How you can race ahead

Most people are interested in advancing in their chosen career - but is advancement a proactive process where individual actions like long hours and extra training can make a difference, or is it mainly reactive, with employers advancing people at their personal discretion or as a matter of course.

Career experts spoken to for this article say both scenarios are possible, depending on the employer, the industry sector, and the individual skills and values of the career climber.

Chris Freeman, director of Tauranga career consulting and coaching business FuturePace, says he has seen people just turn up, do a good job and get promoted; and international career and life coach Christian Dahmen says New Zealand executives take a more reactive approach to advancing a career than executives of other nationalities.

"Most of the people I deal with think they only have to wait until the headhunter calls or see an ad in the paper to advance. But in Germany, people make it their goal to have their name in the files of top executive search companies and spend ten to fifteen per cent of their business time on activities that will advance their careers," says Dahmen.

Dahmen invites his New Zealand clients to imagine their career as a large tree. Reaching the first branch requires the biggest effort and likelihood of failure; circling the tree and figuring out the best way up can be likened to obtaining the right education and training. Once people get started they find the climb easy for while until the thicker branches thin out; then they find previous career advancement strategies don't work and so become insecure about going higher. Dahmen says the answer is to trust several different branches - or people - and build a network in order to progress.

"Research shows many people leave organisations because of one or two people - if your boss doesn't like you or ignores you, your career cannot advance. So it is lax to only rely on one or two people for career advancement," says Dahmen.

Kevin McMahon, a partner with executive career coaching company Blue Chip Coaching, says reports about the tight executive labour market in New Zealand and associated demand for particular skills tends to make some executives reactive rather than proactive about advancing their careers. But those who make an effort irrespective of the state of the employment market advance to a much higher level, says McMahon.

"It's not just about getting appointed. If someone is serious about career development, they will position themselves by constantly developing the skills all employers want," says McMahon.

What are these? The consultants unanimously agree they are the 'soft skills' of interpersonal ability and emotional intelligence. McMahon says despite generation theorists, there isn't a huge difference in EQ between generations and soft skills can be learned and developed - it's the realisation that they're needed that takes time.

Freeman says the need for people able to deal with and relate to other people is something every profession has in common.

"The people who are really going to advance are going to be those who relate well to other people," says Freeman.

He says five years ago, there was more emphasis on promoting individuals based on technical or industry or specific expertise - now that employers realise management and leadership roles have a critical impact on other people, they are looking for leaders with emotional intelligence or EQ.

McMahon says the key question employers today ask is: is this individual aware of themselves and their moods; are they aware of the moods of other people?

"Employers can break that down to a raft of specific competencies from conflict management, to inspiring and motivating others," says McMahon.

Dhamen says as career climbers reach the top of the career 'tree', more people are involved in assessing the climber's performance, and reviews, such as those conducted by boards, become more networked and complex. Networked relationships and "friends of friends of friends" can therefore help enhance and stabilise a career, he says.

"Norris is a fantastic example: he ran the ASB Group, half retired, returned as saviour of Air New Zealand, and was then recalled by the ASB's parent company to run a worldwide organisation. The parent company looked at what he had achieved on a different tree and pulled him back to the 'mother tree'," says Dahmen.

Beyond people skills, networking and EQ, Freeman says people who lose sight of their own values and motivators may have trouble convincing an employer they're ready to advance. Ironically, such people are typically top performers.

"They work so hard at what they do, they forget why they're doing it in the first place. If you are not living your own personal values or principles - the things you would not give up like being honest or staying healthy - then work can start to go wrong," says Freeman.

But isn't taking the time out to discover what really matters detrimental to career advancement? Wouldn't an employer take a dim view of a star performer who took time out to 'reflect'? Freeman says employers with that attitude need to ask if they really want to advance employees who lack passion or focus.

Beyond the navel gazing and EQ skills, what else can be done to advance a career? Do long hours and extra training make any difference? Freeman says with a bit of luck career climbers will get results from these efforts.

"I think employers do sometimes [favour] those who work long hours. But long hours over a long period of time doesn't do anyone any good," says Freeman.

Dahmen says ongoing courses and learning can help advance a career.

"I am a big fan of competency models for the right people at the right time. Young managers can learn priority setting and time management, and then be concerned about their personal development and where they can make real progress," he says.

He advises people not to waste time on things they can't easily change. Too many formal career courses work on people's weaknesses, when they should be focused on their strengths, says Dahmen.

Freeman says there's also nothing wrong with being up front with an employer about what needs to be done in order to advance a career. People who know their strengths and limitations will know when they can go to their boss and just ask what it would take, says Freeman. Similarly, it takes skill to know when to move on and advance somewhere else.

Dahmen says people tend to decide whether they will climb up the tree, stay on the same level, or climb down.

"Climbing down is an interesting one; while it used to be considered a failure, it's not any more. You can climb down from a status salaried position to being self employed and find it a lot more attractive because you are fulfilling a passion," says Dahmen.

He says New Zealanders are known to love working hard and, when passionate display commitment cheerfully. As such, they may advance their careers without a conscious effort.

It may be cliche, but the best way to advance your career is probably to love what you do in the first place.