4 sure ways to grow your career in 2016

Now is a good time to think about what happened in 2015 and how you could boost your career next year- For this,  the following questions may help.

1/ Did you learn anything new ?

2/ Did you increase your business network and visibility ?

3/ Did you contribute to successful new projects that you would be proud to include in your CV ?

4/ Were you offered a promotion, pay raise by your boss ?

Depending upon the answers, you will know what to do to accelerate success. A clear "no" to any of those questions signals room for improvement . Besides,  a negative answer to at least 2 out of 4 of those questions may encourage you to look for another position- because you may have outgrown your current job.Let me explain.

#LEARNING

In a highly competitive job marketplace, learning new skills is essential. At least, you have to make sure that you are aware/ knowledgeable about the latest trends/ insights of your industry. Did you acquire more knowledge and experience this year ? Did your company provide formal or informal training ?

#BUSINESS NETWORK & VISIBILITY

The "market" value of any professional, particularly for customer-facing roles, depends upon the size and quality of his/her business network. Did yours grow this year ? Did you connect with more C and VP level decision makers? Were you invited to speak in front of other colleagues ? in trade shows/conferences ? or write in business media ?  Business is a social activity. Without the others (colleagues/customers/public), we are not visible. Growing your network is an essential part of any career development plan. 

# SUCCESS STORIES

What were your success stories in 2015 ? How many new customers did you sign ? How many new products did you successfully  launch ? Did you exceed your objectives ? Do you have a good story to tell about doubling/tripling the business with an existing customer ? Winning a large account back ? Making your numbers (sales quota for instance) is what your company expects from you. If you want to accelerate your career in 2016, you ll have to either exceed quota  or accomplish unexpected feats such as larger than life deals,  customer winbacks or successful new market introductions.

#TANGIBLE RECOGNITION

Did your boss grant you a bonus on top of your regular variable plan ? Did he/she speak about a significant pay raise in 2016 ? A new position with more people reporting to you? In a fast growing region/country ? Promotion and pay raises are the offspring of visible success and increased expertise.  They are the most tangible feedback that you can receive from your organisation, beyond performance reviews and "employee of the month" awards. If you have performed above expectations and did not receive any concrete promotion signal, maybe it is time to either make sure your boss is aware/ happy about what you do, or move on.

Learning. Networking. Delivering above expectations. Tangible recognition of your work. All of these will help you get to the next level. Are you ready ?

During his 20 year career, mostly with successful US and UK startups, Georges has sold services and software to hundreds of large accounts in Europe and America, managing international teams of customer facing executives. He is also an active writer on LinkedIn.