Carla A Harris - Strategize to Win: The New Way to Start Out, Step Up, or Start Over in Your Career

W hen Expect to Win was published in 2009, we were at the beginning of a historic fiscal crisis. The real estate bubble had burst and we headed into one of the most severe downturns of consumer confidence that I have seen in my professional career, and began a period of labor unemployment not experienced since the seventies. Many people, across all industries, at all levelsentry, senior officer, exempt, nonexempt, from the boardroom to the post officefound themselves either without a job or restructured out of one, stagnating in their profession, or taking any position just to have an income. Rather than consider how a particular job might add to their skill set and prepare them for their dream job or career, many recent graduates accepted jobs to ease worries about paying off school loans or because they feared being out of the job market for too long. As a result, during my travels around the world, I have met many people who are having difficulty figuring out what career to pursue, how to make the most of the first few years of their career, and how to position themselves for success.

I have also spent time with people with five to ten years of work experience who are struggling with managing change, and are trying to figure out how to navigate the choppy waters of their careers, as their companies have downsized, they have been demoted, their job descriptions have changed, or their bosses have left or were fired. Some of these professionals are also in a quandary about why their careers havent progressed the way that they envisioned back when they finished their academic or experiential training. Ive also found that many of these professionals are struggling to read the career signs, those subtle messages that are often communicated in behavior rather than words in most corporate environments. As a result, they are puzzled about what will fulfill them professionally and personally, and how to redirect and reposition themselves and their career successfully. Further, I have talked with people who are ten to fifteen years into their jobs who always wanted a meaningful career, but rather took a job just to have one, and now, because they have put in so many years on the job or have family or financial obligations, they dont know how to decide what they really want to do for a career, or are afraid to take the leap to start something new.

Strategize to Win is a direct response to the people Ive met and the questions they asked while I was on the road talking about Expect to Win. My hope for this book is that both young and mid-level professionals will find the answers and tools they need to get started in their career, to get unstuck, to redirect and crystallize their paths, and to position themselves to manage their career through any economic cycle or any corporate political environment and continue ascending toward success!

In this book, I will define a process of deciding on a career trajectory, and more important, define a process of positioning yourself for the opportunity that you want, no matter what stage of your working life. Whatever stage we are in, we all have to reposition ourselves for new opportunities. Whether you are looking for your first job, want to move up in your company, or leave it for a competitor or an entirely new industry, you will need these tools in order to enhance or insure your success. I will also address what you must do to be successful once you land a position. Because what got you there wont be the thing that will keep you there: the skills that helped you land a position wont be the same skills that will insure your success in that role. Last, I will also identify and clarify issues that are often murky for young and mid-career professionals and help them develop the key answers they need to create strategies for reaching the level of career success to which they aspire.

CHAPTER 1

Choosing a Career in Todays Economy

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu

C ongratulations! Youve just graduated or are soon to graduate from college. Or maybe youre just leaving the military. Whatever the case, youve worked hard and completed years of extensive education and training. You should be proud of yourself, what a wonderful accomplishment!

The problem is, youre asking yourself: Now what?

After all of those years of hard work and dedication, you find that you have no real idea of what career you would like to pursue.

Or perhaps your situation is different. Youve been out of college for a few years. After graduation you accepted a job because you needed one. You had student loans and bills to pay, perhaps a family to support, or other financial obligations. But now, a few years later, you find that this job, this company, or even this career is not for you. Youre frustrated, bored, and unenthusiastic. Youd like to make a move, but you have no idea what job, company, or career you are interested in. Worse, you have no clue how to begin to do anything to change it.

If any of these scenarios sounds familiar, you are not alone. Together, we are going to walk through a framework that will help you to sort out the appropriate next move in your career journey. Notice, I did not say that we are going to figure out what your entire career will look like.