How to build and sustain career momentum in the workplace

Kenya: Majority of people do not set career goals. If they do, they do not draw a clear line or map on how to get to their desired goal. Individuals who wish to grow their careers must define the direction they want their jobs to take.

They must be keen to recognise momentum breakers and concentrate on building and sustaining momentum. A lot of employees start the New Year upbeat about their job prospects. They hold on to high hopes that the boss will effect that overdue pay hike , that their colleagues will be more cooperative, that their families will be more supportive and so on.

Unfortunately, they do not make clear and deliberate plans on the actions they will take to attain the much-needed success. They do not recognise they are in their perceived rut due to the cyclical habit of wrong choices, one of them being inconsistency in their momentum.

Failure to plan is planning to fail and kills momentum. A person who undertakes an assignment without a clear plan may never complete the assignment or worse still, may accomplish it after the deadlines. They lack drive and passion to work. They are in a stale state that can only lead to stale results.

It is of paramount importance to define the career goals that one has set out to attain. Once goals have been set, the actions must be focused towards achievement of the goals. Personal goals must be in line with your organisation’s corporate goals to ensure there is no conflict of interest.

Embracing change

Periodic reviews should be carried out to ensure that you remain on the right track. Being resistant to learning and change is a serious momentum breaker. Some individuals are so rigid with the little they learn that any new idea is met with furious resistance. Embracing change therefore becomes a key determinant of momentum.

It is also important come up with new ideas to accomplish tasks, especially if the old ideas have proven to be obsolete. Only an insane person keeps doing the same thing the same way while expecting different results. Creativity and innovation are powerful momentum builders. Strive to remain inquisitive and young at heart in order to keep momentum on an all time high. Building excellence is a also great momentum builder.

A person of excellence appreciates the need for continuous improvement. They believe in setting new records year in year out. They are uncomfortable with the old and always seek new challenges. They set out with an ‘I can do’ attitude and are never intimated by past, present or impending failure.

Honesty and integrity are other ingredients of building momentum. These must be adopted wholesome on both the personal and corporate front. These two are key components of individual self image that plays a key role in building trust, confidence and lasting relationships necessary to sustain momentum.

Discipline, time management and great organisational skills will prove indispensable to sustain the momentum. In addition, an open minded attitude to criticism provides great opportunity to make amends and keep moving. Make a decision to employ only momentum builders this year and watch your career progress in the right direction.

-The writer is a human resources specialist at Peoplelink Consultants Ltd. Email: goretti@peoplelink.co.ke