A successful career won't just happen - actively manage it!

Many people want to achieve success in their career. Some actively manage their careers so they achieve it, while others leave it to chance. Unsurprisingly, if you really want to achieve success, the first option is more likely to work. So what are my six tips?

Decide what you want. You need to be clear on what you ultimately want to achieve and what ‘success’ means to you. We are conditioned to play small but if you want to be the CEO of a top organisation, set this as a goal. You might not know how to achieve it, but you have taken the key step of setting an intention.

Carry out a self-assessment. One thing those who achieve career success have is a high degree of self awareness. They know what skills they have and those they rely on others for. They know how their behaviours, style of working and how they communicate affects others.

Ask for feedback. Successful people see the benefits of getting feedback and if you want to be successful, you need to get it. A common mistake people sometimes make is to ask too few people, or not a wide enough cross-section of people, for feedback.

Go the extra mile. If you want to get to a senior level you need to apply a high degree of personal commitment. You don’t maximise your success by doing the minimum. On the other hand, you cannot give your best if you are facing burnout. Be willing to go the extra mile when needed, but be ready to recharge too, in order to maximise your contribution.

Build your reputation. Maybe as someone who creates great teams, suggests creative solutions to challenging problems, brings out the best in colleagues, and inspires others - to name a few. Decide what you want to build a reputation for and then start taking the actions to support this.

Continually develop yourself. In business, things develop continuously and if you want to achieve lasting success you need to continually develop yourself. Even if you mastered just one new thing each month you would have 12 new skills or attributes by the end of the year. If this was replicated in the teams you are part of, imagine the impact that would have.

Nothing is guaranteed in terms of your career, but by actively managing it you can greatly increase your chances of success.