Career Development in Pandemic Times — The Guide You Needed (I)
While we should be grateful for simply having a job, today, it is never good to put your career on hold.
Despite the long months of coexistence with the pandemic, we are, undoubtedly, still adapting. It is fairly easy to notice that the ways the world is working are changing. According to a Gartner HR Survey, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, 88{aa2bd0515941f502f1857e541b1c703dd7e1b9788e8ed1b2172c31ca4a64f54a} of organizations have incentivized their employees to work from home. Surely, these are new and challenging circumstances for each one of us, and companies had to adjust themselves too: they changed logistically, transitioned more deeply to the digital atmosphere, and had to rethink what to demand from their employees (and, consequently, the criteria by which they evaluated them).
Yet, it is still valid — and, actually, desirable — to aim for an evolution in our careers, towards our personal goals and ambitions. The pandemic will not last forever and what we keep doing regularly is still contributing to that future we may not foresee so clearly just now. Therefore, today, we bring you two incredible tips to keep in mind (and recall, in desperate times!).
1. Smells like team spirit
We know the popular saying: “Far from the eyes, far from the heart.” The truth is we are much less exposed to others — both colleagues and managers — working remotely: we are more isolated, the communication opportunities are, in many aspects, scarce, so it became much easier, by consequence, to be left unnoticed. This is something to avoid at all costs, and managers are aware: in the first month of the global lockdown, Google search registered a 9{aa2bd0515941f502f1857e541b1c703dd7e1b9788e8ed1b2172c31ca4a64f54a} increase specifically on the term “team-building;” besides, the fact that multiple companies have split teams between the office and home groups accentuates the struggle with communication, signalized by 20{aa2bd0515941f502f1857e541b1c703dd7e1b9788e8ed1b2172c31ca4a64f54a} of remote workers as a setback, in 2020.
Due to these issues, it is increasingly challenging for managers to keep their teams motivated: it requires, indeed, some extra effort in developing and maintaining the company’s culture, mainly because it demands a higher individual commitment. Therefore, it only makes sense that, by neglecting our work relationships or engagement, we may be passing an image of a lower level of involvement with the group and, lastly, less interest. In that sense, keeping up with the team’s online meetings is fundamental (including the most global ones, with departments or colleagues we don’t usually directly work with), to feel part of the holistic vision and mission of the company — thus, have a clear direction to guide us, through our seemingly mundane and daily tasks — and get to know our peers (even from a distance); being this assiduous also helps you keep up to date with any changes in strategy. At the same time, whenever you can, prefer one-on-one interactions: any chance to talk directly to people by voice or video call instead of email and text diminishes the literal distance you have with others and enriches your integration in the group’s livelihood and dynamics.
2. Tell me more, tell me more
Bill Gates said it himself: “We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve.” Giving — in case you are a manager — and receiving feedback is, indeed, a central part of today’s — and tomorrow’s — working reality. It is the best way to know if you’re meeting others’ expectations and become aware of how you are perceived by them. These are times of less contact, less (or more complex, comprehending new metrics and criteria) monitoring by our superiors, and fewer occasions for conversation, which mobilizes the onus of initiative to each one of us. That said, if you fear being too frequent or too spaced out in your check-ins or briefings, simply ask your manager what medium, frequency, and level of detail they prefer you to communicate what you need and hear from them.
Nonetheless, feedback is an enriching experience with anyone — not only your manager. Our colleagues, clients, and even juniors are just as qualified to give you feedback: since they work closer to you, they may even have a more comprehensive perception of your strengths and aspects to improve. Furthermore, the more on-time you ask for feedback — for example, if it regards a certain presentation you’ve just made, making sure to reach out about it as soon as possible — the better and more natural the feedback loop will become, and the more you can evolve.
Finally, language is key, when it comes to being assertive and effective in your feedback requests. Besides your physical posture and energy — key elements, especially online –, here are some key example questions you could ask to receive useful answers on what to change in your performance:
a) “What’s one thing I could improve?”
b) “What do you think I could have done differently?”
c) “How could I have been more assertive?”
d) “What would you like me to do more often?”
e) “Where did I excel during the presentation?”
f) “Could you give me an example of how I could improve my negotiation skills?”
g) “What would you recommend me to do?”
Stay tuned for our following two tips, coming up next!
