Hi , and happy September!

Some of you may be asking yourself, "How long am I going to stay here in this role/company?" This is especially true if you have been in the same role for the past 3+ years, doing similar things and waiting for an opportunity to grow.

For others, you may already be at the juncture in your career where you are considering to move into a more managerial role, taking on more responsibilities and starting to lead a team.

As we get to the last third of the year, you might be thinking about how your career trajectory would look like in the next few months leading into 2024.

Would the upcoming new year be bringing new opportunities for you at your current workplace? Or do you have to start looking at other places?

Job changes and career transitions can be a difficult period. It is even more challenging if you are thinking about making an upwards move, especially if it would be your first time to potentially taking on a managerial role.

Individual contributor vs manager.

We often think that we need to be super good at our job before we can start to take on leadership responsibilities. However, there is a difference between being an individual contributor (a normal employee) versue a manager or a leader.

As an employee or individual contributor, you are expected to be proficient at your job. You need to have the skills necessary to perform well and deliver outcomes, and your success is based on what you can provide to the team and organization.

However, as a manager, you may not necessarily need to be the best person at actually getting the job done. But you do need to know how to get the job done by utilizing your team members and their unique skill sets. Being a manager means being able to effectively manage your team's strengths and resources to accomplish a common goal while ensuring that your team members are supported and developed.

Not everyone is suited to be a manager, and not everyone wants to be a manager.

Most people feel like the only measure of 'success' in one's career is when you make it to the managerial roles. They aim to climb the career ladder as fast as they could, and relish in the 'Manager' name in their job title.

However, not everyone is suited to be a manager. And not everyone who can be a manager wants to be manager, and that's completely OK too.

Becoming a manager comes with a lot of perks - higher pay, better benefits, higher status. But it also comes with a lot of responsibility, more stress, and sometimes, having even less time to do what it is that you actually like to do about the job.

Some people can be very good at their job, but really bad at managing conflict or workplace relationships. Others may just want to focus on the hands on work and avoid the additional stress of strategy meetings, policy making or stakeholder engagements.

Whichever group you fall under, really take the time to consider what potential opportunities may be available to you and what you can do in the next few months to prepare yourself so that 2024 can bring your career to a greater height.

[EVENT] Join us for 2 hours of learning and networking!

In case you missed it, we will be running our first panel & networking session this month! We will have three seasoned professionals (with experiences from various industries, including banking & finance, oil & gas, aviation, FMCG, and telecommunications) who will share their career journeys and the lessons that they have learnt.

There will be refreshments and goodie bags for you, and opportunities for you to network with other like-minded individuals from different backgrounds.

Come with an open mind and be inspired to take charge of your career. Seats are limited so sign up now (and get your friends to join as well)!

Register now!

[NEW POST] 5 ways to spot if you have an amazing manager at work.

We have all heard and read the drama on social media when our friends talk about their micromanaging bosses or leaders that don't respect their employees' boundaries. In some cases, we might have even shared our own versions of managers from hell to our friends.

But in the spirit of sharing positivity, here are some ways to spot if you have an amazing manager at work. And if you do have experiences to share, please to share your stories on Twitter at #KejarKerjayaDiscussion to inspire others that good leaders are out there in the world.

Until we see you again next week (and at our event!), here is our question to you to kickstart your week.

What is one thing that my manager has done that has had a positive impact on my work this year?

You don't have to share your answer with us, but your manager might appreciate knowing your answer! :)

Stay safe, stay healthy, stay awesome, and take care!

Best,

Kejar Kerjaya