Put your plan in motion
When launching efforts to achieve your new goals, do a little digging to find out what existing resources are already available to you — books, articles, seminars and white papers are great places to start.
Discuss your ideas and ambitions with your supervisor and ask for his or her support in helping you achieve them. You might be pleasantly surprised at the reaction you get when you take the initiative, and the assistance your supervisor is wiling to generate. Some questions Guyer suggests asking include: Is there a seminar on this subject I can attend? Are there some stretch assignments within the organization where my skills might apply? Can I put in some extra time on a certain project?
Seeking out a mentor who inspires and encourages you is another smart way to get ahead.
“Hire a coach, find a peer; maybe it’s your supervisor, maybe it’s not, it depends on what that relationship is,” Guyer says. “Find somebody who, on a regular basis, you can go to and have a conversation about successes and failures. There are going to be times when you come up with an idea and it doesn’t work the way you want it to. You need somebody to dialogue with on how to run that out.”
Lastly, look for ways to grow and get engaged outside of the lab — participating on cross-departmental committees, doing lean processes with different departments or joining a professional association are all avenues that can lead to new contacts, leadership opportunities and career growth.
Getting your career growth back on track requires you to be proactive. Take an inventory of your strengths and skills, write a personal mission statement, set high but achievable goals, and ask for the support you need. Follow this simple plan, and you’ll find yourself more motivated than ever to take your career to the next level.
