Build Your Career Super Powers
Who You Know Matters
In Washington DC, they say it is not what you know, but who you know that matters. The people in your network and your connections will determine how successful you will be. This is true in your career in DC or anywhere else.
I recently had a fender bender. No one was hurt, other than my car suffered more damage than I expected. If you haven’t filed an insurance claim in a while, let me explain how it worked for me. The process involves an insurance adjuster evaluating and deciding if and when the claim would be approved. Once it is approved, the collision shop can order the parts and begin the repair. Nothing happens until the claim is approved. In my case, it took over a week. We can blame the delay on COVID or the great resignation. All I know is that once I included my local insurance agent on the status update email chain, the claim was approved within the hour. Who I knew really mattered. It is in the same in career.
Life and Career Stages
We are all at difference stages in our lives. Some readers are still in school. Some are just starting out in their careers. Some are mid-way. Some are late-stage. Some are pivoting and starting a new venture. Some are retired. You may think this month’s career topic doesn’t apply to you, but let me show you how Career Super Powers applies to all of us.
How can we grow and excel? How can we help someone else? How do we define fulfillment? Let’s answer each of those questions as we build our super powers.
Grow Your Career
They say to move forward, you need to look back. When we started Cindy-Kay, it was to offer both something wonderful to solve a problem and something beautiful to bring joy. We didn’t stop there. We looked back at our blessings. We looked back at our struggles. We wanted to help someone else which is why we are a cause-based organization. Every product sale contributes to our donation to three women’s causes - sex trafficking, women’s shelters and legal aid. We are moving forward to help as many people as possible.
In math I loved logarithmic and exponential functions. I thought exponential growth was amazing in how the rate of growth increases over time. My thought is to apply this to helping people. The more people we help; the more lives that are exponentially impacted.
In your organization, who is your advocate? Seek out mentors and supporters. Get advice. Take the advice. It’s helpful to have guidance both inside and outside the organization to get fresh perspective. Stay in touch and provide updates to your mentors. Show them their input mattered. Those people become your “who you know”.
Help Someone Grow Their Career
Now it’s time to give support or give back. You become the “who they know”. Some people need help analyzing data, researching options or learning new skills. Some people need encouragement, so be the cheerleader. Introduce people you think can help each other. Recommend someone for a position. Share an opening you heard about. Listen. Encourage. Support.
What Fulfillment Means to You
Fulfillment in career is highly personal. It is helpful to understand what fulfillment means to you, and that seems to be changing. In terms of climbing the corporate ladder, there is a trend that Ann Friedman noted in an article she wrote for Elle. She said, “Thanks to long-simmering inequality and stubborn sexism, clarified by the pain of the pandemic, our definitions of success increasingly lie outside the realm of work.” Women are looking for something more, and something less. Money and power may be what you seek. Or it may not. Life balance and wellness may be becoming the new definition of work success and fulfillment.
In our case, fulfillment is giving women the chance to have a chance. It’s leveling up. It’s starting over. It’s healing and believing. It’s realizing the playing field is not level, and we have to intercede when needed. Where is someone doing that for you? Where can you do that for someone else?
This month think about growth in your career or someone you care about. Then take some steps to help them develop Super Powers.
Thank you for reading.
Wishing you beauty and joy, kindness and compassion.
About Super Powers
We break the year down into 12 areas of balance. You will achieve greater growth and life balance by intently focusing on one area at a time. This month’s Super Powers focus is on career. Next month is about creative life.
See the full year’s schedule.
Our goal with the Super Powers newsletter is to guide you with small, easy steps to improve many areas of your life. Over time these small changes add up to significant growth and improvement. You will be amazed at how far you have come when you look back at all your progress.
Empower Women
We are a caused-based organization. Do you want to help empower other people? Then, buy one of our products (mugs, journals, sacchettos, etc.) We donate 50% of our company profits to three women’s causes to help women who are struggling. Learn more about The Foundation United and Joy House at Milwaukee Rescue Mission.
What are Sacchettos?
Sacchettos are a new leather product that help keep you organized, keep you safe from pickpockets and make it a breeze to transfer your things to another handbag without forgetting anything. Your purchase helps empower other women through our donations.
It’s time to start building your Super Powers!
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