The_Essential_Manager_s_Handbook

78 / LEADING OTHERS

Managing careers

Charting your own career path

Self-assessment is an ongoing process

in career management. Successful

careers develop when people are

prepared for opportunities because they

know their strengths, their methods of

work, and their values. Self-directed

career management is a process by

which individuals guide, direct, and

influence the course of their careers.

This requires exploration and

awareness of not only yourself, but

also your environment. Individuals

who are proactive and collect relevant

information about personal needs,

values, interests, talents, and lifestyle

preferences are more likely to be

satisfied and productive when searching

for job opportunities, to develop

successful career plans, and to be

productive in their jobs and careers.

In today’s rapidly changing business landscape, managers need

to actively manage their careers and provide career guidance to

those they are managing. To determine where and how you can best

contribute, you need to know yourself, continually develop yourself,

and be able to ascertain when and how to change the work you do.

Driving forward

The first step in self-directed career

management is planning. Taking your

strengths, limitations, and values into

account, start searching the environment

for matching opportunities. Use the

information you gather to establish

realistic career goals and then develop

a strategy to achieve them. As you

progress through your career plan,

regularly undertake performance

appraisals to make sure that you

are remaining on track and that

your goals haven’t changed.

Ensure that those you

are managing have

reasonable workloads

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