Taking Career Risks
Risk is always a scary word. We go to great lengths to avoid risk, instead opting to take the path of least resistance and the safer option.
But what if, instead of fearing risk, you leaned into risk? What if you rewired your thinking to see career risks as potential career opportunities? A Harvard Business Review article from 2015 penned this headline: “Not Taking Risks Is the Riskiest Career Move of All.”
Here are a few ways you should look at taking calculated career risks.
Start networking outside your company or industry bubble. Networking in general is inherently important to career advancement. However, many people don’t know how to do it well. Invest time in others and learn about their roles and how they intersect with your responsibilities internally, and seek external networking to see if there is a better career path for you and how to turn that into a reality.
Many times, making those initial connections is the key to breaking into a new career path or industry—especially the niche ones.
Take time to develop new skills—even if it’s on your own dollar. Ideally, your employer would be providing professional development funds to anyone who asked. But, that’s not always the case. Additional corporate trainings or workshops are usually vetted and approved by the firm. However, by investing in yourself using your own capital, you can try new things that you want to do.
An investment in yourself is ALWAYS a worthwhile thing.
Don’t be afraid to leave your job for a better job. While the famous idiom is true about the grass not always being greener on the other side, there are times when it is beneficial to make a change. Even if it is a lateral move on the career ladder, if you are stuck in your current role and see no path to advancement, you may want to consider taking a risk and moving on.
Sometimes to move up, you need to find the right place that will give you the tools to succeed.
Take initiative and take on a massive project. Sometimes the best way to get noticed is to be bold and take on a challenge. Succeeding or failing isn’t even the biggest factor—stepping up when no one else would will get you some positive attention from leaders in your company.
Be bold and take the initiative!
Work less and achieve a better work-life balance. This may sound counterintuitive and a complete contradiction to the above point, but there is a season and time for everything. While you may be in full career advancement mode, many others are honing their skills at their current level—in order to make a larger jump at the opportune time. By balancing work and home life responsibilities, you will feel less stressed and, potentially, more creative as a result.
Organize your priorities according to your life stage.
Navigating risk is a part of life. Just remember, taking a calculated and well-researched risk is not a bad thing. In fact, it may be the spark you need to take your career to the next level