Stay flexible to set yourself up for success.
Experts from Harvard Business School have identified the traits that they believe will help you exceed expectations in your lifelong career achievements.
No, it doesn’t mean waking up at 5am to work out, making your bed, confidently wearing the swankiest suit in the store, or becoming a psychopath.
Professor Joseph Fuller says it’s the ability to adapt and flex throughout your working life — a “muscle” that at least one business guru calls it — that anyone can develop.
“They’re not tied to the career path they decided on when they were in school or when they started their first job.” he told CNBC’s Make It..
“They are open to unexpected opportunities and embrace change rather than fear it.”
While there are many benefits to planning your career goals and timelines, Fuller warns that it can also limit your perspective and cause you to miss out on bigger picture opportunities.
An example would be impulsively looking for a new job because you didn’t get the promotion you expected.
Personal preferences, such as forgoing more funding at a startup in favor of staying at a large company, can also be an obstacle.
“They ignore their own motivations and interests and instead let rigid expectations dictate their careers,” Fuller says.
“Such a stubborn mindset won’t get you anywhere.”
Continuing to stick to a passionate career path without evaluating new options is the opposite of the path to success, he added.
“That’s a hard skill to find,” Fuller said.
“People are afraid to try new things and fail, but you can’t grow unless you step out of your comfort zone.”
the study Supports Fuller’s theory.
Amid ongoing staffing shortages caused by the pandemic and the rise of artificial intelligence, companies need more resilient and flexible employees than ever before, according to a LinkedIn survey.
“Adaptability is the best way to be proactive today,” Aneesh Raman, vice president at LinkedIn, said in the report.
“The key to managing change is strengthening your adaptability muscle.”
