Grow Your Career with Confidence: 7 Tips from My Journey

As I grew my career in the tech industry, people often looked at my LinkedIn profile and said, “Wow, you’ve grown so steadily. How can I do the same?” While the career progression looked smooth on paper, the reality behind the scenes was far from it. As you grow your career, perhaps you can relate.

My journey starkly contrasted with the story a marketing VP shared at an offsite: that every role in his career had fallen into his lap. My colleague and I in the audience looked at each other and shared a laugh. Neither of us could relate to that!

Sometimes the challenges I faced were expected, such as demonstrating that I could handle a job. Sometimes the challenge was surprising, such as a re-org that dropped me into a new role. Often the challenge was demoralizing, such as not being believed when I expressed a concern, or having to prove myself above and beyond the standards set for others.

So how do you grow your career with confidence, especially in demoralizing scenarios? Here are actions that helped me along the way:

1. Fill Your Network with People Who Share Your Values

Your network is one of your most valuable assets. Think of it as your community. Build relationships with leaders, colleagues, and industry peers who share your values, not just people who hold the most power.

Shared values make it easier to take a holistic lens in helping one another. You will each consider multiple dimensions when offering the other advice, presenting each other with new opportunities, or helping one another navigate tough times — because you know not only what each of you can offer, but also what one another’s core beliefs are.

This approach is valuable because we tend to be our best when we have confidence in what we offer and the environment is a good fit for us. Some of the best leaders I worked with were not the ones who promoted me, but the ones who recognized my value of independence and gave me room to lead and execute the way I wanted to. That is what allowed me to have the impact that then grew my career.

2. Pay Attention to Market Trends

Staying attuned to market trends is critical for career growth. Identify which segments of the market are expanding, and consider how you can align your skills and career trajectory with these growth areas.

I made a lateral move at PayPal that later created a path for my promotion to Director. I had noticed that the revenue of one segment of the business was growing faster year-over-year than PayPal overall. When a rare opportunity to set up a function in that segment popped up, I applied for it and soon joined the team. Being proactive about contributing to your company’s growth areas is a way to grow your career alongside the business.

3. Articulate How You Want to Grow Your Career

Be explicit about your goals and aspirations. Remember, no one is a mind-reader. If you don’t communicate your desires, you might miss out on opportunities because people are not aware of what you seek. Whether it’s a promotion, a new project, or a different role, make your intentions known to your bosses, mentors, and even direct reports.

A marketing manager once asked me, “How can I get promoted? I’ve been in this role for three years and get passed up every promotion cycle.” I asked her, “Have you told your boss that you want a promotion?” “No,” she said. So she went to speak to him and learned: he had been promoting top performers who requested a promotion from him. He was confident that he was helping them grow in the way they wanted to grow, because they had explicitly told him. She expressed her desire for a promotion, and he promoted her within six months of their conversation.

4. Don’t Immediately Accept a “No” Without Inquiring “Why”

Rejections can be disheartening, but remember not to take them at face value. Use them as a learning opportunity. Seek to understand the reasons behind the “no”. You could gain valuable insights such as: how decision-makers in your environment choose what gets a “yes”, or whether you are not meeting expectations you weren’t aware of earlier. The more insight you gain, the better you can shape your strategy to grow your career.

I once received a “no” for a promotion after being told “yes” for more than six months. I wasn’t able to get clear feedback on why, no matter how much I inquired or who I asked. But I learned a lot by questioning the “no”. My inquiries revealed gaps in talent management, taught me where I needed to create more explicit career plans with leaders, and helped me shift my networking activity to connect with more leaders with whom I shared values.

5. Ask for Feedback Regularly to Grow Your Career

Ongoing feedback is essential for growth because you can’t see your own blind spots. Seek out constructive criticism from colleagues, bosses, and mentors. Find out what others see as your strengths as well. You don’t have to agree with all the feedback, but hearing different perspectives gives you a lens of your leadership in relation to other people and in a broader context. This practice not only expands your perspective, but demonstrates your commitment to personal development.

When I had a team of five direct reports for the first time, I remember telling my executive coach that I felt a huge tension between how I wanted to lead, and how I was leading. I had a past habit of spending an immense amount of time with each direct report. Not only did I set goals and expectations for the team as a whole and for each direct report, but I used to train each direct report personally in areas where they had gaps. They appreciated it, and I saw this as being helpful. I valued being helpful.

But it became impossible for me to scale my leadership, and stay focused on the big picture, when I was so involved in the day-to-day. My coach gave me feedback that helped me to see how I could reframe helpfulness: rather than staying close to the day-to-day, I could help others grow by guiding them to be more resourceful, solve problems, and seek out training on their own.

6. Let Go of Second-Guessing

While second-guessing comes up in multiple contexts, let’s talk about it within the context of career advancement. You may find yourself second-guessing whether a leader is going to help you grow. I see this come up often with my executive coaching clients. I also went through moments of second-guessing in my tech career. Often this happens because we have been burned in the past from trusting someone, or deep-down we might doubt whether we have earned the support.

If a leader asks to be kept in the loop on your progress, or offers up help – believe them. Give them updates. Take them up on the help. The best case scenario is that they will be responsive and lean in. You may find that you have an ally or a sponsor in someone you may not have expected. And if you find that someone is stringing you along with empty promises of help or career advancement, then accept their lack of commitment and move on. Trust your instincts that they are not going to help you.

7. Accept Imperfection and Seize Opportunities to Grow Your Career

When you value being responsible, you might hesitate to leave an existing scope of responsibility in pursuit of a new opportunity — even when the new opportunity could advance your career in a way you desire. Some common thoughts that might be running through your head when a different opportunity presents itself include: “I just have to see these projects through,” “I don’t want to leave the burden of this work to my team,” and “I think it will hurt my reputation here if I leave now.”

Sometimes, it might be in the best interest of your career advancement to delay one opportunity in service of another. For example, if you’re very close to achieving a specific result and need to be around to secure the credit for it. However, if a rare opportunity presents itself on a timeline, it’s critical to accept that not every project or job you are committed to at the moment can end with all loose ends tied. Embrace this imperfection, wrap up what you can, and prioritize your long-term growth.

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Many people, particularly people from non-dominant segments of the population, face an uphill trek at many stages of their career. Some of those battles are internal, and others are external. The challenges intersect when external messages and dynamics have become so ingrained, that people may not easily distinguish where their own hesitations or doubts are coming from.

When I left my tech career at the end of 2023 to focus on my executive coaching business, the seven actions above remained relevant. It is arguably even more important for me now as a founder/CEO to be thoughtful about my alliances, to pay attention to trends, to share my goals clearly, to seek feedback, to believe people who want to help me, and to seize opportunities when they come.

You, too, can continue to grow your career as a leader with the confidence that comes from belonging, clarity, and perspective.

Did this post resonate? Please reach out to executive coach Farah Hussain through her contact form or at info@coachingwithfarah.com to discuss how 1:1 executive coaching can help you grow.