By Rupa Nada, CMB, AMP
Most self-help books and authors define “career development” as the lifelong process of managing learning, work, leisure, and transitions in order to move toward a personally enriching future. While each of the above steps plays a critical and vital role for growth, career development is also about developing one’s skills that prepare you to best deal with change.
It is not uncommon to face unforeseen circumstances in our personal and professional lives. It is how we react or not react to these forces beyond our control that plays an equally important role in our personal and professional growth. Here are a few things we CAN control in our careers…
Embrace Disruption
We are in an historic moment in our lives, having witnessed firsthand the effects of a global pandemic of which we have no control. We face many challenges as a society, and we have adapted to this new normal. Disruptions in our careers are a more common occurrence than a once in a 100-year event; and, most of us struggle to deal with change in our work lives.
Imagine a road trip with disruptions caused by weather, back-ups, and detours created by road work. Would it stop us from getting where we want to go? No! The journey continues, albeit at a slower pace to our ultimate destination.
We need to have the same attitude and approach with our careers; speed bumps are an inevitable part of the journey and we may need to take a detour to reach our goals. “Take on a risk when it makes sense,” says Claudia Merkle, CEO of National MI. Merkle speaks from experience: she made a big move, both geographically and professionally, when she moved from the East Coast to the West Coast eight years ago to work for the private mortgage insurance company. The move paid off: Claudia was promoted several times, and, in early 2019, she was promoted to CEO.
View challenges that result from a change as an unexpected opportunity and learn to make change work for you to grow. Five years ago, I stepped outside my comfort zone and made a big cross country move from the West Coast to the East Coast within U.S. Bank Home Mortgage. This detour brought tremendous success and visibility, reinforcing another note of inspiration that I always use from Leon Megginson, “It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”
