Many of us have been told that in order to climb the corporate ladder, we must be patient, dedicated, and determined. There’s always this pressure to sacrifice everything to achieve our goals according to a timeline.
Although it’s true that we need to do our part to advance professionally, our career growth isn’t only up to us. Our professional journey can be likened to hiking a mountain: we must prepare ourselves to take on the hike and we’re the ones who have to take each and every step to reach the peak, but so many other factors affect how well we can climb and reach our goal. So, what else do we need for a successful climb up the corporate ladder?
1. Supportive leaders and teammates
One of the factors that could make your hiking experience more worthwhile is being with skilled hike guides and reliable hike mates. Guides and fellow hikers who give you advice and specialized tips throughout the climb can make you feel safe. You’re sure that you’re in good hands.
In a corporate setting, being part of a team that’s encouraging makes it easier for you to unleash your potential as the team is supportive of your skills development and career goals and actually helps you attain them.
It’s a plus when leaders care about the career development of each team member, because these mentors have the capability to guide employees to different internal opportunities. For example, by assigning a new task that could hone one’s skills, signing someone up for trainings and workshops, or even giving someone an opportunity to lead projects or activities. Everyone is given the chance to learn, improve, and lead
2. A caring company culture
The ultimate goal when hiking is to reach the top of the corporate ladder; but your well-being while climbing is also significant and actually helps achieve the main goal too. As they say, it’s not just the destination, it’s also the journey. Right? Hiking in itself is hard, so you don’t want to be with people who make your climb more difficult because of how they treat everyone else. A solid team culture is a must-have when hiking.
You want a team that understands everyone has their own pace and their own set of skills. You need hike guides who know to ask how everyone is doing and if they need more rest or some help along the way… leaders who know how important it is to stop at beautiful mountain spots to let everyone enjoy nature, forget about the climb, and recover their strength for what’s to come.
Company culture and career development
In the same way, company culture has a huge impact on career development. Often times, employees deal with heavy workloads and stress. Left unchecked, the weight of all their professional responsibilities can cause dissatisfaction and demotivation at work that impacts performance and growth.
Leaders connect with their team
Real supportive leaders are willing to invest their time and effort in their team. They check on everyone: ask how they are, whether they need a hand with some tasks, and if anyone needs any special assistance or a break from work. Employees who feel cared for and appreciated avoid feeling burnt out and maintain solid motivation and focus on performing well and continuing their skill development with their company.
Diversity is key to career development
Further, one of the most important reflections of team culture is the openness to diversity. Is your hike group composed of different genders? People of all ages with various backgrounds and skills? Are they all given the same support, the same opportunities along the climb?
That concept applies to corporate culture too. Being in a company that promotes diversity bodes well for your career development. That likely means they respect all their employees equally and want everyone to have the same chances for success.
TTEC’s culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion is a great example. TTEC takes pride in its company culture and its truly diverse workforce. Everyone’s given an equal opportunity to work and advance their careers. TTEC has great internal infrastructure that ensures employees are accepted, protected, supported, and celebrated. You feel welcome and ready for any skills development and career opportunities!
3. Career mobility
Flexibility is also very important for hiking. Taking a single path and leaving no options for adjustments and rerouting can spell disaster for a climb. If your hike guide has maps with multiple paths to the mountaintop, you’re in great hands. Hikers need the freedom to choose what climb option is most suitable for them. These options let hikers feel more in control of their adventure to the top of the mountain.
Professionals need this same kind of adaptability in their company. Employees can discover new skills and a different career path they want to pursue. They can feel stuck and become curious about other lines of work within the same company. They can start to seek new challenges outside their current field of expertise. If your company doesn’t have much flexibility, your career is slightly boxed into whatever path you’re on.
That makes career mobility an important way your company can support your professional development. Career mobility is the ease with which employees can change their career paths internally – for example, going into marketing after working in customer support. This can give you more control over your professional future and a wider landscape of opportunities. Good companies like TTEC make sure that employees have a wealth of internal opportunities.
4. Additional tools and knowledge through training
Of course, professional advancement and career mobility depend on how well your skills and experience meet the qualifications for new roles you’re interested in. In hiking terms, you can only take on more difficult trails (promotions) or try a new path (career shift) if you’re well-prepared for those jobs. You can’t rope down a steep slope with no experience and without the help of an expert. (And who would want to?)
In general, trails become steeper as the hike progresses; the climb always gets harder. That’s why getting more knowledge, tips, and guidance from your hike guides and hike mates all throughout the journey is invaluable.
Prepare for roles at every step of your career
The same availability of knowledge and support is essential throughout your corporate journey. That’s key in diversifying your skills and preparing for different roles at all stages of your career – before or after a promotion or career shift.
To enhance your career growth, companies must regularly provide effective trainings, workshops, and other learning opportunities to prepare you for new roles.
TTEC BUILD Program
TTEC believes in the importance of continuous learning and how it benefits career growth. With a BUILD Program that helps employees learn the right values, processes, and principles to serve as the next leaders for the company, TTEC tries to set you up for a successful, growing career.
Climbing the corporate ladder requires proper self-preparation. But remember, your success depends on more than just your own efforts. Take note of the other factors that can affect your career growth greatly. Remember to assess whether a company gives you the best chance to succeed on your career hike. It’s your professional journey, so make sure almost everything aligns to help you achieve your goals while you progress up the corporate ladder.
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This article is brought to you by TTEC.
