How to develop self-management in the career

The framework of career attitudes first coined by Briscoe & Hall in 2006 is of great help in this regard. And you know what? Career competencies or career attitudes can be measured and developed.

Let’s look at what these particular career attitudes are first. Then we’ll dig into the development part.

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Career Attitudes

There are four career attitudes that have been scientifically identified. The person who has all four of them is considered a career architect. Career architects are masters of self-management in the career. Furthermore, every one of these four attitudes is represented by a body part.

• You need a body. The body represents your sense of purpose in terms of your career. In other words, do you have an affinity with personal career priorities and are you inclined to follow your own beliefs and/or gut-feeling when dealing with professional dilemmas?
• You need arms. The arms represent your preference to personally take charge of career matters. Do you grasp opportunities rather than to conform and wait for opportunities to be offered?
• You need a head. The head indicates your preference for mental openness towards new situations and for moving on towards new contexts that require one to adapt and acquire new knowledge.
• You need legs. The legs indicate your inclination to progress the personal career path and the readiness to take a leap or change the current context when it no longer suits your own career values.

Do you possess all four body parts? There’s a way to know. TalentLogiQs offers a questionnaire, the Career Fitness Profiler, which allows you to measure these attitudes (among other career-related topics like career values and energy stress balance).

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Developing Career Attitudes

But even without measuring, it might be clear to you that you want to start developing one or more of these attitudes for self-management in the career.

Let’s see how I can help you:

• If you don’t have a strong body, you might consider developing a clear career vision. Actively engaging in reflection is the answer. Good questions are: “When I look back on my career in twenty years or so, what is it I would like to see?” or “What do I want to see more of in the world and how can I make this happen in a professional capacity?”
• If you don’t have strong arms, you can start working on your personal branding. Draw attention to yourself, for instance by letting your boss know what you have accomplished this week or set up a great LinkedIn page.
• If you don’t have a strong head, you probably are not aware of that in the first place. In most cases someone actually has to tell people they lack mental openness. If you are aware you need to develop yourself, you might want to engage in active networking or look for a project within your company that forces you to work with people from other departments with a different view on things than yours. Opening up to their views instead of fighting them will help you along in your project and eventually in your career.
• If you don’t have strong legs, you have some psychological work ahead of you. What is holding you back? Which fears do you have concerning mobility? Ask yourself if what you are telling yourself is actually true can be helpful. Also, fear can also be a case of fearing the unknown. Do not fear the unknown, find a way to make it known.

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Do you get it?

Please consider the next four (out of sixteen possible career types) When the body part is dark, the person has the career attitude it represents. When the body part is light-colored, this person might want to start developing that body part. What kind of career behavior do you think these types will show and what risks do you see? Can they help themselves to career success?

Contact us if you want to find out more about how to measure and develop self-management in the career. Learn about the Career Fitness Profiler and Career Discovery.

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Reference:

Briscoe, J. P., Hall, D. T., & Frautschy De Muth, R. L. (2006). Protean and boundaryless careers: An empirical exploration. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 69, 30-47.