Stereotyping
Not to be overlooked in considering barriers to career advancement is the problem of stereotyping. An employee develops a strong interest and great expertise in a particular area of work at some point in his career. For a time, it is highly rewarding to be able to solve whatever problems arise in his special sphere of knowledge. Other people come to him from other organizations; he develops a reputation as an authority. While this image is forming, a stereotype is built in the minds of the managers above and around him. Whenever he comes to mind, they think of him as excellent in this area. To be sure, he is looked upon with warmth and high regard, but the close association with a single arena of accomplishment gradually begins to exclude all other kinds of work. As new jobs open, he is not even considered, because the new openings have no substantial content in his specialty. Meanwhile, for the employee, problems start to recur, and the sameness begins to weary him. He believes he is ready for another job. When he finally expresses this to his boss, he finds the barriers to a change almost insurmountable.
Employ a few simple safeguards to prevent this occurrence. Set time limits on the usefulness of certain functions, and let your boss know what you believe they are. Initiate regular career discussions to explore reasonable next positions before you're ready for a move. Put a professional counseling session in your career plans to help you rethink your values and targets. Its timing will depend on the stage of your career, but schedule it for no later than three or four years after taking" a job. You don't have to move at that time; just make certain you've considered the possibility. And of course, as soon as you're aware of stagnation, make your feelings explicit cither to your boss or to a specified member of the personnel office.
The Overcritical Boss
A second barrier to career progress is the overcritical boss. Given an outstanding individual in the department, the manager's attention is constantly focused on gaps in his performance, dates missed, feelings he has trampled on, reports he has submitted late. Often overlooked are his positive contributions: creative selection of much-needed, difficult projects, streamlined solutions to problems, a varied day-today activity completed with so little fuss and upset that it never comes to the attention of the manager. So the appraisals sent upstairs look just like those of a run-of-the-mill man; and unless the employee assumes the initiative, his talents will remain unknown to those higher up and he will be overlooked as promotional opportunities open.
Work plans developed with your boss before you begin the work so that you agree on the level of difficulty involved can be a help in this situation. Deliberate participation in community activities, special study groups, and similar non-organizationally structured activities can also help you to meet and be known by others outside your immediate work group. If taking these kinds of initiatives doesn't bring results, you may have to take formal steps toward a job change.
Differences in Insight
Throughout our discussions on career management, the importance of an individual's knowing himself has been stressed-what he is, what his priorities are, what he can and cannot do well, how others view him. Its absence is perhaps the most limiting of all factors. This is one of the practical realities to which you must address yourself in managing your career. There are two ways you can sharpen your awareness.
If you lack this kind of insight, you will probably be the last to recognize it. Your best course is to seek reactions and opinions from others. Pay special attention to direct or indirect observations from your boss, your associates, and others who really care about you and your future. Sensitivity, Managerial Grid®, or, more broadly, laboratory training may be useful.4 In addition, professional counseling by a qualified psychologist can be of considerable help.
Another practical measure is to watch for insight in the man for whom you work. If it is lacking in him, the chances of his ability to be of direct developmental help to you are small, and the probability of his moving up the ladder is low. So learn what you can from him, but plan to try for a job change after a reasonable period of learning. You may well have to take the initiative in this matter, so think through your program thoroughly and learn the ins and outs of the promotion mechanism, determining the best way to propose a change so as not to hurt anyone while still meeting your personal objectives.
An Overall Evaluation
In view of all the uncontrollables, can one really manage one's career? Yes. But it takes a thought-out objective adapted to the changing times. It takes a plan of action that works innovatively on factors in the working world open to influence and that faces up to those offering little or no choice. Even in a given situation with no options, it is usually possible to look for and identify courses of action that involve a personal decision to make a job change at a suitable point in time.
Career management also requires exploration and understanding of whatever systems for advancement or promotion are available in the organization. Career advancement means different things to different people. To some, it means climbing up the management structure. To others, it means finding work that brings satisfaction and an increased use of their talents. To still others, it means bringing about results that contribute to a better world. By whatever definition, each of us can be more effective in the future because of the better information now available, along with new tools and approaches for our use. Management can help employees and itself by opening its selection and promotion procedures to greater influence by the employee and using creative systems to facilitate and stimulate employee growth.
