For Fast Career Growth--Grow Towards the Sun

Plants aim themselves at the sunlight , not away from it, if they’re looking to grow.  Similarly, if you’re looking to accelerate your career growth (fast career growth), aligning yourself with the world around you (i.e. growing toward the direction of business today) will accelerate your growth.  Fast results will come easier and provide more impact when you grow your career in the direction the business market  is moving or ‘wants you to grow’.  That’s not to say you cannot differentiate yourself in an effort to forward your career…you can certainly do that, and should, in conjunction with growing towards the sun.

Your self-development and career growth efforts should be aimed at building competencies somebody really wants to buy.  In this case, we’re talking about your employer (or potential one), the outfit that pays for your services.  That is your CUSTOMER.  Your customer is the ‘sun’ that you grow towards.  Point yourself and your growth towards that sun.  Point your direction and self-development toward ways that bring your employer (customer) their key benefit/desire:  New Profits.

Accelerated growth in the career sense doesn’t automatically come from making YOURSELF better.  It comes from being able to benefit your CUSTOMER even better.   Talent is nice to have, but the more important issue is whether you can deliver a “Profit-improver”?  Delivering quality work through a talented person is nice to have but in today’s rapidly-changing environment, the top line question is still the same—Are you a star at adding value in the direction your customer is moving??

It’s not about how good YOU are, as much as how good you will make THEM.  This will help you focus on relevant growth.

Concentrate on developing yourself in ways that will bring superior value to your end user (customer).  Make sure you know and respect your employer’s needs.  Emphasize how you and your skills can add value to the organization that is hiring you or your services and you create high marketability for yourself.

If you develop yourself in the right direction of the market, you can put a premium pricetag on yourself and still be seen as a bargain.  Contribute enough and you’ll create high demand for your work.

Like it or not, every one of us is at the mercy of the market.  You’ll be most successful at building your career if you remember to grow and sell what the market wants to buy.