi everyone,
Today’s inspiration comes from a post recently shared by Martin about careers:
What does it take for a career to take off?
As a simple reflection tool let's use the flying metaphor to review career success factors and pitfalls. Here are four productive career approaches and two that will not get you far.
1. Soaring: rising consistently through adapting
Keeping an overview of what is going on in your organization and adapting when the winds change is essential for any career.
2. Bursting: seizing opportunities as they arise
Recognizing opportunities to prove your talent and acting on them swiftly is another success factor for getting noticed and, subsequently, promoted.
3. Flocking: closely aligning with others
Closely aligning with others and their aspirations and approaches can be a career booster. That implies adjusting your role and level of pressing forward according to circumstances.
4. Nesting: caring for others. Building trust & talent
Caring for other people's career, development, and work environment is a sign of leadership in most organizations. So be a nest builder (i.e., foster a positive workplace), but like a bird don't forget foraging (getting out of your comfort zone and bringing back big wins).
5. Flapping: hyperactive, but not strategic
Being super busy and saying yes to every opportunity may not help you build a clear career profile. Be strategic where you build strengths and experiences, namely where your expertise will be valued in the future.
6. Skimming: starting over & over, but not taking off
Short haul flights (job stints) might be exciting, but they will not help you rise or get far. Resist the variety temptation and build a consistent track record.
As a biomimicry enthusiast, i love it when i find examples like these where we can learn from nature. Which of these flying approaches have you seen in practice? In your career or around you?
Keep on flying,
Bülent
As we’re all navigating through the uncertainty of life, in the Personal Strategy series i’m exploring and playing with strategy concepts and practices applied to personal and professional contexts.
Creator of the series: Bülent Duagi, strategy adviser for CEOs in Tech.