Make-It-, Help-It-, Let-It-Happen Career Management

How does a corporation help its employees develop their careers for the future? At CIBC, Barbara Wilson told Career Buzz listeners (March 26, 2014), about three levels: 1.Make it happen is about “more deliberate” initiatives including succession planning and executive talent management. 2.Help it happen means that key roles, say in retail or wholesale banking or IT, have “well planned out career paths” and support. Also in this level, Barbara spoke about “affinity networks” focusing on diversity including youth, women, aboriginal community, internationally educated professionals, people with disabilities, and others, and provides them with professional and personal development, communities of practice to support internal networking, and tailored coaching.

At the 3.Let it happen level, “career can be employee owned but it doesn’t mean employees are left on their own.” The let it happen level is now one of Barbara’s main areas of focus by making it “more robust and supported with career tools.”

What are the clues that apply to you? Consider which of the three levels of career management that Barbara spoke about, applies to you and learn how to access the support you have internally.  Try this: If you’re in the let it happen level of career management at your organization, reframe your idea about career management along the lines of what Barbara said about CIBC, that it’s a “shared responsibility between employee and manager, supported by the organization.” As such, you can start taking your share of the responsibility by writing your ‘career statement‘ which you can share with your manager. It might sound like this: “Here’s how I’d like to shift my career internally ____ and what I’d like to do more of ___. These are my strengths and accomplishments that support such a move ___. Here’s a story of when I used these strengths ___.”

Need help making your career happen in a more proactive way? Check our individual career programs.

Listen to the whole interview with Sharon Ferriss of CERIC, and Luciano Volpe & Frank Colella of Inspire Toronto.