Related stories

Follow your Dream Mapping Green Beijing on your Own More Options Than Ever, Educating Your Child in Beijing Springtime Blossoms to Lift Your Heart Choose a Dream School for Your Children

Your Career, Your Responsibility

Multinationals are providing more and better training resources and opportunities for their mainland staff than ever before, as seen in the growing presence of management training programmes, organizational and staff development specialists, and feedback and assessment tools seen in the best companies today. Beyond the resources provided, however, companies want their mainland staff to be much more accountable for their professional development by taking greater advantage of the opportunities that come their way in their daily work environment.

“Too many of our mainland staff rely too heavily on the company to provide them with training and development chances,” said the country manager of another client, whose thoughts echo those of many of our multinational clients. “They always talk about what the company should be giving them and spend way too much time thinking about what they’re not getting. At the same time, they do not recognize that opportunities to learn and improve are readily accessible to them within their everyday jobs and interactions with others. Or, they are unwilling to take up new challenges and responsibilities or stretched assignments when chances arise. They are not attentive at observing best practices and trying to apply them in their work.”

The Key Concept of Self-Development

Whenever I meet successful executives, I always wonder how they got where they are. In particular, what have they done that allows them to stand out and distinguish themselves among so many of their peers? 

Many tell me that they have been fortunate to be part of good company environments. Most can point to chances to have worked with and learn from excellent bosses. Some mention their MBAs. The outstanding characteristic that I have found among them, however, is a strong self-development approach to their professional development. Rather than spending their energy complaining about a situation or thinking about what isn’t available to them, they are able to get the most out of what is available to them. Whatever their situation or surroundings, they take an active approach to identifying opportunities that allow them to learn and improve.

Go Beyond Your Company’s Development Resources

Of course, it would be ideal if your company could ensure your smooth development and career advancement. In actuality, there is a growing commitment by multinationals to develop their mainland staff into future senior managers and leaders, as they become increasingly knowledgeable in the areas of training and staff development. 

However, even though staff development is now a top priority of global companies for their long-term success in China, its delivery is still inconsistent, even within the same organization.  With corporate cultures on the mainland so results-driven, not all managers in a company pay the same level of attention to staff development needs. The head of each department or business unit bears many responsibilities, only one of which is to develop staff. In addition, with many business opportunities to be pursued in the market, many managers don’t have the time to spend on coaching and mentoring their people.

There is also a general lack of career advisory expertise in China for supporting the development needs of mainland professionals. We often hear candidates say that they could use more guidance on how to build their skills and capabilities. Others feel that they cannot speak openly with their boss or they do not see the commitment from their upper management in this area. Whatever the reason, if they are unable to get help from their company, then many are at a loss as to what they can do to improve their development situation. In such instances, does that mean that you can’t improve in those areas critical for your career advancement? Of course, it doesn’t.

“The level of professional exposure and resources that I had access to early in my career do not compare to what exists today here,” said a director for one of our business consulting clients in Shanghai. “But sometimes you just need to appreciate where you are. No matter what your situation, you still need to leverage opportunities and show your achievements. I see a lot of mainland professionals who don’t do their best because they don’t think they’re in an optimal place or situation for themselves. That’s a mistake. As much as anything, you do things for your own learning and development. The reason you always want to do things well and show that you can do a great job is because everything that you accomplish and achieve goes towards building up your own personal brand and future.”

“If you are getting training opportunities, good career guidance, and a lot of career development help from your company, then you definitely want to take full advantage of those resources. But, ultimately, you can’t rely on others to determine your success for you,” says Scott Kronick, the managing director of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, China.  “Mainland professionals need to recognize that they are in charge of their own future. They need to understand that they can make significant things happen not only for their organization, but also for themselves. Especially in today’s rapidly evolving talent market, every professional in China needs to work on his or her continuous self-improvement.  Those who are passive about this will quickly find themselves falling behind their competition.”