The power of introspection for career advancement

In a world that allures us with the promises of instant gratification and the pursuit of comfort and riches — and bombards us with self-help literature to reach success — we can easily be overwhelmed by mixed messages and superficial approaches to reach excellence. At some point, many of us find ourselves in a rat race where the tracks go in circles, and we never get anywhere.

How many times do we skid to a halt in the road and look at our surroundings? At MIT, one of the biggest lessons I learned was the importance of self-reflection and looking inward. Periodically examining our personality and behavior, our attitudes and aspirations, our emotional drivers for success, and our overall self-identifying life purpose can reboot our courage, our fighting spirit, and our sense of success.

Our mental state determines our outcomes. One way of improving our attitude for better outcomes is to examine our own conscious thoughts. How much time do I spend daily distracted with “he said, she said” in politics or sports? What is the point of spending countless hours listening to gossip or surfing the web without a clear purpose? How much more engaged am I at work meetings than at the dinner table with my own family? Do I truly spend time thinking about ways to improve my efficiency at the workplace?

Another form of introspection that improves our attitude in life is to examine our own spiritual drivers. What is my purpose in life, and how does it relate to my aspirations at work? Is it to bump and grind, spilling sweat and tears until I die and show how great my work ethics are, to the world? Is it to accumulate the most toys at the end of the game? Is it to aggrandize my own sense of power and achievement? Or is it really to radiate the light of courage, compassion, leadership, and knowledge that I have been able to amalgamate in my core being?

Often, we encounter obstacles at work, as our aspirations to succeed may get truncated, others get the promotion we aspired to, and we fall into a rut of self-pity and finger-pointing. Instead of blaming your boss, your coworkers, the company, and everyone else for “their failure” to recognize your contributions, first consider the following:

•       Have you done a self-analysis?
•       Do you really want to reach that mental state you are aspiring to? If so, is it for your personal glory or your desire to make a real impact?
•       Have you discussed this situation with coworkers, friends, and family members, who may have a different perspective about how realistic your dreams are?
•       Have you considered getting a mentor or coach to help you address these issues?
•       Have you received coaching and mentorship and then failed to follow advice?
•       Do you learn from experience? Do you bring this experience to benefit others in your team?
•       Do you often get “stuck” or are you seen as a resourceful team member?
•       Are you seen as a competitive coworker, a slacker, or a laggard?
•       Are you happy in a silo, or do you strive to communicate, be visible, and reach out to influence others across the organization?
•       Do others admire your prescience, and seek you as a sounding board?
•       Are you seen by coworkers as a key contributor, who brings energy and passion, productivity, and interactivity to any enterprise you join?
•       Do you constantly seek feedback on your performance?
•       Do you have trouble aligning your idea of success with a strategy to pursue it?
•       Have you watched what has made others around you successful, and realized that you have neglected to follow their example?
•       Do you genuinely care about the success of your team as a whole, and every individual member of it?
•       Do you listen to others and value their suggestions? Do you recognize that you do not have all the answers?

Everyone needs a coach. World leaders are aided by coaches, for instance, to deliver speeches in the most effective way possible. Great athletes reach the heights of their prowess with the help of amazing coaches. If your introspection reveals that you alone cannot move a lever, why not reach out to the person with the lever, to change your world?

 It is time to rev up your career’s engine. Start from your spiritual core. Think of what you bring to the game. Think about your own visibility and impact. Think of everything you have learned, how good your intentions are, and how you can design a package with these elements to deliver your best and propel your career forward.

Apply a healthy dose of positive attitude. Identify the overall purpose of your life. Is it to improve the lives of others by helping advance better products from your company? Is it to move hearts with compassion by contributing to literature, arts, and films? Is it to alleviate pain and suffering? Realize that work is simply a vehicle to make yourself and others shine, in a world often without purpose, rattled by the noise of automatons running endlessly in circles.

Apply all your analytic, strategic, inquisitive thinking to diagnose yourself via introspection, to get to the heart of the issue, and find the gifts you bring to the world. First, you need to see your own value, your true identity, and your sense of belonging to fight whatever the world throws at you. Seek help if it appears daunting. Then make your treasure visible to others for all that it is worth.

Dr. Fernando Dangond, EMBA '12, is Therapeutic Area Head, Global Clinical Development, Neurology and Executive Medical Director at EMD Serono in Billerica, MA.