There is no set blueprint to follow as it pertains to navigating your career path. What may have proven to be successful for one individual may not be the most suited path for another. There are also many factors entirely outside of our control that often heavily influence the choices we make related to our careers; these factors are not only tied to our professional pursuits, but also to our lives and relationships away from the office.  

While there may be no set blueprint, and while there may be factors influencing our journey that are outside of our control, that does not mean that we should set out without a plan, simply hoping for the best. What it does mean, however, is that we should be comfortable adjusting our plan while remaining true to our north star. By having a clearly defined north star, you can assess opportunities and make decisions day-to-day that are optimal for you and your career based on where you are aiming to go. A north star may be to one day be the Chief Revenue Officer for an NFL team, or it may be to open a corporate partnership consultancy practice, the important thing is not the goal itself as much as it is its presence.

Once you know where you are aspiring to reach, there are several considerations I believe to be of great significance when it comes to controlling the parts of your journey that you can control. A few of the most important considerations, are:

Prioritize Development

• Career progression and advancement should not be solely measured by a title bump or a pay increase. In fact, this can often be a very misleading way to measure development. This is not to say promotions and compensation increases are not important and to be celebrated – of course they are. What is critical, however, is that you are not sacrificing your development as a professional strictly to chase another dollar or the next title. For example, as an individual contributor partnership seller, an opportunity with lower comp but includes management scope could be a far better opportunity than a role with great comp but an individual contributor seller in scope. If you are developing the right way, compensation and titles will come to you naturally as a byproduct. Prioritize development with the long game in mind.

Master the Fundamentals

• No doubt we have all been told to “master the fundamentals” at one point or another. Whether it was a parent in the backyard showing you how to shoot a free throw, or a teacher in the classroom trying to get you through algebra class. Having a strong foundational grasp and understanding of the fundamentals to any discipline is key. It is important, especially early in your career, to prioritize mastering the fundamentals. If you do not feel like you have mastered the fundamentals in your current role but have been offered an opportunity with another organization in a more senior capacity, ask yourself if this move is setting yourself up for success with your north star in mind.  

Build Confidence via Experience

• Confidence is usually a combination of preparation and experience. As you think to the most confident leaders and executives you have been around, my assumption is that they are highly prepared and experienced individuals. An accelerated career path can often mean valuable experience has been sacrificed. Often this becomes most apparent as people transition from an individual contributor role into a position of leadership. True self confidence and comfortability grown from experience, repetition, success and consistency over time allows for great leadership traits to shine.  

Network & Relationships

• Your network, your relationships and how you treat people are pivotal. No matter your title, your organization, tenure, etc. you can consistently be building your network and nurturing relationships you have with others. Be intentional to not only network with those that are senior, but to also network with your peers in addition to those coming behind you. Network with the intent to provide value to others without any expectation of receiving anything in return. Taking this approach to networking and relationship building often shows returns in unexpected ways.

Stack Success while Embracing Failure

• Understand that your wins and failures become far more visible and impactful as you advance in your career. Do not be afraid to try and fail, especially earlier in your career, if anything you should embrace failure. That’s where you will learn. It goes without saying that success in your role is needed to progress and be promoted internally or win a role with another organization; however, what is not as obvious is the value in failure. None of us are perfect, so do not strive to be so perfect that it paralyzes you from pushing yourself to be your best or from trying new things. You do not want the first time you experience failure to be when the stakes are their highest. Fail, fail often, fail early, but do not be afraid to fail.  

Attitude & Effort

• If you only pay attention to one controllable factor outlined, let it be this one. Attitude and effort are entirely within your control every single day. The power that resides within these two attributes is profound and will not only bear fruit in the success you see via your own pursuits and ventures but will also be a tailwind to your journey that you do not realize is there. Peers notice it, clients notice it, leaders notice it, recruiters notice it – it matters, it is of no cost, and it is nothing more than a choice made each day and a commitment to that choice.

Focusing on the controllable considerations above will go a tremendous way toward putting you on a path to success. This focus on controllable considerations then combined with an intentionality towards making decisions using the filter of, “Is this putting me on path to my north star?”, is a recipe for sustained long-term success.  

There will always be variables outside of our control. With that said, success typically has a knack of finding those that are doing all that they can to put themselves in the best positions possible through effort, focus and consistency.