Careers are woven from several different strands. Here are six important ones.

Aptitude is important. You’re likely to succeed at things you’re good at.

A lot of research and two recent best sellers point out that talent, or aptitude, is overrated when it comes to career success. True enough. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t count.

Interest is a factor. You’ll naturally gravitate to things that interest you. You’ll put more energy into them.

Barbara always loved the theater. Acting wasn’t her thing. Neither was directing. But she found her spot as the business manager for a succession of theaters.

Culture counts. There are two kinds of culture that matter.

The culture you were raised in set your values and the way you naturally make decisions. You need to work at understanding how that affects your career, as well as broadening your range.

Organizational culture matters, too. My friend Bill was out of place managing the business affairs of a graduate school, where slow, considered decision making was valued. But he was in his element when he moved to a start-up where quick decisions were necessary.

Luck matters more than we like to admit. Being in the right place when opportunity knocks can make your career. As a friend of mine says: “If you have the choice between good luck and good planning, take good luck every time.”

Hard work is the most important factor you can control. No great success ever came without it.

Feedback is crucial. I call it the “Breakfast of Champions.” Experience only counts for you if you learn from it and you learn from feedback.

As you ponder your career, think about these six things. Then use the ones you can control to make the most of the ones you can’t.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 6th, 2009 at 7:45 am and is filed under Tools and Strategies for Success. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.