Your Career: Are You a Hostage or a Captor?

It’s easy to point fingers to explain why you didn’t get that promotion at work or didn’t get assigned that big project you were hoping to take the lead on—but maybe it’s time to take a realistic look at how you approach your career.

From a high-level view of the U.S. workforce, it’s easy to divide employees into two categories: hostages and captors.

Hostages are those who consider their career paths (in part or completely) in the hands of others. They believe they will only be called for a job interview or hired if there’s a position available. Once they have the job, their career advancement plan is to only do what their bosses allow and assign. Promotions, increased responsibilities and climbing the corporate ladder hinge on others.

Captors, on the other hand, don’t believe they’re at the mercy of others. They set goals and don’t believe in limitations set by others. They understand that their career outcomes are as a result of their own actions and decisions. These people tend to be the ones others are drawn to because they have a great attitude about everything.

But before we tattoo your label on you, it’s important to point out that...

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Are You A Selfish Employee?

No matter where you stand on the corporate ladder, the truth is, your career is not really about you.

Very few professionals have been able to advance their careers by simply showing up for work and doing their job. The Peter Principle claims workers are promoted to the level in which they fail, which reinforces the idea that not all advancement is based on the skill that gets you there. 

It’s time to understand that your success in the workplace is dependent on filling a need and bringing value to the company. It goes beyond getting your work done, it's about implementing a necessary attitude change and realizing that it’s about being proactive and anticipating the needs of your clients or bosses and proving your worth.

Here are five ways to change how you approach your career to take the focus off of just yourself to propel you to the next level:

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How to Protect Corporate Culture in a Telecommuting World

It may seem like good policy to let someone work from home, but, from a corporate-culture perspective, there’s something to be said for making employees schlep to the office.

Thanks to video conferencing and the ability to ‘remote in’ to one’s office computer, there has been a rise in work-from-home policies across industries. Many argue there is no need for many employees to work from a physical office location. Especially for employees who spend the majority of their days working solo, working from wherever they choose shouldn’t matter as long as they produce quality results.

But what's the impact on all-important company culture? It's not a simple answer, and corporate attitudes seem to change daily. As many companies continue to replace full-time staffers with freelancers and remote employees, others like Hewlett-Packard are reversing their work-from-home policies, saying such practices are greatly affecting culture and the ability to work through challenges through a team effort.

So if you are a business leader trying to decide how working from home might affect your corporate culture, ask yourself the following questions:

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Women: Are We to Blame for the Glass Ceiling?

Enough about the glass ceiling.

There's nothing wrong with talking about barriers for growth for women in the workplace, but much of the conversation today paints the proverbial glass ceiling as if it's something women have no control over.

That sounds like victimhood to me. Women do have control, and in some ways, are to blame for the glass ceiling's continued existence.

As a woman, I have spent my whole career working in a male-dominated world. It's true that men generally make more money. They are also promoted more and, according to a recent story in The Wall Street Journal, they make up...

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Not Everyone at Work is Your Friend, Even if They Say So

Many of us spend more of our waking hours in the office than at home during the workweek, which can easily lead to blurred personal and professional lines between colleagues.

While it’s always nice to like the people you work with, becoming too friendly can lead to office problems. The workplace is often a competitive place, and even if you have good friends at work (or thought you did) we all have days when we wonder who will be next to stab us in the back as we realize that most offices are no different than a schoolyard.

It’s hard to get past learning a trusted colleague is talking bad about your behind your back, after all, you are only human.

But it’s important not to let these actions interfere with....

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People Pleasing Pleases No One And Could Be Destroying Your Career

We’ve all worked with colleagues who will say “yes” or agree to anything to avoid confrontation.

On the surface, these “people pleasers” may seem like dedicated workers as they tell bosses, colleagues, subordinates and clients only what they want to hear at the expense of what's right. But in reality, this tactic might not be doing themselves—or their company—any favors. In fact, in some cases, it could be hurting their advancement and destroying their careers.

Every worker should strive to be a team player and avoid intentionally causing office tension or problems, but they shouldn’t take their people-pleasing actions to an extreme where they comprise their own value or morals and lose respect for themselves and from others.

If you’re not sure if you are a people pleaser, consider the following four symptoms and how they might be hindering your career success.

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