在公司裏看不清職業發展道路，你該這麼做

We all know the old script: join a company, work hard, move up the ladder. But it’s been decades since that was a reliable path, and not just because of layoffs or outsourcing or robots.

我們都知道這樣一句老話：加入一家公司，努力工作，向上爬。但這是一條可靠的道路已經走了好幾十年了，不僅僅是因爲裁員、外包或機器人的出現。

These days, the culprit preventing many professionals from identifying a clear career path at their company is simply that one no longer exists. Given that successful companies must often pivot to adapt to changes in the marketplace, and the half-life of many skills is now estimated to be five years or less, companies often have no idea what staffing needs they’ll have in a few years’ time or who would be qualified to fill them.

如今，妨礙許多專業人士在公司找到明確職業道路的罪魁禍首，已經不復存在了。考慮到成功的公司必須經常自我調整以適應市場的變化，現在許多技能的半衰期估計五年或更少，企業往往不知道員工需求他們會在幾年後或將有資格勝任這些工作。

As Cathy Benko and Molly Anderson predicted in their 2010 book, we’ve gone from a corporate ladder to a Corporate Lattice, in which professionals’ career progress may only sometimes be linear — and often, may instead appear diagonal or horizontal. Guidance from companies on how to move forward in this environment is often minimal, because they just aren’t sure.

正如凱茜•本科和莫莉•安德森在他們2010年出版的書中所預言的那樣，我們已經從一個企業階梯發展到了一個企業格子，在這個格子裏，專業人士的職業發展有時可能只是線性的——而且往往可能會出現對角線或水平的變化。公司對於如何在這種環境下前進的指導通常很少，因爲他們只是不確定。

Increasingly, they’re relying on individual professionals to take more active control of their careers — a topic I’m frequently called in to speak about for corporate audiences. Here are four strategies professionals can follow to successfully navigate the new terrain.

他們越來越多地依賴個人專業人士來更積極地掌控自己的職業——我經常被叫來爲企業聽衆演講這個話題。這裏有四種策略，專業人士可以遵循，以成功導航新領域。

First, it’s essential to make yourself aware of the possibilities. One appeal of the traditional linear career path was that it didn’t take much research: while not everyone achieved the end goal (such as a promotion), it was very clear what it was. In the new workplace reality, individual professionals almost have to take a detective-like approach, investigating and vetting opportunities. That may not be hard in smaller companies, but in large global enterprises, information becomes key.

首先，讓自己意識到各種可能性是很重要的。傳統的直線職業道路的一個吸引力在於，它不需要做太多的研究：雖然不是每個人都達到了最終目標（比如晉升），但很明顯它是什麼。在新的職場現實生活中，獨立的專業人士幾乎必須採取一種類似偵探的方法，調查和審查機會。對於小公司來說，這並不難，但對於大型全球企業來說，信息就是關鍵。

I recently participated in an Aspen Institute roundtable on the future of work, and one C-suite executive noted that in her sprawling multinational, it would be almost impossible — without proactive research and conversations with leaders — to even be aware of the possibilities. That’s why it’s essential to cultivate a broad network, both inside and outside your company, so you have visibility into areas of the business that may otherwise be opaque to you.

最近，我參加了阿斯彭研究所關於未來工作的圓桌會議。一位高管指出，在她龐大的跨國公司中，如果沒有積極的研究和與領導者的對話，幾乎不可能意識到這種可能性。這就是爲什麼在你的公司內外建立一個廣泛的網絡是很重要的，這樣你就能瞭解到你不瞭解的業務領域。

Second, it’s important to seek out help. Even if your employer isn’t providing explicit guidance about your career path, they’re likely to recognize and appreciate the value of an engaged employee who is raising their hand and asking for support. If you go to HR with suggestions about professional development programs or conferences you’d like to attend, courses you want to take, or functional areas of the business you’d like to understand better, they will often be extremely receptive, as you’re modeling the ideal, proactive behavior that many of today’s talent leaders seek to cultivate.

第二，尋求幫助是很重要的。即使你的僱主沒有就你的職業道路提供明確的指導，他們也可能會認可和欣賞一個敬業的員工的價值，他會舉手尋求支持。如果你去人力資源部提出建議，提及你想參加一個專業發展項目或學術會議、課程、或你想更好地理解的功能區域的業務，他們往往會非常接受，因爲你正在建模的理想，做出積極主動的行爲，而這種行爲也是許多今天的領導人尋求人才的特質。

Third, don’t wait to hear about open positions. Instead, identify your own ideal opportunities. In my book Reinventing You, I profiled a management consultant named Joanne Chang who reinvented herself into a successful career as a chef. Her secret was — instead of waiting to respond to job postings, where she’d be competing with scores of other better-qualified candidates — she wrote personal letters to a dozen high-profile chefs she admired and explained why she wanted to work with them. Her targeted approach set her apart and landed her a job within days, despite her lack of formal credentials.

第三，不要等着聽空位的消息。反之，要確定自己的理想機會。在我的書《重塑你》中，我提到了一個名叫張婉怡的管理顧問，她是一個成功的廚師。她的祕訣是——她沒有等着回覆招聘啓事，而是與其他幾十名更有資格的候選人競爭——她給十幾個她崇拜的知名廚師寫了私人信件，並解釋了自己爲什麼想與他們共事。她的目標明確的工作方式讓她與衆不同，儘管她缺乏正式的資歷，但她在幾天內就找到了一份工作。

In many ways, shifting to a new role inside your company can feel as dramatic a career change as moving from being a management consultant to being a chef. In many companies, departments and divisions may have parochial views about the transferability of skills and experience.

從很多方面來說，在你的公司裏轉換到一個新的角色就像從一個管理顧問轉變成一個廚師一樣，會給你的職業生涯帶來巨大的變化。在許多公司，部門和部門可能對技能和經驗的可轉移性有狹隘的看法。

That’s why it’s your job to precisely target the opportunities that appeal to you most, and develop a strategy to connect with, befriend, and court those connections. Just as a random management consultant would have difficulty winning a position as a chef, a marketer may be viewed skeptically if he wants to transition into operations. But as Joanne Chang’s example shows, a particular marketer — armed with a thoughtful explanation of why he wants to shift functional roles and what he can bring to the table — may be warmly welcomed.

這就是爲什麼你的工作是精確地瞄準那些對你最具吸引力的機會，並制定一個策略來與這些人建立聯繫，與他們交朋友，並爭取他們的支持。就像一個隨機的管理顧問很難得到一個廚師的職位一樣，如果一個市場營銷人員想要轉型到運營部門，他可能會被視爲懷疑論者。但正如張婉怡的例子所示，一位特定的市場營銷人員——他對自己爲何要轉換職能以及他能帶來什麼做出了深思熟慮的解釋——可能會受到熱烈歡迎。

Finally, work to cultivate influential allies. It’s always useful to have a mentor board of directors that can help advise you as you weigh possibilities — and a sponsor, a leader who is willing to exert political capital on your behalf, is even better. But once you’ve landed these key allies, your job isn’t done. As you progress at your company and in your career, it’s essential to keep your mentors and sponsors informed about your progress, so they’re aware of new skills you’ve developed and your current career aspirations. Otherwise, even if you keep in regular touch about other matters, they’re unlikely to question or update their initial impression of you.

最後，努力培養有影響力的盟友。在你權衡各種可能性的時候，若有一個指導你的智囊團可以給你提供建議總是很有用的。有一個贊助人，一個願意爲你投入政治資本的領導人，就更好了。但一旦你找到了這些關鍵盟友，你的工作就不會結束。隨着你在公司和事業上的進步，讓你的導師和贊助人知道你的進步是很重要的，這樣他們就會知道你的新技能和你目前的職業抱負。否則，即使你經常和他們保持聯繫，他們也不太可能質疑或更新他們對你的最初印象。

One colleague of mine has had a warm relationship with her sponsor for well over a decade, but she discovered— when he made a gentle poke at her for not developing her brand sufficiently — that his view of her was out of date, and he wasn’t aware of several major projects she’d undertaken in the past several years. She requested a meeting to update him on what she’d been doing, and he gladly agreed — resulting in a far more nuanced understanding of her current skillset, allowing him to better advocate for her and steer the right opportunities her way.

我的一個同事有一個溫暖的關係人資助了她超過十年，但她發現，當他溫柔地表示支持她並不需要充分發展她的品牌時，他的觀點是過時的。他不知道她在過去的幾年中她承擔了多少個重要項目的。她要求與他會面，向他彙報她一直在做什麼，他很高興地同意了——這讓他對她目前的技能有了更微妙的理解，讓他能夠更好地擁護她，爲她引導正確的機會。

It may feel disconcerting if your company hasn’t crafted a linear career progression for you. But it’s also a significant opportunity to build a career that’s uniquely tailored to your own needs, skills, and interests. By following these steps, you can proactively shape your professional future.

如果你的公司沒有爲你精心安排一個線性的職業發展，你可能會感到不安。但這也是一個重要的機會來建立一個獨特的職業適合你自己的需要，技能和興趣。通過遵循這些步驟，你可以主動塑造你的職業未來。