Post date: May 9, 2014 3:24:25 PM
Having spent the better part of my career focused on helping organizations attract, identify, hire and engage talent, writing an endorsement for this idea, an idea that so clearly articulates a logical and practical approach to the management of your career, I am left with an incredible sense of empowerment. I have proudly known Mike Callahan for many years, and learned a great deal about my craft from him. He has had a profound impact on my career.
In I Incorporated, Mike reveals an anecdote that was undoubtedly a significant contributor to the direction his life and career would end up taking. I met Mike while we worked for a large fortune 100 organization; he was entirely devoted and loyal to the company and had been with this company for many, many years. Yet, with a directional change from our CEO, he found himself working within a company that had a fundamentally different set of guiding principles and challenged his personal ethics. This change, though it may have been subtle, was a catalyst that changed Mike’s career direction and arguably, was one of the best things that happened to him professionally.
From this experience, I remember having a sudden realization that the fate of my career was in my hands, no one else’s. There is no greater feeling than feeling the mastery of your own domain. The empowerment is astonishing! I adopted Mike’s concepts wholeheartedly. The only one who is accountable to your career is you.
When I left school to begin my career it was very common for those a generation ahead to have worked in one career and frequently with one employer their entire working lives. Today the average tenure at a company for professionals is 3 years. Many of today’s mid-career adults today are in a second or third career. The ability to see, track and grab the “brass ring” is not only a desired skill-set; it is required. The entrepreneurial mindset that is required for success is the foundation of today’s working world.
This approach does an excellent job of arming you with the tools you need to stand out from the crowd, whether you are looking for your first job, your tenth job or are setting out to build up your own business. These concepts are not only practical; they are essential if you are going to have success in your career.
As someone who has interviewed thousands of candidates for many different roles, the difference between those that embrace personal empowerment versus those that are at the mercy of their circumstances is absolutely incredible. Owning your future, staking your claim and driving towards your future will not only set you apart from the competition; it will put you on an entirely different trajectory. Remember this is your career. Own it.
I have had many incredible successes in my career, and have had many opportunities. I do firmly believe that we make our own luck. As an entrepreneur myself, I know that Mike’s lessons are a guidebook to success. Just add hard work.