A simple career choice – search through the maze or simply cut through. In today’s change-addicted businesses the fastest path to career success is inevitably by successfully delivering change. It’s that simple and that hard.
It’s a simple choice, which requires developing the fundamental people and organisational capabilities to deliver. And as we all know, that’s never easy.
Here are 5 simple steps –
1) If you are new to project work, acquire the skills and knowledge to be able to define, structure, and manage the work. There are plenty of courses available and whether they are based on new techniques such as Agile or more established methods such as PRINCE2 ™ they can provide a solid grounding in the business of change.
2) Get yourself on a project or change initiative that promises real business value. If you want to be recognised as someone who delivers results, make sure the results count. Delivering on strategy or improving the customer experience is always valued. Upgrading some low level software may just not cut the mustard.
3) Plan the work and work the plan. After all, it’s all about getting things done. As simple as it sounds, most people are more focused on being busy than actually getting things done. Do this and you will stand out from the crowd.
4) Get to know all the stakeholders and what they want and don’t want. Use this information to guide your work because if you can get things done and manage stakeholder expectations at the same time, you will quickly move to ‘hero’ status.
5) Communicate progress and any issues to all interested parties. In fact, communicate till it hurts! This may be a short list but it’s tall on career development. If you can plan your work, get more done, and engage stakeholders all at the same time, you will stand out from the crowd and your career will skyrocket.
Mark Ives
