PHOTO BY: tamakisono

I’m finding the need to have a series of posts about careers and how to change or grow them. This is the first in the series. I don’t know how many there will be. I’m thinking 3 or maybe 4.

“We’re in a society where HR is less and less about career development and more and more about benefits management. Companies are no longer the stewards of your development and career.” That’s Chris Brogan who I’m just silly over.

I have this weird school girl crush on him because everything he says just resonates with me.

And how he says it also drives home the points that we are in this together. Him and Mario Batali, they are the two people I use to answer the question “if you could have two people to dinner who would you invite?”

I think these two souls are passionate about what they do, and are humble, they work hard and know how to work a room. I think I’d learn a lot.

So back to careers.

Let’s assume you like what you do but you want to do more, or have greater impact or maybe you want to do less and be off work more. Regardless you and your career are not happy partners and you know it’s time to examine the quality of your work life.

This would be a great time to pitch an assessment that I’ve created, but I don’t have one and I’m not pitching anything but ideas. So let me start.

A super simple -overly simplistic way- to approach this is to say, figure out where the rub is then make it better.

That’s the answer to most conundrums, no?  So try to answer why is there an issue? Is it your job or your boss? Are you not making the money you thought you would? Is it outside pressure to do more or be bigger? Are you working hard and not getting recognized? Are you able to contribute more but not given the opportunity?

I came across best case scenarios of workplaces in my text books in college. HR was aligned with the senior levels of management; developing the human capital and striving to put the best brains on the payroll was the primary focus of HR. If you were identified as high potential worker you’d become the pet of HR and they’d buff and shine you up all pretty for the company (read professionally develop you extensively.)

That’s best case. That’s not real world for most of us.

In the world I know you are fortunate to get heard when you report that you got new training or that you want larger assignments and you are given new work. Often it comes down to being dismissed which leads to disengagement and unhappiness in the workplace. The real world I know uses metrics such as how long did it take to fill a position, not did the best person get put into the role.

So what’s a worker to do?

Back to Chris’ statement above. HR doesn’t do much to develop people these days. So who’s going to help you? Well there’s me and other coachie people but really it’s up to you. Stinks I know, but that’s how it is.

I’m not saying you are alone, part of fixing things is finding people to teach you or support you while you create change. But in the scheme of things you need to identify what it is you want to do, either do exactly like you are doing now, disengage more, or change for the better. (The keep, pitch or grow theory which needs it’s own post.)

Keeping on doesn’t need any new action. Disengaging, while you’ll change it’s not what I’m here for either, but growing?

Growing is gold. It’s the goop on the end of the Q-tip; it’s what we dig around for.

[The image up there now makes sense. Let me say there was a goop covered Q-tip flickr image I choose not to use, because while the imagery is potent it was a little too gross.]

So Post 2 is going to be about how to navigate that change. As far as blog postings go, I’m getting dangerously close to too long here. I promise I won’t keep you waiting too long for the next installment.