Impatience is a thing I thought I had conquered as I grew older. With the passing of the years and the gaining of new perspectives on things I believed that I had developed a certain degree of patience and was able to take the long view of things. Not pushing, not rushed but letting things develop and work themselves out as they would. Then the other day I was reminded how easy it is to fall back in to old habits. I caught myself in front to the microwave wishing it would “hurry up” and finish heating my beverage. I mean a minute and eleven seconds (1:11) was getting to be too long to wait. I caught myself doing the same thing when “nuking” a hotdog, reaching for the door and stopping the cooking cycle because a whole minute was just too long to wait. Impatience had reared its ugly head. Many of you have had the same experience. We want what we want when we want it, if not sooner! Then it dawned on me … people often treat their career expectations the same way.
There is no doubt that we live in an age where we expect everything instantly, on demand, and now, and usually get it that way. If a page on our computer loads too slow we get inpatient, if we can’t get some purchase from some distant place to our door in a few days or overnight we get annoyed at the thought of having to wait. Phone conversations, too much bother just text and use abbreviations to save space… and do it quickly. The quicker, the faster, the shorter amount of time it takes us to get what we want … the better. In many instances there is nothing wrong with wanting things now, except that it begins to set up those same expectations in other parts of our lives. I can become really problematical when we carry this demand for urgency in to the area of career development and advancement.
Much has been written about the impatience of Gen X and Gen Y in the workplace. This article is not about the impatience of a particular generation, members of Gen X and Gen Y certainly do not have a monopoly on wanting quick advancement or instant gratification. Rather, this article is about the impatience you may feel when it comes to your career development and your advancement in the workplace.
In my coaching practice I often come into contact with those who are impatient about the progress they are making in their careers. These individuals feel that opportunities to advance just do not come quickly enough, promotions do not happen fast enough, and the job offers for particular positions are few and far between. Living in an on demand society with instant gratification the norm, and having an overinflated view of their own skills and abilities leads them to frustration.
What you must understand is career development and advancement in the workplace is not subject to our “on demand expectations” or the “instant gratification” that we are used to. Neither should career development be treated as an “impulse buy”, done on the spur of the moment because we think it the right thing to do in order to get what we want, like the stuff kept by the cash register to take advantage of our impulses to see it- want it- buy it- have it … in a matter of seconds.
Career development or advancement takes thought and planning to achieve and time to accomplish. There are no “quick fixes” or “hurry ups”. Careers cannot be made in a microwave. Development for advancement, which is really preparation for advancement, can’t begin when you see the position you want advertised. You cannot treat it as an afterthought and expect it to be there when you want it. Development, to be effective cannot be treated as an impulse buy. It needs to begin long before that.
How long? Hard to say and no one can really answer that. As long as it takes to gain the skills, knowledge, and experience you need to become a good candidate for the job or the promotion you want. I can’t tell you how long your development will take but I can tell you when it begins. It begins NOW.
Quick results come only to the prepared. Individuals who have the fore thought to grow and develop, to pursue learning and grow their skills will be the ones who see the quickest results. Career Development and the advancement … and rewards that follows come around most quickly to you if you have prepared, pursued, and practiced for them. Need help with creating your career plan and developing a plan for advancement?
Contact: Emmett@nextmovecoaching.com