Whose job is it anyway?  When it comes to taking responsibility are you are a leader or a follower?  Who owns the domain name to your career?  Is it your boss, your mother, your girlfriend or you?  We all like to take direction but when it comes to taking responsibility for your career choices are you the one in charge?  Do you delegate what’s important to you when it comes to decisions around money, location or job duties or do you lead the charge?  It’s never easy when you are the primary breadwinner but do you know when it’s time to take the reins over your job choices or to delegate it to the spouse.

Taking job responsibility is not just about showing up for work on time it’s about knowing what you want from your job and how to take responsibility for your choices and your actions when and if you get it.  Leveraging is one way to get what you want from your current career or job but is it the wisest choice?   When you know what you want, you have to be in a position to state clearly and directly your intent without pissing off the powers that be in the process.  That does not mean you should sit idly by and let someone above you dictate the terms and conditions of your future career path.  It does mean that you should start to stand up and start taking true responsibility for your actions and how you go about positioning yourself for future job growth and advancement.

Bullying your way to the top is not an example of standing up for yourself and taking responsibility.  Managing your career the way you would like your life to be organized, focused and disciplined is the way you can assure your rise to the top is unencumbered.  Making your desires known whether it is about money, title, benefits and perks in a way that is both respectful and clear to others and places the responsibility of your career destiny firmly in your own hands.

If you think that your job responsibility is someone else’s business and not your own you are sadly mistaken.  Making your problems about your job and career path the responsibility of your boss or anyone else you think is in charge makes you less powerful and puts you in a vulnerable position. Having the ability to own up to your wants and desires helps you to take your job responsibility seriously.

When your job actions speak louder than your words, when you begin to say “No” to something that will put you in a precarious position, when you put yourself and your family first, and when you start acting like you are in charge of your career future, then you are taking job responsibility into your own hands.  Remember the choice is and always will be yours so don’t give your power away by making it someone else’s problem to fix.

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You strive for your right to be free and to able to choose a life that you want and not what someone wants for you.  Why then do you find it so hard to make that same choice when it comes to your career?  Some of you seem shackled to jobs that no longer serve you just because you are afraid to choose another path.  You are just as free to stay stuck as you are to change so why do you continue to stay where you are no longer welcome?

Quitting something that makes you unhappy, miserable and gives you a knot in your stomach upon waking for work, takes guts, determination and a certain amount of fearlessness. Knowing that you can turn back anytime you choose regardless what you choose should give you enough confidence to be able to free yourself from the job you love to hate.

When you’ve become your own jail keeper, it’s time to make some decisions about your future whether you are afraid to admit you know what you want or not.  It would be easy if you had a life/career path that was all neatly laid out before you.  But when you have moved from job to job or have changed companies as often as you’ve changed socks, you start to think it might be worth staying stuck for a while.  There is no nobility in hanging where you have served your purpose and you are no longer happy in what you are doing.  Quitting something is not the act of a coward but of a noble warrior ready to take on the world.

When you know how to take care of your core needs you move from becoming your own jailer to your own liberator.  It’s okay to say you don’t like your boss or the people you work with and would rather be someplace else.  But what are you actually willing to do about it?  Complaining only gets you so far but taking action by freeing yourself from the confines of your own career choice takes courage.

It’s not easy to admit something isn’t working or the powers that be don’t support you at work or, you are just not that into the job anymore.  Pretending that all is okay when you are not as happy or challenged as you would like to be is a game many of us play in order to avoid the really hard work-making a change. Your job freedom comes at a price and even if the price is your sanity and happiness it’s one that is worth making knowing that you don’t have to stay stuck in a place you no longer like.  Your bills will get paid, your family and friends will still respect you, you’ll likely find an even better job, so stop battling all of the questions in your head and take the keys that lock you in your career cage and break free.  The liberation is exhilarating and you will wonder why you waited so long?

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Whoever said life is tough may have declared the biggest understatement of all time!  No matter what your profession, there are likely days when no matter what you say or do you encounter adversity, dissension and deceit.  Some might say it’s just another day in the office but for others it might be time to look for another job.  When you find yourself in the middle of a “shift storm” there is only one course of action to take and that is to literally “shift”.

Yes, you can get caught up in the drama happening all around you or you can easily shift your perception of events and cast yourself in the role of bystander instead of opening act.  Having gone through tumultuous management changes in my career first as an employee and then as a management consultant, you become tough in areas you never expected you’d have to be.  It’s not that your resilience to things is mandatory in order to survive, but it sure helps you float above the “shift” when all you need to do is remain calm and collected.

When you believe you are being pushed and pulled against your will in your job, your career or in your daily interactions with your boss or your co-workers, you need to shift your perspective from feeling like the victim to feeling like you are above the drama.  It may be easier said then done but at the end of the day you are the one who is in control of your job future and you need to take your career into your own hands. Feeling like you are at the mercy of others might be hard if you feel you need your job, your income and your sanity.  When you allow yourself the freedom of choice and you begin to feel that you are not tied to any one job or any given outcome, you immediately shift your perspective and your sense of freedom and accomplishment to tackle anything is beyond liberating.

How you move through any shift storm when it comes to your career is the difference between just surviving and truly thriving in your work environment. It may be hard to manage your career choices even when you love what you do but have inevitably hit a few obstacles along the way. It doesn’t mean you have to quit every time the going gets rough, but it does mean you have to know when it’s time to shift from survival mode into action mode.

Giving yourself the permission to set yourself free from any limiting behavior, action or individuals makes you stronger and more resilient when shift happens. Fine tuning your point of view and dialing down the drama helps you to stay focused and be clear on your direction even if the world around you is falling apart.  Rising high above the shift storm is not as hard as you might imagine, but staying there can be. Remember, you’ve got to shift before you can walk.

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Some of you thrive during times of adversity and struggle.  It might not be the optimal way you choose to get ahead or figure out which road to take when it comes to your career.  Knowing that you are strong and confident enough to handle whatever life throws your way makes you want to stand up and shout, “Bring it on!”

It might be that all of the challenges and twists and turns in your career road are there to point out that you have what it takes to navigate murky waters if and when you need to. When you bring it on you are not just asking for a challenge to present itself that you can master, you are testing your resolve when it comes to making the right choices that will help you move ahead no matter what the obstacle.

Building the self-confidence to make the right choices in your career helps you not only when times get tough but in knowing what will make you happy and successful in the end.  If you are struggling to be your own boss, inventing a new product but you still live at home to save money, finding a way around depending on someone else for help may be the push you need to get ahead. It’s not easy finding your way through to the other side, but if you push through any adversity you’ll not only feel confident that you can fight anything , but you will likely win at your own game.

Here are some “Bring It On” moments that might help you figure out what you can or can’t handle in your life in order to get ahead:

1. No one returns my calls or responds to my resume
2. I have not gotten one job offer for all of the interviews I’ve had
3. I can’t list anyone as a reference since I’ve worked for myself
4. My parents are supporting me until I figure out my next career move
5. I can’t get a promotion because no one in my company ever leaves
6. It’s been hard for me to ask for help because I still don’t know what I want to do
7. I can’t seem to ask for a raise even though I deserve more money
8. I keep getting passed over for new job assignments
9. I can’t afford to finish my education because I need to work
10. I fear no one will hire me because of the way I look

When you bring it on yourself you are declaring to you and the world that no matter how hopeless or difficult a situation appears to be, you will have the strength and courage to persevere.  Knowing this about yourself is the first step in showing you how to combat a scary or futile situation.  You have the ability to survive anything that comes at you, you just have to believe it first and then the rest will take care of itself.

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Sometimes you think the mission you’ve been put here on earth to do is to help someone in life but did you ever think that someone might actually be you?  Do you know what really motivates you when it comes to helping those around you?  Is it your need to feel wanted, needed or important?  Or, do you have the ability to know the difference between being a helper and being an enabler?

You can enable yourself and you can enable others when it comes to perpetuating actions, beliefs or behaviors that are counter-productive to reaching your main objective in life.  You might be one who believes that by helping someone who has a drinking problem by being supportive, amiable and trusting, you are actually helping that person build trust in you.  When in actuality that person has been lying to you and to himself or herself about how serious an issue they have.  You could be the type of person who thinks by working hard and “trusting” someone at work you have the right moral fiber to make it in this world.  But when your trust is misplaced and your commitment and support to the job goes unnoticed by the person you are protecting you now move into the enabler role and are perpetuating a pattern of behavior that will prove to hurt not help you in the end.

Realizing the difference between being helpful and hurtful to yourself before you get caught up in the office drama goes along way to not only protecting your future but also making sure you know and trust the person who says “Trust me.”  We all want to be helpful and supportive especially to those who may have helped us along the way in a career move or with a job promotion.  But how much is too much?  When do you know that you’ve blurred the lines of being helpful or hurtful to yourself and to the other person who keeps telling you that they have your back?

You’ve worked hard to establish your credibility and reputation and even though you may feel you “owe it “ to the next person when it comes to being a team player, the person you really owe it to is yourself when it comes to protecting your back and ultimately your career future.  You may think it’s selfish not to be supportive of someone who has helped you in your career but may have a mixed reputation, is a liar, cheated on his/her spouse or is of questionable morale and ethical character.  You have a choice in who and where you associate your time and your attention.  This does not mean that you have to turn your back on someone in need but you do need to make sure you take yourself out of the middle of any situation that does not have your best interests at stake.

Finding the balance between being a good friend and colleague from being an enabler requires a lot of soul-searching.  You may not always know the difference when it’s time to actually help someone but maybe it’s okay to start by simply walking away.

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