Insights For Success

Strategy, Innovation, Leadership and Security

3 tips to limit your career growth now

GeneralEdward Kiledjian
Image by Ken Teegardin used under Creative Commons License 

Image by Ken Teegardin used under Creative Commons License

 

I have written a bunch of articles about growing you career. Why not use the opposite angle.

I wanted to provide 3 powerful tips to help stunt your career growth now. 

1 - Stay within the comfortable confines of your existing department

This is a tip for big company dwellers. A sure way to limit your growth is to concentrate all your efforts to stay in the department you are in. Why leave? It is comfortable in the warm bosom of your familiar department. Sure things aren't perfect but nothing ever is.  Your friends are all here and things are familiar. 

 

Remember that networking outside of your team (or department) is hard. You're going to meet strange people that will have all kinds of new demands for you. Sure they may offer resources you don't currently have but you'll have to prove yourself all over again to a new bunch of people.

Plus once people outside of your department know you, they may expect you to help them solve issues for your entire department (not just your own stuff). If you gambled and worked with complete strangers in other departments, they may remember you and propose you for other big future projects. Who wants all that extra work?

2 - Say no to big new scary opportunities

Let's be honest, learning is hard. The next time an opportunity to work on a high profile project comes up, you should immediately dismiss it. Think about all the risks you would be taking. The bigger the risk, the bigger you may fall. Do you really want to take on big risk? Are you willing to gamble with your career? Sure a good performance could skyrocket you to the company hall of fame but that's not what you want. You want a slow, comfortable, cushy job that is easy to do. And if you fail, you may lose big. you're not a gambler. You prefer to play it safe all the time.

Remember that if you succeed with one of these "scary" projects, you may be nominated for other big scary projects. When will this madness end. 

3 - Never ask for feedback

Only the strong survive and the strong are perfect. You are perfect so why waste everyone's time asking for feedback. Feedback is a mechanism used by the weak to try to show improvement. You aren't weak. You are king. You are perfect and others are in no position to judge your perfection.

Conclusion

Self-improvement methodologies recommend being proactive, getting out of your comfort zone and pushing your limits. All things you don't want to do because you do not want or need career progression. Enough said. You  read this article so you deserve a coffee break. Go buy yourself a coffee and muffin as a reward.