Take our Ambition Test

Find a career counselor near me

You want to take charge of your role at work. But in reality, you are not in charge. There are so many factors outside of one’s direct control when it comes to one's job, after all.

Maybe communication within the organization is generally disorganized or insufficient. Maybe employees are spread thin by competing demands from multiple projects. Or maybe one’s manager insists they are too busy to make time to meet with them one-on-one to provide direction, guidance, and coaching.

These are all real challenges that get in the way of success at work. But the problem with blaming these outside factors is that focusing on what is beyond your control leaves you powerless, by definition. If you want to be in control of your success at work, you must focus on that which you can always control: Yourself, your actions, and your reactions.

1. Figure out where you fit in your organization or department

No matter who you are, what you want to achieve, or how you want to behave, your role in any work situation is determined in large part by factors that have nothing to do with you. Every situation has a context that limits possibilities and limits the scope of your potential role.

To get a handle on the factors that determine........

© Psychology Today