In the first part of this article we discussed the importance of including a risk management framework in your career strategy to ensure that your career remains on track. In Part Two, we discuss leadership, motivation, resilience and leveraging your network as integral parts of your risk management framework.
Leadership
Leadership can present the greatest of challenges particularly when a business is under pressure to perform and a manager’s decisions can lead to disquiet, uncertainty and disruption. How you handle decision making can be a make or break point in your career and you need to be prepared to meet this challenge.
Direction
Teams need direction and it is critical that you are clear about what you want done and make sure that everyone on the team knows what is expected of them. A common pitfall is changing direction mid-stream with little or no explanation. This leads to confusion and questions may arise from team members about whether you are in control. This unease can filter through to other areas in your company and can lead to uncertainty about your leadership. If it becomes an on-going pattern of behaviour it may result in you being overlooked for promotion or even worse you are demoted or sacked.
Motivation and Resilience
If you lack motivation you are seen to lack commitment to your work and to your team. All of us feel demotivated at times for a whole range of professional and personal reasons, but you need to be able to look at coping mechanisms that will not only get you through the rough periods but re-energise you bringing the focus you need to actively engage in your role.
Coping mechanisms can extend to practice based resilience strategies that are designed to take on particularly tough challenges whether these are work related or are occurring in your private life. If you consider the worst possible outcomes in a particular situation then map out the ways you can deal with the problem. For example, if you are dealing with a challenging client rehearse different approaches including conversations you may have with that person. As you get in to the rehearsal you will find that you’re confidence builds and the difficulties of dealing with this client are less exacting than you previously thought and with this your confidence in your own ability returns.
Sometimes we find ourselves sucked in to a vortex of negativity; this may come from a range of factors including poor morale within your team or across divisions, increased workload demands or a new boss who seems to enjoy applying the blow torch at every possible opportunity. Your ability to identify coping mechanisms and build your resilience may seem beyond your reach, however reaching out to those who have relevant skills and experience is a critical step in you getting back in control. Colleagues with relevant experience or a professional coach can be of great assistance and we will discuss their role in part three of this article.
Case study
A financial planner was promoted to team leader and with no experience managing people struggled to make the transition from a member of the team to the manager. Every day he was confronted with a plethora of management problems that he found confronting and when asked by HR if he would like to undertake a management course he jumped at the opportunity. The course became a lifeline as one of the lecturers focused on a range of issues that first time managers have to deal with and his workshop was interactive allowing participants to role play different scenarios. When he returned to work he found he could cope with the issues that had previously confronted him and after his first review was awarded a bonus which was weighted to how effective he was as a manger.
The starting point is that you are always more resilient than you think and if you have taken steps to build mechanisms in to your risk management strategy that help build your confidence and your resilience then you will be in a strong position to gain control and get to where you need to be.
Bolstering your network
Having a strong industry network provides access to colleagues and other senior executives who may at some stage be of assistance to you whether this is with issues that arise in your current role or your future career progression.
Networking is however what you make of it and it is important that you take the time to not only build a network of relevant people but actively nurture it. Active participation and engagement with others in your network can help you in your career journey and can be a useful risk management tool.
If you take into consideration that seventy to eighty percent of jobs are filled through networking then you should invest time to ensure networking forms a critical part of your career plan. It should also be part of your risk management strategy as someone in your network may offer you your next career move when you most need it.
Read Part one of Avoiding career crash and burn.
Read Part three of Avoiding career crash and burn.
