5 Ways to Build Opportunities at Work

“People can’t sit back and expect their company to tell them where to go and what to do in their career.” Jane Seeley, a former human resources director at Schlage Locks.

An essential ingredient to build opportunities within your current organization is an entrepreneurial attitude. You are the one in charge , not your company. You make the decisions. That means assessing any job or any endeavor with the following questions:

• What can I do to get the most out of this?
• Where can I add value?
• How can I create a win/win for me and this organization?
• How can I achieve my vision and goals when there aren’t any rules to follow?

This kind of an orientation helps with all kinds of workplace transitions and career development plans.  

Jane Seeley said that she believes that people who take charge of their own career path with an entrepreneurial attitude hold the key to expanded opportunities. “I keep pushing people to realize that they have a responsibility to keep themselves employable. They can’t sit back and expect their company to tell them where to go and what to do in their career.”

Jane says that many companies will pay for education that will benefit the company if the employees stay, and that will benefit the employee if he moves later. But not enough people take advantage of it because they are complacent or perhaps afraid of change . Yet the fact is to advance in an organization you must develop your own skills. If you don’t, the company is likely to move on around you. [See my April 18 blog for further information on staying marketable.] 

With the flattening of corporate and many organization structures, “rising in the ranks” in a hierarchy is no longer the way to get ahead. Instead, people win by taking personal responsibility for creating opportunities, outperforming expectations, and expanding their areas of responsibility. An entrepreneurial attitude is an invaluable attitude if you’re an ambitious person who wants to move up and get the most out of your career. 

Betsy Bernard, the former president of AT&T, says, “Whether you are in a corporation or not, you absolutely have to depend on yourself.” She advises people to “believe you can do anything you want, be accountable for your decisions, and understand that every day you make decisions that have significant consequences for your life.

I was having a conversation with someone who was bemoaning that he had not been served a great hand. I told him, ‘You’re forty years old; you’ve never gotten an MBA. You’ve never done these things that were available to you.’ I’m not saying that everyone has to get an MBA or that everybody has to continue to invest in his skill set. But at the end of the day, if you’re not getting opportunities, it’s because you haven’t owned up to that. Be accountable for your decisions and make them consciously. Don’t wait to see what happens or wait for someone else to take care of them.” 

Other HR people and top corporate leaders will tell you the same thing that Jane and Betsy say. Don’t wait for your company to tell you what to do. So, what do you do to get more workplace opportunities? Here are great 5 ways: 

1. Adopt an Entrepreneurial Attitude. Act as if your job is your own company.
2. Live outside your “comfort zone.” Betsy Bernard says that she lived outside of her comfort zone so much that it seemed natural to her. It’s about stretching yourself and taking on new challenges.
3. Be accountable for your own decisions. Think of every decision you make as something that will lead to your own business success. It’s part of the Entrepreneurial Attitude.
4. Continue building your skills and what is needed in your industry today. Read about your industry and the trends around it.
5. Say “yes” to new ideas. “No” guarantees that you won’t see when possible opportunities open up.

 Have fun,

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