How do I get ahead at work? What will take my career to the next
level? Most employees will ask themselves these questions at some point
in their lives, and the answers can be elusive.
According to the
latest available public survey
(2019), the average person changes jobs 12 times in their lifetime.
Some of these changes move us up, but others can involve a lateral move,
or a switch us to a different career area altogether.
Change doesn’t always equate to increased satisfaction. And, to this
point, this decade has thrown us some curve balls in terms of how we
work and where — which has thrown many of us off our game, shifting our
career plans.
With the prevalence of remote and hybrid work, many report feeling
isolated, disconnected, having difficulties finding work-life balance,
encountering challenges with productivity, and having to manage DIY
technology issues on top of standard workplace challenges.
And if you have a spouse or family, that’s a whole other
conversation! These are not trivial considerations, and they add extra
obstacles when negotiating the charge up the career ladder.
Catherine Mattiske is a leading global business educator and author
with 30 years of experience across industries, including banking,
insurance, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and retail. She has seen and
experienced major shifts in how we work and do business over the years
and has developed some timeless advice and innovative tools for becoming
an asset in your workplace.
“Success means different things to different people,” states
Mattiske. “The realization that my definition of success is not the same
as the definition my clients, colleagues, or employees would offer is
part of what led me to think deeply about individual human differences
and the way we think and talk about them — or don’t.”
Mattiske is the founder of Inner Genius, a tool which leverages an
innovative algorithm to assess an individual’s specific learning
preference, categorizing them as one of 12 Inner Genius Archetypes and
providing a key to how individuals best receive information, process
knowledge, and perform tasks. It is shown to improve their ability to
learn and communicate in all aspects of their life — and how best to
work with others. Ms. Mattiske states:
“Knowing how you learn gets you into your Genius Zone. That is
the place where you are operating effectively and efficiently plus
bringing the best of yourself to your work, your team, and the
organization.“
The foundation for your success, then, largely depends on you being…you!
Even before fully exploring how you learn, you can master aspects of
your motivations, connections, and attitude that can make a difference.
So, before letting change and overwhelm cloud your goals, consider
four major keys to unlocking your success at work that can supercharge
your career aspirations — regardless of your work location and unique
challenges:
“What fuels you?” says Catherine. “Are you doing this for the paycheck
or for something more?” Finding your fuel is about discovering (or
rediscovering) what you’re passionate about. It could be enjoying
working in a team setting, becoming one of the leaders in your field, or
even buying your own home. Whatever it is, once you (re)discover that
fuel, remember it each morning. Remember it while commuting home, if
applicable. Reflect on it during the down times and during big
successes. “Your fuel is your motivation,” says Catherine. “And if it
doesn’t motivate you, you haven’t found it yet.”
“If you want to unlock your success at work, become someone who masters
your strengths and works on your weaknesses,” says Catherine. No matter
how good you think you are at something, someone else is always better;
the good news is you can learn from them! Solicit their advice, invite
them to lunch, or even make them a mentor. Also, be brave enough to
discover where your weaknesses are and take the time to develop them.
Mastering strengths and working on weaknesses is something that many
high-level performers and achievers do and is part of what Catherine
calls the Growth Mindset. “Those with the Growth Mindset never stop
learning, always solicit feedback from those around them, and constantly
seek ways they can improve.”
Someone who creates flow, chemistry, and connection is the type of
person everyone wants on their team or wants to lead their team. “When
we talk to someone and come away feeling like they ‘know’ us or that
they are ‘speaking our language,’ we feel immediate kinship and
connection with them,” says Catherine. “We may be able to do this with
one or two people in our lives, but the ability to do this with everyone
will take your career to the next level. I call this skill ‘Genius
Quotient,’ and it is absolutely teachable through knowledge of learning
and communication archetypes.”
Be positive. Think positively. Let go of negativity quickly. Not only are the abilities to be positive and smash negativity two more traits of the Growth Mindset, but a
2008 study concluded that not only is happiness often “correlated with workplace success,” but it actually “often precedes measures of success” and that the “induction of positive affect leads to improved workplace outcomes.” “If you want to unlock career success, train yourself to let go of the negative with ease, constantly focusing on the positive no matter the external circumstances,” says Catherine.
When taking this perennial advice into account, you’re armed to take positive steps in your career — regardless of what the world throws our way!