Pass it on and progress ahead
In the previous two posts I mentioned how to get into a project and become a real dependable and key project member. If you have not read them, I recommend you to check at the bottom of this post to get the links for them.
Assuming you have actually become the key player within the team and enjoyed your time at the top of your capabilities, for a good while, then you should really look forward to ‘start unlearning’ your knowledge in the project and start to build a back up for yourself so you could try and make yourself ready for next step.
When I essentially say ‘unlearn’, you need to ensure that following things are met,
Identify the person who could take your role within the project
Start personally training the person over the project
Ensure the knowledge you have gained on the project is shared / understood and practiced by the second level person you chose
Make yourself available to your manager for the work that he need to get done (After all, you are after his job, aren’t you?)
Start to make yourself redundant in the project
You might question me on the last point I wrote here, and ask me when the second phase tells me to be a key player in the project, why do you suggest to make yourself redundant in the project now?
Well, valid point but a very very important one. The answer is, unless you make yourself redundant to the work and make project work independent of you, how would you step up to the next role? Got the point !
It is essential to build a good team and good resources in the project when you leave it behind. It shows a good legacy and a good track record of yourself as a professional, manager and good leader. Another thing you need to do in this phase is to engage with your manager more often than you used to do in the earlier phase, see if you could try and understand what work he does, how he does and understand the job expectations.
Secret tip: Your manager also needs to move up the value chain, so help him do so and claim his throne. Give him space to move up and you could move up too !
If you get good luck along the way, you might see a good result in your next performance review, and then you can start applying the phase 1 to your role again ! As I said earlier in my first post, the entire cycle lasts for approx 2-3 years to you got to have patience during the process and show a good willingness to put hard work and show resilience.
Hope this series would have helped you the corporate cycle of career progression. All your comments are welcome as usual.
Cheerio and all the best
This is a series of FOUR posts on Guide for career progression – 3Ps process. Other posts on this could be found below.
Part ONE – Overview Part TWO – Prepare yourself Part THREE – Practice hard, become a key player Part FOUR – Pass it on & progress
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