As a team member or a support member at TOA Global, it’s important to speak up about your career growth aspirations. “If you want to progress your career, don’t leave it to anyone else to make it happen,” TOA Global and Ab² Institute of Accounting Founder Nick Sinclair has advised.
While your line manager or client can certainly contribute to your career progression, it’s up to you to own your career growth within the organization.
What would you like to achieve?
Take a long, thoughtful view of your working life to figure out whether you’re still heading in a direction that’s right for you. Maybe you have a three-year plan for leading your team at a managerial capacity, or a five-year goal for occupying a high-level position within the organization.
Remember, growth within the company isn’t simply about climbing straight up the traditional corporate ladder. It could also be about gaining new skills, taking on new responsibilities and big projects, continuing your education, reaching your full earning potential, or switching to a role that’s more aligned with your life interests.
Career coaches suggest asking these questions when identifying what you would like to achieve:
- What level of responsibility do I want to have?
- What projects would I like to head?
- What results do I want to achieve in our department or organization?
- What problems or concerns do I care enough about to focus my entire career on solving?
- What type of people do I like to work with?
- What compensation (salary, benefits) do I desire?
- What type of work-life balance is best for me?
These questions will also help you define your version of career growth and establish goals or even a timeline to get you there.
Develop your progression proactively
Get the help of people who will be great advocates for your career growth. Your line manager or client, for instance, is likely to be invested in your development if you proactively discuss the goals you want to achieve, the skills you’d like to develop, and the future roles you want to take. They can also work with you to ensure your growth is aligned with larger business objectives.
Take advantage of regular performance reviews such as your mid-year performance conversation (MYPC) and annual performance review (APR) within TOA Global.
These opportunities encourage you to be inquisitive about your career path and offer helpful insights on your strengths and areas for improvement so you can continue growing in your career.
If an open position within TOA Global interests you, approach the hiring manager and ask about the skills needed to succeed in that role.
Become a lifelong learner
When you adopt a growth mindset, you make a conscious effort to develop your strengths and build your knowledge. A better approach is to value the ideas of others and learn from them while continuing to improve yourself through education.
A growth mindset also means being on the lookout for any potential opportunities that emerge within the organization. Explore job skills that will be a boon to your career, then work to improve them by reading books, listening to podcasts, watching educational videos, and attending workshops or training programs.
Continuing to learn paves the way for growth paths. It allows you to gain relevant experience and be better equipped to handle more responsibilities in future. The more you step up your game, the more valuable you become to the organization.
Ab2 Institute of Accounting Executive General Manager Sarah Stone says, “Learning and development is fast becoming the number one reason candidates join organizations. An investment in learning increases growth and retention. It also attracts those who will make a positive impact in the organization.”
Keep up with change
Technology and systems will always evolve. This means your ability to adapt is essential to the survival and growth of your career.
The Pew Research Center has discovered that 87% of those in the workforce agree that “it will be essential for them to get training and develop new job skills throughout their work life in order to keep up with changes in the workplace.”
Professional development is a great way to match the pace of innovation. This will help you build your most impactful skills by customizing your learning based on your unique strengths, prior knowledge, needs, abilities and interests. As a result, you’ll be able to increase your productivity and even advance in your current role.
Unlock your full potential
At Ab2 Institute of Accounting, we are committed to helping you unlock the very best of your abilities. Through a Professional Development Plan (PDP), you will be able to access courses developed by accountants, bookkeepers and practice managers who know what exceptional performance looks like and the training content required to take your career growth to the next level.
From recognized accounting qualifications to leadership training and personal success skills, we have tailored a full suite of training programs to give you the skills you’ll need to succeed in your role as a team member or a support member, as well as the learning you’ll need to advance your career quickly.
Explore in greater detail how a PDP can open growth paths and help you drive your career forward, at your own pace.
