For many people, their careers are largely accidental or fortuitous. Successful individuals are promoted or recruited from one position to the next, or some serendipitous set of events sends them down a path that they had not consciously planned to traverse.
For others, corporate paternalism has been their career caretaker. While this paternalism provides more directional career management, it does not instill much responsibility on the individual. For those fortunate enough to “get on the program,” the company provides a ladder of job opportunities that are supported by an educational program designed to develop leaders.
My personal career path was definitely not “intentional.” I was working as a secretary for some young entrepreneurial Wharton grads who saw that I had potential. They twisted my arm into applying for, and sponsored my pursuit of, an MBA from The Wharton School—at a time when women were just starting to enter business professions and the ranks of management, and instead, women like myself typically sought a liberal arts degree.
Today, companies are challenged to invest in leadership development. Often, efforts are focused on job-posting systems, skills databases, and the occasional developmentally focused MBO or job assignment. Too often, individuals ride the “I’ve always been promoted or recruited…” wave to the next opportunity. In other words, they likely have resumes that haven’t been updated in years.
Making Career Management Intentional
In the best of all possible worlds, what helps individuals strategically manage their careers also benefits their organizations. Talent development professionals, trainers, and coaches are uniquely positioned to help both individuals and organizations transform how they manage careers. For instance, individuals need to take more responsibility for their own careers, while a coach can help them align their career strategies with broader organizational goals and needs. This sort of alignment increases the probability of funding and support.
Indeed, intentional career management is about deliberate, planned, and purposeful pursuit of career goals and opportunities. This does not mean that plans and goals are unwavering. Certainly, the journey can affect original goals, but detours and unexpected events may turn out to be the keys to success.
However, professionals working in talent development can serve as thoughtful guides and present knowledgeable resources to help others along their career paths. We also can be a voice to larger constituencies and ensure that career management initiatives and systems inside our organizations avoid fads and do not waste time on the wrong effort.
For example, we can examine talent systems to ensure they provide useful and actionable information, and help frame the best ways to use the data. More importantly, we can find ways to make career management an integral part of both operations and talent management—and actually supported by supervisors and executives.
Specifically, at an organizational level, talent development professionals can help develop:
- Individual Development Plans and an Accountability System. Creating and implementing systems that encourage dialogue and accountability from both the organization and the individual.
- Sponsors and Mentors. Serving as a facilitator for broadening the formal and informal support systems and networks both inside and outside an organization.
- Strategic Mandate and Funding. Ensuring that programs receive both the individual and management commitment and funding to achieve successful outcomes.
Moving Career Management Forward
Intentional career management applies not only to large organizations, but also to entrepreneurial ventures, small businesses, self-employment, and contracting, which are attracting an ever-increasing number of people in the workforce. Also, whether we work in corporations, nonprofits, or government agencies, careers are more complex than ever.
The good news: Talent development professionals can offer forward-thinking guidance to those struggling with navigating their own careers. More importantly, we can encourage individuals to be in the driver’s seat, regardless of the organization’s contribution. In the end, their careers are in their own hands.
