Navigating your Career - Deborah Elam

Insights from Leaders
2 min readMar 26, 2021

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Deb Elam — CEO, Corporate Playbook

20 years from now you should not look back at a set of random career choices. Every decision you take; every move you make — must be a strategic move towards your end goal - Deb Elam

A career is essentially a series of roles. It should be based on your values, needs, and where you hope to be in the future. As with any muscle or habit, a career is best strengthened with consistent, focused attention.

Every role has three distinct phases. In the first one, you are receiving. You are a sponge, absorbing every speck of the knowledge the company is able to give you. The second phase is a little flat; you continue learning, but are also able to make a slight impact. In the third phase, you are in reverse. The company is gaining more from you — you are up to speed and able to contribute.

After the third phase you then can look out for that new horizon, challenge, and job. Just like that, you are able to build, and navigate an entire career.

Deborah Elam - Corporate Playbook

Deborah ‘Deb’ Elam

Navigating Through Career ‘Isms’

One type of moral issue overshadows all others: inter-group relationships. These groups are usually defined by race, gender, nationality, creed, sexual preference and so on. The attitude of the oppressor group toward the victim group is described as examples of racism, sexism, ageism, weightism, and so on. These attitudes are at the root of all social and ethical problems and are common in society, especially in the workplace. Hence these are referred to as career ‘isms’.
There are numerous ways in which one can navigate through career ‘isms’.

  1. Be confident in who you are, and what you bring to the table.
  2. Always bring your A-game.
  3. Build a network within each organization you work for — they will be your friends, your allies.
  4. Deliver above and beyond, do your best and work hard.
Deborah ‘Deb’ Elam

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