Managing Your Career “Race”

Marcianne Kuethen

April 23, 2013

Ask anyone over 40: Where we end up in life is often not even in the same direction as the one in which we started! Oh sure, there are those people like my brother-in-law, who knew from the time he was a small boy that he wanted to be a pilot. In short, he headed that direction and has never wavered. I admire his focus, persistence, and commitment. But then his brother, who went to college for an art and photography degree, ended up happily running a recruiting firm, helping employees find meaningful work and encouraging companies to offer meaningful work opportunities. (Yes, he has run Amtec for the past 30-something years!)

My point is that, in managing your career, you can expect some twists, surprises, and unexpected changes in direction. And rather than fight against them, you may find joy in pursuing the doors that blow open when others slam shut. Regardless of how straight or crooked your path, Caroline Knight gives some great advice: “Run your race for yourself. You cannot worry about alternating your ‘career race’ based on the opinion of others. Your career race is your responsibility.” I especially appreciate her reminder that we cannot control our competition, so we shouldn’t focus on what our co-workers are doing. We can only control how we run our own individual race. Caroline urges us to perform at our highest level, define what the end of our career looks like, identify distractions so we can overcome them, and stay the course.

I found those suggestions thought-provoking! What distracts me from reaching my goals? Where do I want my career to end? To challenge your thinking, read the full, encouraging article here.

Want to advance your career, gain the respect of colleagues, or land a new job? Then improve your writing skills!