An exceptionally qualified marketing manager working for a large financial institution sees change coming. The bank is going through another restructuring exercise. No doubt–jobs will be in jeopardy. Instead of turning the other cheek and working harder, waiting for the carnage to unfold, this manager decides to act, taking charge of her career–and her destiny.

She calls a search firm she knows, asking, “You have any jobs on the books for me?”

The consultant on the other end says, “We’ll see, send me your resume.”

She does, hopeful that maybe that great job is within reach, but in a few days with no reply, the flush of the initial excitement wanes.

Should she call the firm again and ask them what’s going on?

No. But she shouldn’t have called them in the first place.

She should have instead first done NOTHING, but sit back and listened–to her internal thoughts and messages, as well as listened to others – a colleague, a friend, a coach or a mentor. Just listen to voices. Not jump to action. It’s understandable, but counter-intuitive reactions are often healthier.

Next is to determine who you are? What you want to do? Not easy questions to answer, but don’t move away from them. Stop surfing the internet, reading Twitter, scrolling Instagram or playing another word game.

Take out a piece of paper (that’s right-paper) and write down the things you do, you like, you don’t like, the dreams you’ve dreamed of doing “when you have the time.”

If you’re stuck, stay there. Getting unstuck requires time. Look up, look down, write, doodle, go for a walk. Leave your distractions (phone or other devices) at home.

When you return from your walk or meditative moments and doodles, take out another blank sheet paper and draw a map. Visualize and draw the roadmap of your career to date. Allow your drawing to wander freely over the peaks, valleys, hills, mountains, stops and starts. You’re creating the career you want, so don’t leave it to chance or put your destiny in someone else’s control. The art of career navigation begins and ends with you.

But you don’t know a soul at HQ. How do you quickly find a reliable new network, when yours has disappeared?

Your initial reactions may be:

Fight or Flight – Should you leave now with the others, or stay and determine how to navigate your next steps? It’s easy-and normal- to panic and get stuck, but can you clearly re-frame and truly assess what needs to be done first? If so, will it allow you and your team to get through what will likely be a tumultuous transition?

Reinvigorate the Role – You’re new to the company, not many know you and vice versa. Should you sit back and watch the parade, or re-introduce your team and yourself to the company? Reach out to HQ, evaluate the less visible influence networks operating far away and connect with a couple of ‘influencers’.

Now you’re ready to…

Buy the Ticket – Once you’ve made the connections, take the next step set up a meeting, take the next flight to HQ, or present a webinar on your group. Now is the time to begin your 90 day on-boarding plan, meeting key stakeholders and decision makers. Know what you want for you and your team and leave with firm commitments.

No job is permanent. Start with a solid plan and build your network on day one.

These impulsive moves hinder rather than help careers. Transitions are never easy, particularly when forced upon you. Search firms do not work for individuals, and seldom offer advice, if at all. Should they have a client that needs your specific skill sets, you will be their best new friend. If there’s nothing that matches their current needs, they’ll invoke Hollywood rules, “let’s do lunch….” with no particular date in mind.

Skip the search firms, and figure out what you want to do. What is your purpose, your career vision? Take time to reflect. Does this sound simple, spiritual or superficial? It’s not. I frequently hear, “I want to do something different but I don’t know what that is.” Sort through this one-carefully- before making any further moves.

Once you have some answers that you’re comfortable with, manage your schedule, and also pay attention to serendipitous events. More often than not new opportunities come from weak ties, chance meetings or random events. An impromptu invitation to attend a lecture or join a business chamber may result in a new career. Networks are important, but new jobs are more likely gotten through weak ties. Your network has the same information you do. Standing in line at Starbucks or watching your children’s soccer match, you have access to new opportunities, different information and potential to influence others who may change your future.

Referrals are great, but employees often refer acquaintances rather than friends. Why? Just in case things don’t work out. A friend who takes a job that doesn’t work out can hamper a relationship. This is not to say your best friend or family member won’t jump in to help your cause, but acquaintances are a safer bet.

Be ready, figure out what you want to do, create your story and manage your schedule prudently.

But finding a new career is not as easy. The first step in career navigation must answer the question ‘What do you want to do?’ Easy to ask, hard to answer. That leads to personal reflection—’Who am I?’ and ‘What do I value?’ These big questions require ‘thinking’ time, and should not trip off your tongue quickly.

Finding what you really want to do – your purpose – comes easy to a few, but for others the answers come only from the journey, muddling through and wandering on different paths. Such a sojourn requires serious self reflection, concentrated thought to uncover what a fulfilling career might look like. Such grappling often happens when we’re pushed or jolted into it – a job loss or a change in personal priorities.

When you feel that you can’t take it any more, when those priorities change, or your company goes through massive upheaval, take pencil in hand, reflect on the past, and write down what’s really important to you. Not simply a job, but values. Don’t skimp on either. This is the first step in finding your next career path.

According to last week’s Essential Report, 49 per cent of men think there is a lot or some discrimination against women in the workforce, compared to 62 per cent of women.

And many women are blindsided by politics at work, according to former Walt Disney and Kraft executive Jane Horan, who now runs consultancy firm The Horan Group. She is under no illusion that women need to pay more attention to their reputation and relationships in their jobs, no matter how uncomfortable this makes them feel.

Speaking at the Sustaining Women in Business conference in Melbourne last week, Horan explained that she often found women who avoid building up their internal reputation run the risk of falling off the radar when it comes to promotions. She’s also seen quite a few women who haven’t read the politics of a meeting accurately and had their reputations badly damaged.

But Horan is also aware that there’s no even playing field at most businesses, and women can face negative attitudes or double standards for building up their careers in the same way as men.

You do have to work out how to manage perceptions and even map out the five key relationships you need to have, she said.

The word politics was originally defined as “building coalitions for the good of the state”, she reminded the 180-strong audience.

Some of the reluctance women feel about workplace politics is deeply ingrained from their education, Horan says. Keep your head down and work hard and you will be rewarded, is still a strong message sent to many young women.

They often get a rude awakening when they hit the workplace and find it operates very differently, as Horan explains in her book, I Wish I’d Known That Earlier in My Career.

Click here for the full article.

The same goes for one’s personal leadership brand. Reputations are critical for everyone, and should be managed with the same rigour as organizations invest in products. Your strength lies in your brand value. And your brand must consistently be promoted and communicated. Therein lies the challenge. Some professionals believe personal branding takes too much time away from real work – a sorely misguided perception. Brands are powerful, intangible assets, giving a competitive edge for organizations AND individuals.

Reputations–like brands–take time to build and minutes to destroy. Managing your reputation is managing a brand. Some of us forget this, or can’t be bothered to grapple with creating a tag line. It’s not about a mission statement, but it is about communicating your ‘story, purpose and vision.’ Whether leading a team or starting out, you must have your story ready. Your brand is a story, a promise, a purpose, and a perceived quality, and it must be sung with your voice, no one else’s.

In global organisations, who stands out? Your expertise gets you in the door, working hard paves the way, but your reputation sustains. Working in multiple markets and virtual teams provides little visibility to senior management and influential decision makers. Every organization goes through an annual review of Who’s Who internally. To ensure visibility, many companies arrange dinners, seminars and programs, providing exposure and avenues for networking. Some organizations have advocacy programs to ensure high potential talent is sponsored and known inside the company. An advocate can be a personal brand ambassador. These well-intended programs play a key role in career management. Only if you’re prepared and know what to do and how to act will it have a lasting effect.

Our reputations are built on how we behave and interact with customers, partners and employees, but also how our key audiences interact with us. We all need to put more emphasis on what is said- how we are perceived in various social networks, and incorporate that into a leadership brand strategy. Think about your brand as reputational capital and invest in it!

Multinational companies operating in Asia and other foreign regions may be overlooking potential leaders by defining leadership qualities through a U.S. lens, says Jane Horan, founder of The Horan Group, a strategic consulting firm focused on organizational development and based in Singapore. Horan, who has lived and worked in Asia for two decades, specializes in leadership acceleration, unconscious awareness and workplace politics. Before starting her own firm, she conducted talent and leadership development work for companies such as Kraft, The Walt Disney Company and CNBC.

Diversity Best Practices’ Editor-in-Chief Angela Johnson Meadows chatted with Horan via email about workplace challenges and the impact of unconscious bias.

Click here for the full article.

Do we really need more research on gender equality or do we need to act on the research. Organisations seem to be hardwired for research, and disinclined to take action…

Read “Companies need to promote gender equality – research” on voxy.co.nz

Fascinating article on Japan’s Gender issue, raises questions on Private and Public sector, and the rebuilding of Japans economy. Tomoko Kaida writes about the empowerment of girls…

Read The Importance of the Private Sector to the Empowerment of Girls and Women: Observing (From) Japan on huffingtonpost.com

Yet when we think about building an inclusive work environment, the discussion perpetually turns to communication skills. To be fair that is, different communication styles, rather than skills. I am always taken back when the conversation moves away from skill and into ‘being assertive and remaining visible.’ Which often translates to, having the gift of the gab moves you to the top of the talent charts. No doubt being an effective communicator and remaining visible are traits we like in leaders. But some cultures value a different leadership style – that would be, thoughtful communication and humble, self-effacing qualities.

The question is what cultural baggage do we carry into our organisations? Do we value the differences or are we teaching tips on how to be like us?

1. Women are more prone to transformational leadership and transformational leaders provide higher performance
2. More women on teams results in higher performance and innovative thinking
3. Women control 80% purchase power driving global consumer spend

These 3 points alone provide solid reasons (as if anyone needs one) for women in decision making roles. And support Lynn Forester de Rothschild comment, “the potential of women is being lost because of the failure of our society to understand and tap the potential of woman at the highest levels.”

Very true, so what’s underneath this failure of society that is holding women back?

Bias

Unconscious and ubiquitous bias is alive, well and replicating inside organisational systems from performance reviews, talent management to leadership selection. Unconscious bias begins with recruitment and continues through the employee’s lifecycle.

Mitigate bias and shift the board room discussion.