Want Advancement, Invest in Your Career Capital

I was introduced to Career Capital by Laura Vanderkam’s book, “What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast: A Short Guide to Making Over Your Mornings—and Life.” This delightful book collects essays on tactics used by highly successful people. Career Capital is like a compound interest, make small investments and overtime and in the end you have a substantial tool to help in career advancement or job transitions.

The book got me thinking about my career. I may not have consciously considered building my career capital, but as I look back and move forward, I continually take steps to develop my career capital to support my own career opportunities and advancement. Today, I will share four areas where I have placed intention and attention in my career. The tactics include knowing your craft, building confidence, understand business drivers, and networking = net worth. What steps are you taking? I hope these ideas are a helpful addition as you navigate career opportunities.

Know Your Craft

I imagine you have heard the saying, “Fake it until you make it?” You may have practiced it. Did you continue to fake it for some time, or did you dig in to come up to speed quickly? While many of us will experience a gap in skill or knowledge, it doesn’t make us weak or less valuable. Knowing you have a gap and not doing anything about it will hurt you over time. Therefore, invest in learning your craft.

Knowing your craft doesn’t lie in knowing every detail or specific regulations; the key is clearly understanding the concepts and knowing where to find the information when you need the specifics. This strategy applies to a regulation, a technique, or a software tool. We all have specific areas of our field that we like doing and skills we are good at; conversely, there are areas we prefer not to dabble in. I am not suggesting spending your time in areas of disinterest; for me knowing beyond my desires helps me be more effective in the areas I want to be known for.

A well-rounded professional will consistently outperform a myopic and elitist mindset.  Seeking knowledge is a growth mindset, and the openness to learning reinforces your career capital.

Build Confidence

When I began my career, the firm I worked for provided a rendered site plan for every project we delivered. Rendering was a coveted task, not something they gave to recent graduates, and I wanted my turn to create one. The medium was markers on 32×40″ print paper. The markers we used were not Crayola; they were professional markers in various colors that I could not afford to own. Imagine how wonderful a job you have if your goal today is to illustrate (color) a site plan.

Finally, my boss allowed me to illustrate a site plan.  He hovered above my desk as I began, commenting on nearly every stroke. It was very stressful, and what I thought would be fun certainly was not. After about 45 minutes, he got impatient with me and expressed that it needed to be done; he didn’t have time to talk me through it, so he removed it from my desk, took it to his office, and finished it. Someone else’s opinion stripped away my joy at work in less than an hour of trying.

I was devastated. I have done numerous renderings and have skills in drawing, painting, and hand illustration. In a few short minutes, my superior eroded my confidence. I knew my boss well enough that I wouldn’t get another chance. I also knew I would need to move on if I wanted to utilize my design and rendering skills more fully. The realization was a good first step, but I needed my confidence back before I could move on.

I knew I had the talent, but I needed proof as a reminder. Over the next few months, I returned to the office each evening after everyone else was gone, and I worked on my rendering skills. At the end of the evening, I would roll them up and place them under my desk. I never shared them with my boss, but when I was ready to move on, I had an array of renderings in my portfolio.  

The effort took time, the reward reinforced what I already knew. I had talent, and the practice helped me prove it. Even if someone tells you otherwise, it doesn’t mean it’s true. It’s more a reflection of the messenger than on you. Confidence is a muscle, and building it will help your career capital flourish.

Understand Business Drivers

A business is like a car; what is under the hood makes it move. No matter where you are in an organization, think beyond your role, job function, or personal challenges. Listen closely to monthly and quarterly reports from organizational leaders. Although they may not be explicit, a message of business drivers will be present within the organization’s strategic plan.

Strategic plans encompass vision and foresight and come from a view of the big picture. Financial goals tie to the big picture. Consider what you can do to further the business within your role; this may mean increased time spent on revenue-generating activities, or securing additional revenue through new work for the firm.

Not all activities are direct revenue boosters, but pay dividends in the long run. Keep your conversations about work positive; they are infectious. Look for ways to support the team to be more effective, more innovative, or create aesthetically pleasing work.

No matter where you are in an organization, understanding business drives, giving them attention, and working with intention congruently within the organization’s goals will further the organization’s success and, in turn, your success. When your efforts result in something special, and you bring capital into dollars into an organization, your career capital will grow exponentially.

Network = Net Worth

Networking takes work; it is easy for some and hard for others. I have learned that if I know five people, I can make it through an hour without too much wandering alone time—a couple of tips:

1. Get ahold of the guest list and find the individuals you want to meet or someone you know.
2. Come up with a plan, and have a few things to discuss, whether it is recent news of your industry, or the region. Avoid contrived stories, find something meaningful to both parties
3. Networking is a first step, and a platform to follow-up on the interaction, not for making a deal.  The follow-up is where you can share more of your expertise and how a further relationship may benefit both parties.

A connection becomes a network when it’s a win-win for both parties. The win may be small initially, but as you nurture relationships and overvalue over several interactions, that care will be in the form of net worth. There may be a time when you need a new career opportunity or you need to add members to your team. If you have forged an authentic professional relationship, you will have support at pivotal times of change in your career or position. Foster connections for a lifetime by following up regularly -a couple of tips:

1. If you see an article that may interest an acquaintance – send them a note (card or e-mail) with the article. Follow up a week later and ask them what they thought.
2. Offer connections; if you know of a need they seek, whether to build their team or their career, look through your network and share connections.
3. Share your experience with those coming up in your field, be a mentor and invest in the next generation.

These three points don’t need to take a lot of time. It’s the little things that matter, and with these actions, you are positively depositing into your career capital bank.

Conclusion

Solid career capital doesn’t happen overnight; it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Make daily deposits by knowing your craft, building your confidence, understanding business drivers, and expanding your network. Setbacks may come. The investments you have made in your career capital will help you weather the storm quicker, keeping you confident and grounded in times of change. In what ways have you built career capital? I would love to hear your ideas. Please share your thoughts here or privately to hello@starstunning.com