Your boss can play a significant role in your career growth, depending on how willing they are to help you develop professionally. So what do you do if your boss is unwilling or unable to foster your career growth? Read on to find out.
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When you're starting your career, you'll have an idea of where you want to be professionally in the next 5 or 10 years. As you progress, this goal starts becoming clearer and more defined in your mind and the next career steps you take. You can even expect your career goals to change as time goes by to reflect how you've also changed as a person. A change in your career growth could be signified by a need to switch or advance roles in the same company or a shift to a new job or industry.
Regardless of your career goals, there should be some indication that your current job can lead to career growth to achieve the career objectives you've set. In fact, career growth is one of the biggest things that most people look for in new jobs. However, you may find that you're still not growing once you land the role, yet you have worked in it for some time. Why is that?
Unfortunately, the last time you will probably discuss your career growth is during the hiring process. Once you get the job, you'll likely just be focused on completing projects and tasks with your team. Your career goals might come up again during performance review season, but only as a way for HR to fill a box and not on an ongoing basis.
Most people automatically assume their boss will prioritize their career growth and development once they land a new role. However, most employers are unlikely to invest in their employees' career growth for several reasons:
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They are genuinely selfish and don't want to - Some managers just care about the company and themselves. If you try to advocate for your career growth, they may only help to prevent low company performance. In any other case, talking to such a boss about your career growth would be like talking to a wall.
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They don't know how to do it - Perhaps your manager was also thrown in the deep end and they don't have the training and experience to facilitate your career growth.
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They don't prioritize it - In some cases, the company does not reward or measure employers for growing their employees, so career growth is low on the to-do list. However, they can still prioritize it if they see that it is vital for your motivation and happiness and only if you push for it.
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Your boss is overwhelmed - Most bosses manage huge teams, put out fires, and spearhead projects, making it hard to keep your career growth in mind.
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Your boss does not know what you want - Your manager cannot read your mind, so if you don't bring it up, they will not know you want to take active steps towards your career growth.
Regardless of the type of boss you are dealing with, give them the benefit of the doubt and be empathetic to the demands, pressure and stresses they're handling.
Fortunately, you can take control of your career growth without relying on your boss to do it for you. Take the following steps to progress with your career growth so you can push your boss to engage you in this endeavor.
Start during the hiring process
If you are passionate about your career growth, mention it during the interview process.
Hiring managers usually allow you to ask questions during the interview, so take advantage of this opportunity to ask how they invest in their employees' career growth. If the interviewer is a peer ahead of you professionally, you can ask them how the company has contributed to their career growth.
Based on the answers you get, you can decide whether or not that job or company is for you.
You can also ask about opportunities for career growth during job offer negotiations if that is your goal. That way, you'll set yourself up for success from the get-go.
Bring it up during one-on-ones with your boss
When starting a new role, you will have plenty of questions about what to do and where to go; don't forget to follow up on those career growth opportunities you talked about during the interview.
Take advantage of any one-on-one sessions with your boss to focus on your growth, fixing any problems, feedback, and coaching; basically, all the stuff that doesn't fit into your typical workday. This will help you maintain consistency with your boss in taking steps towards career growth.
Develop a career growth plan
You must have heard, "where do you see yourself in 5 years?" or "what is your 5-year plan?" at least once in your career. While a 5-year plan is not a necessity, you should at least have a definite idea of where you want to end up professionally in the future and what you need to do to get there. How you achieve your career goal is dependent on the company and your employer.
In cases where employee development is ingrained in the culture, the boss may take the reins in terms of your career development. However, if this is not the case, you will need to take things into your own hands and actively work towards your career growth. Create a plan for your career growth and highlight the steps you'll need to take to get there. This way, even when approaching your boss about your development opportunities, they can see how to help you.
Communicate what you need
You and your manager need to communicate regularly for your career to thrive. If your boss only wants to talk about your performance and career goals during annual performance reviews, they are probably not interested in your professional development. If this is the case, be willing to make clear plans and ask for what you want, be it feedback, new assignments, relevant projects, or training.
A good starting point would be saying something like this:
"Hey boss*, I would like to move into role x in the next 3 years and you have the best idea of what it takes to do that. Can you help me see what I need to do?"
Get outside help
If your boss is still unwilling to help, you can seek out people who can help your career growth from outside the organization. Look for people who are further along in their careers from you or whose achievements you admire. Mentors can be pretty helpful in this avenue.
Once you have identified potential advisers or mentors, you can make the first move by asking them for career advice. After this, they may be invested in you to see if the advice they provided worked for you, and you can take it up from there.
Make yourself visible
Put your name out there internally by involving yourself with projects that align with the company's vision or values; or solve a need for the organization. This will establish your value to the company and help to give you some status that could eventually propel your career growth.
You can also find ways to establish your status outside the company to make yourself noticeable within the company. Do this in ways that align with your expertise and interests based on your career goals. It can be through building your social media following by creating engaging content or working with associations within your industry. Then you can use your outside influence or industry recognition to become a go-to resource for the company.
Look for alternative options
If you still feel your boss isn't helpful in your career growth efforts, keep putting your best foot forward to achieve excellence in your work. Good work rarely goes unnoticed, after all.
However, there is also the option of leaving as a last resort if you have used every card up your sleeve and feel there are no signs of career growth in that company. You can find many great opportunities for career growth with other associations or organizations. If you decide to leave the company, make sure you leave gracefully without burning any bridges in case there is a better opportunity that could bring you back.
In closing
The conversation on your career growth will evolve with your boss every time you have it. The more progress you make in your work, the more your superiors will notice, and hopefully, better opportunities will come your way. Even if your boss isn't very cooperative, these tips provided will help you make money moves towards your career goals.
