Challenges You Must Face

Career development occurs over years and decades. Relatively few complete the full journey. Stopping at a particular stage will be determined by intrinsic personal capabilities, personal aspirations and social circumstances.

There is no externally determined «right» career path for anyone. The right path is the one that is right for you according to your nature, needs and abilities.

The 7 Stages to be described are relevant to everyone because part of handling yourself at work is understanding how your co-workers and your superiors are developing their careers.

However, you may find you dislike being employed, even at Stage-1. If so, see your alternatives here.

Most people in employment move to Stage-2 and, once this has been achieved, all further Stages are optional. That is to say, you may continue to advance your career in terms of increasing responsibility, salary and status in the hierarchy without deliberate work-based self-development.

The Stages of Career Development are ultra-summarized and described in order below with a graphic representation.

Here is the Picture:

Stage-1: Do the Job Well!

Your Challenge: Get off to a good start.

— you need Market-centred guidance.

Result: Others may take advantage of you.

Stage-2: Work the System!

Your Challenge: Get sufficient freedom and influence to produce results and get respected.

— you need Power-centred guidance.

Result: You get ahead.

Stage-3: Commit to a Meaningful Course!

Your Challenge: Select and develop an area of expertise that makes work fulfilling.

— you need Cause-centred guidance.

Result: You become distinctive.

Stage-4: Achieve for the Organization!

Your Challenge: Get effective collaboration across functional and departmental boundaries.

— you need Community-centred guidance.

Result: You put the organization before yourself.

Stage-5: Sustain the Core Group!

Your Challenge: Build a close-knit team of trustworthy and totally loyal colleagues dedicated to business success.

— you need Kinship-centred guidance.

Result: Your special people are recognized as having far more influence on your decisions than do others.

Stage-6: Identify with Alien Approaches!

Your Challenge: Learn to view situations in new ways to enable otherwise unthinkable proposals.

— you need Perspective-centred guidance.

Result: You can re-think stuck situations and devise radical strategies.

Stage-7: Master the Future!

Your Challenge: Identify and take advantage of intangible forces shaping the industry and society.

— you need Reality-centred guidance.

Result: You unite people around successful predictions that underpin business success.

Originally posted: July 2009