Working Hard and Smart Is Not Enough

Tips For Career Progression and Sustainable Career Life

My old man gave me advice about success, that I must work hard to be successful, have career progression, and climb up the corporate ladder.

I followed that advice for 20+ years and guess what? It did not work. Well, it might work for baby boomers in the 70–80s, but not anymore. Then I told my son, Generation Z, that we need to work smart and not to work hard.

I always thought that was golden advice, and guess what? It did not work either. Working hard and smart is not enough. Do not fall into the trap that is called the “curse of good worker.”

What is the Curse of Good Worker? When we only work, work and work. Eventually, this will backfire on us. It will not give us career progression, learning development, and opportunities.

To some people, it also does not give them a decent salary increment. We are only production machine. What are the tips for career progression? Could we have a sustainable career too?

Tips For Career Progression

1. Networking

Do not repeat the mistakes of Generation X. You have to network for career progression. I’m not suggesting involving in the office politics, but networking is essential.

Even if you are a parent, you must network. My folks told me that family is important. Their advice to me was, to spend time with family and save money to buy a house.

I was a high performer. Guess what? My performance and achievement were taken for granted. It was hardly recognized. They did not give a learning development; let alone a career progression. They only throw me a bunch of work with no overtime payment.

I observed that those mediocre, who had career progression and eventually climbed the top ladder, had good networking. Networking means having connections. Making connections with the right people will open the door to your influence. This will lead you to have career progression.

Some career opportunities, training, and developments were discussed during Friday night drinking or at social events. I always missed out because I never attended.

I must stress it again; you must network occasionally. This is not an excuse! Do not save money for small things. Think big and not small. You can outsource the household chores and child minding. The cost of outsourcing is lesser as compared to the opportunity gained.

2. Personal Branding

Sometimes, introverted people may face a networking issue, because it is not their cup of tea. Networking could make them feel anxious and awkward.

Another tip for career progression is to advocate for yourself. For introverted it could be through personal branding via social media platforms like LinkedIn or internal office digital platforms.

Post the latest technology or ideas into digital platforms. This will create the impression of how knowledgeable you are. It will boost your selling price. I hope, your manager or other leaders can see your potential and treat you as a valuable asset for the company.

Even if you are not active in social events, your voice and ideas are recognised in the office digital platform. If you can focus on your strength niche, you could become an expert to a particular area and you will be treated as indispensable.

Tips For a Sustainable Career

1. Technological Enhancement

To have a sustainable career, your knowledge of technology enhancements in your industry must be current. Technological enhancement went so rapidly; like speed lighting since the introduction of Apple smartphones in 2007.

Since then, new business models using apps have been introduced. It was not a conventional business model anymore. Below are the examples.

• Uber was founded in 2009. Uber does not own a car.
• Netflix started streaming in 2007. Netflix does sell DVDs.
• Spotify was launched in 2008. Spotify does not sell CDs.
• Airbnb was founded in 2008. Airbnb does not have apartments.
• Uber Eats was introduced in 2014. Uber Eats does not own a restaurant.
• The trend now is the generation of AI, where AI eventually starts to replace humans.

You must apply creative thinking to suit technology enhancements. It could be a new venture business model. Creativity and innovation are key factors in having a sustainable career.

2. Learning Other Skills

Learning other skills apart from your main skills is beneficial. Due to rapid technology; new business models/innovations are created. Consequently, collective/combination skills between different areas can be treated as a competitive advantage.

Examples of collective/combination skills in the construction industry:

• the combination of chemical and civil engineering — the introduction of green concrete
• telecommunication and construction management — the application of drones for assessing progress claim valuation.

Thank you for reading this blog and I hope you enjoy it. I would love to receive feedback (both positive and negative) from you. Thank You

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