Your manager isn’t responsible for your growth—you are.
One of the biggest misconceptions in the workplace is that your manager is responsible for your growth.
They should prioritise your development.
They should give you opportunities for progression.
They should give you a list of potential promotions.
If they’re a good manager, they will provide you with guidance and support, but not all managers are built the same.
When I was working in my role as Head of People across multiple countries, I couldn’t even tell you how many times a team member would say:
“My manager doesn’t prioritise my development”
“All of the opportunities go to the same people”
“I won’t get promoted anyway so what’s the point of putting in any extra work”.
The reality is you need to be in the driver’s seat of your own growth if you want to avoid becoming frustrated, stagnant in your role or missing opportunities.
No one will ever care about your own growth more than you, the old no one is coming to save you plays into this and that includes your manager. Even though you might think they owe it to you..
Here’s how you can take ownership for your own growth and drive your career forward with purpose:
Define what success looks like for you and set clear goals.
Only you will know what success looks like for you in your career, your manager can be on hand to help align your role with the organisation’s goals but it’s up to you to outline where you aspire to get to professionally.
TAKE ACTION:
Create your long term vision: Where do you see yourself in 1, 3 and 5 years? They don’t need to be perfect and completely fleshed out – just write them down.
Break each goal into bite sized chunks: For each goal, break it down into bite sized steps that are manageable. Eg. If you want to lead a team, explore what skills and experience do you need to get there.
Track your progress with SMART goals: Make sure each goal is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. Write them down and stick to them!
Own your development and take initiative.
No more waiting for your manager or HR to send you to training or suggest resources that could help you improve.
Start being proactive in developing the skills that will get you closer to your goals, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.
TAKE ACTION:
Identify your skills gaps: Conduct an audit to understand what are the gaps between your current abilities and the skills that you’ll need in the future.
Seek out learning opportunities: Actively look for courses, workshops, certifications or even volunteer opportunities that will help you develop your skills.
Put yourself forward for stretch projects: Don’t wait for these opportunities to fall into your lap, proactively ask for projects that will challenge you and provide growth opportunities – better yet create them yourself and pitch them.
Build your network and actively seek feedback.
Your manager can play a part in your support system, however you should actively build relationships with others that can support your growth – colleagues, mentors, coaches or an expert in your industry.
TAKE ACTION:
Find yourself a mentor: Mentorship is great so you have access to invaluable insights and feedback, finding someone who has achieved what you aspire to do and asking for their guidance will propel you forward.
Network with intention: Expand your circle of influence, the five people you surround yourself with can have a profound impact on your growth. This will provide you with support, advice and even potential opportunities.
Actively seek feedback: Don’t be the person who waits till the annual review to ask for feedback. Build it into something you do weekly, fortnightly or monthly – ask for feedback from colleagues, your manager, your mentor so you can focus on continuous improvement.
Leave your fixed mindset where it is.
Own your success but also own your failures. When you truly have accountability for your growth, it empowers you to make adjustments and continue to move forward instead of staying stagnant.
TAKE ACTION:
Track where you’re at and celebrate: Schedule time to regularly check in with your goals and the progress you’ve made. Make any adjustments where required and don’t forget to celebrate the small wins along the way.
Own your mistakes: Don’t shy away from your mistakes, own them. Use your failures as a learning opportunity to identify what went wrong and how you can improve next time.
Focus on solutions, not problems: Don’t blame your manager or circumstances when you hit a roadblock or you haven’t done what you said you were going to do. Instead of focusing on the problem, focus on finding a solution so you can continue to progress.
Put a plan in place, a Personal Development Plan (PDP) to be precise.
Get clear on what success looks like then put pen to paper to build a roadmap to get you there. Outline your goals, what actions you’ll commit to and any resources or support you will need along the way to help you to achieve them.
TAKE ACTION:
Create your PDP: Outline your long term goals, the skills and experiences you’ll need then create the action steps you’ll need to take to achieve those goals. Drive accountability by ensuring they’re not sweeping actions but have deadlines in place.
Share it with your manager, mentor or coach: Even though your growth is your responsibility, sharing it with your support network will allow you to tap into additional support and resources.
Reflect and adapt: Ensure you keep it up to date, review it every quarter to assess your progress. Have your goals changed? Are there new skills you need to focus on?
Ultimately, the responsibility for your development will fall on your shoulders. Your manager should be there to offer support but they will never take control of your growth, that’s your job not theirs.
Taking ownership of your growth shouldn’t just be about advancing your career but empowering yourself to shape your future and step into your full potential. Stop leaving it to chance or in the hands of someone else!
