Can being too complacent derail your career ? Think about it.

We all like to feel happy in our current jobs, wanting to come to work every morning, satisfied at work, thinking ourselves to be indispensable and apart from these we like to feel at ease with our boss, our colleagues and to enjoy ourselves if the company culture is conducive to doing so.  So you may think that if you truly enjoy your work why you would even contemplate a change.

However we need to realize the danger of being too satisfied and contented, because what happens in the longer run is that we face the danger of disrupting our career. We tend to lose the ability to grow and may only realize the situation we are stuck in when it may be too late. So wake up and push yourself out of your comfort zone before you kill your career.

The truth is that many professionals may not realize the disastrous path they might be treading and what damage they may be doing to their careers by being too contented and satisfied. You may well think that you are the only person in your company who can do what you are doing, but remember no one is indispensable and it is very important to keep yourself marketable so that you may have a place in your industry and your employer also realizes your worth.

So what do you need to do – YOU NEED TO BE PROACTIVE ABOUT YOUR PROFESSION – by

• REMAINING UPTO DATE : In order to perform it is essential that one remains up to date. In the highly competitive job market of today you need to continuously add value. Just doing enough to hold your job won’t take you far. You require to have information of changes in your profession, enhance your hard and soft skills through continuing training, maintain your industry knowledge as well as follow the latest trends and developments in your field.
• CONTINUOUSLY ADDING VALUE : In the competitive work environment of today you need to constantly find ways of showing how you can add value and exceed expectations on the job. By doing so you will be displaying your commitment to you team and job and also showing that you have the ability to advance in your career. Some ways you can display your talents is by solving problems, showing initiative when required, looking for improvements to build efficiencies and improving your skill set.
• DOING SELF ASSESSMENTS : It is always beneficial to be self aware and carry on self assessments to know where one stands. A person who is successful and wants to grow in their career is constantly on the lookout for what they need to focus on to develop themselves and improve their skill set and abilities. Carrying out a self appraisal also highlights areas where one is living up to one’s Managers expectations and areas which one needs to focus on to increase one’s productivity.
• NOT HESITATING : Be ready to seek out and accept challenges. Your company may have a Job Board where internal advertising of new jobs are carried out. Be aware of new positions which come up and confident of accepting challenges if they are in the direction you want to grow your career. Most employees have reservations and lack confidence in themselves to apply for a new job. Research shows that women are worse in this regard and only apply when they meet 100% of the new job specifications versus men who go ahead when they meet only 60% of the requirements. Remember, if you are not ready to accept challenges you will continue to remain where you are today.
• NETWORKING : It is critical to build contacts and relationships at work to stay upto date on what is happening. It is also essential to build a network of business contacts by staying in touch with former class mates, colleagues and also clients and or other business contacts. Joining professional bodies may help to maintain contacts within ones professional circle and very often it is through these various networking channels that other opportunities arise and you may be approached for a new job.
• KNOW WHEN TO CHANGE : There may come a time when you when you realize that any further growth and advancement is not possible in your current job or company. You may have applied for internal vacancies or pressed for promotions but to no avail. Your increments maybe small or you may have hit the ceiling in your salary band so two options face you, accept the situation or move on. Obviously the choice has to be made by you, but you also have to be prepared with other options in order to say goodbye and move on.

So , the bottom line is that we do not let complacency move on to us. We need to be current, ambitious and engaged in our jobs to be successful. The job market is tough and we need to continuously update our self otherwise we will be left behind. Reflect upon yourself and what you want to achieve, start to add value and lead yourself forward in a career which is filled with success.