Kaizen for Careers

Have you had that “a-ha” moment in your life when you’ve realized that what got you from Point A to Point B is not the same as what will get you from Point B to Point C? Early in my career, I would have to interject my comments loudly and quickly in order to be heard over the aggressive engineers on my team. At first, people were appreciative that I made my point succinctly; however, as I progressed in my career, that approach came across like a jackhammer — loud, abrasive, and not collaborative. As a senior leader in the room, I had to work (and am still working) on establishing a communal environment in the room by watching my tone, slowing my speech cadence, and recognizing that I no longer have to “interject quickly” to be heard.

Is it time for you to change your style? How do you know when your current set of tools are not effective for getting to the next step in your career?

1. Do your behaviors need to change? Seek feedback early and often. Have a set of trusted “advisors” (peers, your manager, your subordinates) who are working closely with you who can give you real-time feedback. If you have an important presentation or meeting you are attending, ask a peer in advance to provide feedback in core competency areas where you are trying to improve (e.g. setting a collaborative environment, showing charisma, etc).
2. Is your view of the situation outdated? Has your environment changed? Changes in environment can include a promotion, joining a new team or company, new executive taking over your team, or even a gradual evolution in culture of your team. Behaviors that were tolerated or even encouraged last year may not be acceptable this year. Make sure you have a continuous pulse on your environment through a tight feedback loop.
3. Try incremental changes based on feedback. Trying new behaviors can be counterintuitive and feel awkward, and you may be wondering if you are caught in an authenticity paradox. Keep your overall goals in mind, and know that slight changes to your style that benefit the overall organization are not inauthentic behaviors. You are still being true to yourself even if your style gets adjustments along the way.
4. Is the goal that you’re gunning for still the one that is correct for you? You should often ask yourself if your destination has changed and what’s next.

A major mistake that many people make in their careers is assuming that what got them from Point A to Point B will also get them to Point C. A Kaizen methodology of continuous feedback and incremental improvements can help you navigate your career in a world that is constantly changing. It takes a level of self-awareness and discipline in order to accurately assess feedback about your situation and your behaviors, and the first step is to be aware that change is constant. In the wise words of famed Canadian rock band Rush, “He knows changes aren’t permanent; But change is.”