5 unwritten rules of career growth

This week was slushy. The snow was, that is. A bunch of slush. Snow, mixed with rain, mixed with ice, it was not great. But on the plus side, I didn’t slip.

Yet.

The tundra aside, this week, I’ve been thinking a lot about career growth in the various projects I’ve been working on. Which leads me to this topic of the unwritten rules of career growth. It’s an important topic; sometimes, it’s not the things that are explicitly called out that we should be doing. There are plenty of unspoken rules and truths of career growth. At least I think so.

Let’s jump in.

Your visibility often matters as much as your performance: If no one knows what you did, then it didn’t happen. There are several ways to make your impact visible; share your accomplishments on Linkedin, keep copies of different projects you worked on (those that are publicly available on the internet) so you can use them as projects to share with future employers during the interview, and try to talk about what you’re up to at work; the wins you’ve had lately, something you helped shipped, a milestone you’ve reached, something funny that happened. Whatever it is stay visible; after all, in today’s market, it’s all about who you know. So show the people all your good stuff!

Managers remember patterns, not moments: One consistent behavior can shape your reputation. Think about it: would you rather be known for someone who is on time, consistent, reliable, creative, and results-driven? Sure, they may not remember that one time you posted about reaching a milestone with web traffic, or community membership, or conversions to paid, but they see the bigger picture of who you are at work and the value you bring because you are consistent.

Your boss isn’t responsible for your career, you are: If you’re looking to grow in your role, they need to know that, which means you need to advocate for yourself. In other words, ask for what you want. What’s the worst that could happen? If anything, it gives them intel into how you’re thinking about career mobility so that when the chance does come up to support that, they remember what you told them (Ideally you’re giving them something tangible too; create a deck showcasing where you see yourself going in the next few years with a prioritized top 5 list of the most important factors to you when it comes to growth).

Asking good questions makes you look more senior than having all the answers: Senior folks are focused on clarifying assumptions and understanding the ‘why’ behind something. Asking questions also shows curiosity, strategic thinking, and awareness of the bigger picture. It’s more than just executing the tasks; it shows you are thinking about the the work, the team, and business more broadly.

People don’t remember what you did; they remember how you made them feel: This could not be more true. It’s actually a similar sentiment to #2 above. Sure, folks might not remember all the projects you launched and how great you were as a cross-functional partner on that one campaign, but they will see the bigger picture of you based on the patterns over time. If something went wrong at one point with something you worked on, but you owned it, communicated clearly, and showed up with empathy, that is what will stick with people. And things that go wrong make for great stories later. “We’ll laugh about this later.”

What would you add to this list? What are some unspoken career rules/truths that have guided you during your career?

Thanks for reading and for being here. I don’t take for granted that you care what I have to say. Or even if you don’t care, and you’re still here; thanks for being a fan anyway. ❣️

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