{"id":3028,"date":"2010-07-29T22:46:04","date_gmt":"2010-07-30T06:46:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=3028"},"modified":"2013-08-22T14:54:09","modified_gmt":"2013-08-22T22:54:09","slug":"are-you-waiting-for-permission-to-grow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/are-you-waiting-for-permission-to-grow\/","title":{"rendered":"Are You Waiting For Permission To Grow?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

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Photo Credit:Wikipedia Commons<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Hi.\u00a0 I\u2019m Joey.\u00a0 Nice to meet you.\u00a0 Would you like me to write about the number one thing holding people back from growing their careers?<\/p>\n

An awkward way to start an article, yeah?\u00a0 It\u2019s awkward because I\u2019m asking for permission to talk about what I\u2019d like to talk about instead of just talking.\u00a0 I\u2019m waiting for permission to do what I\u2019d like to do.\u00a0 Now this is silly for sure, but it\u2019s not a whole lot different from how most people approach their careers.\u00a0 We wait for permission to get hired, get promoted, and grow in our careers.\u00a0 So often we let our success ride on what someone else allows us to do.\u00a0 So, I\u2019m going to go ahead and talk about the number one thing holding people back from growing in their careers\u2014we wait for permission first.<\/p>\n

Being Outside Focused <\/strong><\/p>\n

Let me explain what I mean.\u00a0 When most people look for a job, or try to climb the corporate ladder through promotions, they focus on how to convince other people to think they\u2019re awesome.\u00a0 They ask questions like:
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0How do I write an effective resume that will get the employers\u2019 attention?
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0What are the \u201cright\u201d answers to the interview questions?
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0How do I ask for a promotion?
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0What can I do with this major or this job experience?
\nThese are all legit questions, for sure.\u00a0 But the assumption behind all of them is that to advance we have to get permission from someone else, and that becomes the sole focus.\u00a0 To advance we write and re-write resumes, study interview questions, and read books on promotions and career aptitude.\u00a0 These are all activities that represent an outside focus.\u00a0 With an outside focus we try to solve our job search or career problems with a better resume, submitting more applications, being friendlier to a boss, and things like that.<\/p>\n

Inside Focused<\/strong><\/p>\n

The other option is to have an inside focus.\u00a0 When people focus inside, they honestly consider how valuable their skills and knowledge set are.\u00a0 If they\u2019re not finding success in their job search or getting paid what they\u2019d like, they first think about how much the marketplace needs their skills.\u00a0 When people are inwardly focused, they ask questions like:
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0How can I improve this skill to make it more valuable to the marketplace?
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0What skill can I learn that would advance my career?
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Is there any knowledge I lack that\u2019s holding me back?
\nDefinitely a different starting point, wouldn\u2019t you say?\u00a0 When someone is inside focused, they take ownership of their career.\u00a0 Instead of hoping other people will make opportunities for them, they make their own.<\/p>\n

Outside vs. Inside Focus<\/strong><\/p>\n

The best way I know to illustrate the difference between an outside and an inside focus when it comes to careers, is to talk a bit about resumes.\u00a0 So first off, raise your hand if you\u2019ve ever exaggerated some of your past job responsibilities on a resume.\u00a0 Let\u2019s be honest, we always exaggerate in our resumes.\u00a0 Most of us don\u2019t outright lie (and if you do, stop), but we certainly imply that we had more responsibility and more success in our previous positions than we did in reality.\u00a0 For example, in one job I had after college at a corporate law office, I spent about 35 hours a week looking through old newspapers from the 20s and 30s looking for certain advertisements.\u00a0\u00a0 (Don\u2019t ask).\u00a0 That mindlessly unimpressive task earned \u201cPerformed detailed research to obtain and gather case-relevant data and materials.\u201d\u00a0 Technically, that was true, but it definitely implies I was more impressive than I actually was.<\/p>\n

Now why did I \u201cpretty up\u201d my crappy job task?\u00a0 Well, I was outside focused.\u00a0 I wanted to portray my experiences in a way that sounded impressive to an employer so that he\u2019d give me permission to work.\u00a0 What would I have done if I were inwardly focused?\u00a0 Well, the first thing I would have realized is that that task in no way represented any real skill I had.\u00a0 If I had to include that bit of information in my resume, then I really needed to build some better skills\u2026quick.
\n
\nMoving from an Outside to Inside Focus<\/strong><\/p>\n

First of all, no career focus can be completely inside focused.\u00a0 We\u2019ll still have to convince someone else to hire us, or promote us, or purchase our product.\u00a0 But if we are primarily inside focused we\u2019ll build more valuable skills, and experiences, and achievements that will make it significantly easier to sell ourselves.\u00a0 Now it\u2019s all well and good to talk about Outside versus Inside as an idea, but it means nothing if there\u2019s no way to implement.<\/p>\n

So here\u2019s my call to action for you.\u00a0 I recommend you start this process by going through your latest resume and re-writing it by being brutally honest.\u00a0 So, \u201cPerformed detailed research to obtain and gather case-relevant data and materials\u201d is now \u201cSat in front of a microfilm machine looking for ads in old newspapers for 35 hours a week.\u201d\u00a0 After you finish and have a brutally honest resume (don\u2019t send it to an employer) take out everything that you wouldn\u2019t want to talk about in an interview.\u00a0 Look for the holes and ask yourself these questions:
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0What are my biggest strengths and selling points?
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Which skills do I need to enhance or build more proof for?
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0What skills should I start learning
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0What can I do now to start adding value to what I can honestly support on my resume?<\/p>\n

That brutal self evaluation is the best way I know to start focusing inside for your career search so that you can move away from waiting for permission, and toward taking control of your own destiny.<\/p>\n

So think about your own life and career situation.\u00a0 When it comes to your career do you have an Inside Focus or an Outside focus?\u00a0 How are you waiting for permission to grow?\u00a0 What\u2019s the one thing you can start working on today?
\n
\nAbout the Author: Joey Weber is an expert on career growth and marketability.\u00a0 You can learn more about what he does at his personal site www.joeyweber.net<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Don’t Forget To Follow PickTheBrain on Twitter<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Related Articles:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Why You Shouldn’t Care What Others Think About You<\/a><\/p>\n

How To Choose The Right Goals For You<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So think about your own life and career situation. When it comes to your career do you have an Inside Focus or an Outside focus? How are you waiting for permission to grow? What\u2019s the one thing you can start working on today? Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":12953,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[37,6],"tags":[4645,4631,590,66,4629],"yoast_head":"\nAre You Waiting For Permission To Grow?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"An awkward way to start an article, yeah? It\u2019s awkward because I\u2019m asking for permission to talk about what I\u2019d like to talk about instead of just talking. I\u2019m waiting for permission to do what I\u2019d like to do. 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