MANAGING CAREERS

SESSION 17

Debolina Dutta

1
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT TO TAKE AWAY FROM
THIS SESSION?
Video: The Career Venn Diagram

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ofFHBNrW8c
What is Career Management
• Two-way process – employees' perspective as well as company’s perspective

• Employees’ perspective –
– values, beliefs, interests, affiliation, strengths and weaknesses
– Access to Information (opportunities)
– Career goals/ calling/ ambition (outcome)
– Means and ways to achieve those goals (process)

• Company’s perspective
– Motivate employees to reach certain goals and positions (outcome)
– Filling up certain roles and positions (outcome)
– Creating an environment to ensure growth of employees (e.g. training and
development) (process)
Think of the career journey of a role-model leader?

• Accomplished ?
• Successful?
• Career moved with changing priorities and goals
• Life structure- life moves from on phase to another with relative periods of stability and
change
• Role of periods of transition (exploration, growth, development, reassessment etc.)
Why did you do an MBA?

• Better career growth

• More money
• Better status
• JLT/ Everyone else is getting one
• Pressure from parents/ relatives
• Passion to be in Management career
How much can you relate to your role model leaders?

• Why did you do an MBA? (period of transition?)

• Dream stage?
• Expectation vs. reality – how do you cope up with it?
• What is the role of other’s vs. your own contribution to your career – how do you think
this would change in the future
What drives you in life?

• Getting ahead in life!

• Having a sense of security (socially, financially, economically, stability etc.)
• Having autonomy, control and freedom
• Needing constant stimulation (interests, satisfaction etc.)
• Having a balanced life (all aspects of life are important)
Success is preceded by a number of drivers

• Getting ahead in life!

• Having a sense of security (socially, financially, economically, stability etc.)
• Having autonomy, control and freedom
• Needing constant stimulation (interests, satisfaction etc.)
• Having a balanced life (all aspects of life are important)

• What do you think were your role models’ drivers?

What do you think were your role model’s drivers?

• Getting ahead in life!

• Having a sense of security (socially, financially, economically, stability etc.)
• Having autonomy, control and freedom
• Needing constant stimulation (interests, satisfaction etc.)
• Having a balanced life (all aspects of life are important)
 What is success?

What is psychological success?

How would
you label Why is an identity change
important?
someone as
successful? When does an identity change
not happen?
• Success attributed to luck
• Identity change is not recognised by others
• Did not enter a new learning phase
• Success was at the cost of another failure
Why is it important to know about objective and subjective career success?

• Usually “success” comes at the cost of some failure

• Achievement of goals sometimes does not necessarily feel like “success”
• Internal notion of success sees no external validation
• The role of your “calling”
– At different points internal and external validation have different roles
– Strong sense of purpose
– Identification through careers
What is an identity change?

• Increased self-esteem (derived from the current state of career)

• More competent identity
• Increased involvement in career
• Usually a trigger for the next stage of career
• Internal as well as external validation
• New opportunities visible
Implementing a corporate career lattice:
The Mass Career Customization model
Cathleen Benko and Anne Weisberg
 Knowledge Changing
worker expectations
shortfall of men

Convergence
of six Changing
Generation
Family
workforce Structures
X and Y

trends
More,
better
Technology
educated
women
Corporate Corporate
Ladder Lattice
Corporate Ladder Corporate Lattice
• Traditional hierarchy • More conductive to
• Singular path upward evolving matrix
• Move up or stop moving structure
• Work versus life balance • Multiple paths forward
• Fits more traditional • Move faster, slower,
family structure change directions
• Assumes worker’s need • Career-life fit
remain constant over • Adjusts as worker’s need
time change over time
 The Mass Career Customization framework &
Career Stage Research
CAREER STAGE RESEARCH: psychological tasks ,values ,
Pace preoccupations and relational responsibilities differ across
career stages.
. Role . • Levinson Model of Development : Adult life in 4 era’s
separated by transition period of 5 years between each
• Super’s 5 stage model
. Workload . • Growth
• Exploration ( vocation choices – mid teens to mid 20’s)
• Establishment ( emphasize workplace success : 20’s-40’s)
Location/Schedule • Maintenance ( Remain Productive, non-work life aspects; 40’s-
60’s)
• Decline (disengagement from work, world and retirement)
 Consistency doesn’t necessarily mean sameness

Enablement, not entitlement

It goes both ways

Some pitfalls and
solutions The full measure

Time and trust

Not an island
Interview Selection : Amplified Projected Persona

Projected Persona

• Best Fit
• Collaborative/Innovative
• “Change the World”
Vs. Morphing the TRUE Persona

Real Persona?

• Best “Mis-Fit”
• Friction
• “Change this talent”
Get your 1-Minute Assessment for FREE!
https://hrtool.dotin.us/registration
GARDNER’S MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE
HOLLAND’S VOCATIONAL STYLE
Some slides to ponder as you go forward – 20
minutes …
• Drawing on the work of Peter Drucker on “Managing Self” and your
individual resilience scores, the next set of slides are intended for
your personal development.
Managing self for career success What are your
strengths?
How do you
(Feedback
work/perform?
Develop a deep analysis, finding
(reader or
understanding of places to apply
your strengths, listener, type of
yourself learner,
work on
structured or
improving your
unpredictable,
strengths, avoid
small or large
arrogance,
groups?)
remedy
weaknesses)

What are your

Where do you How can you
values? (mirror
belong? contribute?
test)
Managing relationships for careers

• Understand others have strengths, weaknesses, dreams, goals etc.

• How do you contribute to the relationship (communication, information and nurture)
• Building trust
• The kind of colleagues and your work environment – determines what kind of
relationships you need to build (strength of networks, social ties, social capital)
• Managing upwards as well as downwards for careers
• Managing externally (professionally as well as personally)
Managing transitions (changing jobs)

• Job transitions are risky (for individuals as well as organisations)

• Changes can affect you up to 5 years
• Advantages in previous career phase need to be enhanced/ retained for the next phase
as well (e.g. reputation of the firm, moving with colleagues – retaining network, moving
clients/ vendors etc.)
• Things that could be career-killing: not doing enough research, motivated by one factor
and ignoring others (e.g. money), escaping rather than moving into a new role,
overestimating your own capabilities, thinking short-term over long term
Becoming a Manager
A Manager’s Three Imperatives
 • Role conflict, role scarcity and role
accumulation
• Deriving social identity through careers
Challenges • Attributional ambiguity
• Dynamic environment
• Domino effect of incorrect career choices
Ways to take your career in your own hands

• Understand what you’re evaluated on

• Solve for your own blind spots
• Codify your learnings
• Increase your visibility with the leadership
• Become an expert in an area of increasing importance to your company
• Seek good counsel and mentoring.

Source: 6 Ways to Take Control of Your Career Development If

Your Company Doesn’t Care About It by Carter Cast (HBR)
 • Success is dynamic
• Success is different for different people
Summary • Relationships are essential
• Success might not be a zero-sum game