Taking Control Of Your Career
Success is a ruthless game, and, like all games, it comes with rules. Some rules are written, most aren’t, and a good portion are utter nonsense. But here’s the kicker: If you’re not calling out the roadblocks in your path, you’re playing blindfolded, hoping somehow you’ll stumble into a win. Spoiler alert: You won’t. Whatever’s preventing you from success in your job, call it out — and not to your cat or your showerhead. Call it out to the right people. You know who I’m talking about. The ones who can actually change something.
Here’s a hard truth: It’s your responsibility to get what you need to do your job, because no one else is keeping track of your hurdles like you are. It’s not your manager’s job to know that the new system they implemented last week is a disaster. It’s not HR’s job to sense that the “quick” team check-ins are slowly strangling your productivity. And it’s certainly not the CFO’s job to care that your department is operating with the budget of a bake sale when you’re trying to deliver results worthy of a Fortune 500 company.
Success isn’t a solo venture. But owning your trajectory? That is 100% on you. It’s about responsibility — not just for the work you do, but for the problems that prevent you from doing it well.
The Trap of Silence
Here’s the problem: Too many people get stuck in the trap of silence. Maybe it’s fear — fear of being seen as a complainer, or worse, incompetent. Or maybe it’s a resignation that no one will listen. After all, who wants to be that person, right? The one always raising their hand to point out what’s wrong. But here’s the dirty little secret: the people who succeed are the ones who raise their hand. The difference is, they do it smartly, tactically, and at the right moments to the right people.
Think about it. Every company has that one person who speaks up, who asks uncomfortable questions, and who — let’s be real — gets things done. You know that person. They’re not necessarily the smartest or hardest-working. But they’re the ones who get promoted, get the good projects, and get the influence. Why? Because they own their narrative. When something’s not working, they don’t grumble to their peers or sulk at their desk. They go to the decision-makers and, crucially, they present the issue with a solution in hand.
If you’re feeling stuck, it’s probably because you’re silent when you should be speaking up. You might be under the delusion that someone else will solve the problem for you. Guess what? They won’t. You think your boss is a mind reader? Do you think the C-suite sits around wondering what hurdles you’re facing this week? Newsflash: They don’t. They’re too busy trying to keep their own heads above water.
Why We Don’t Speak Up (And Why We Should Anyway)
One reason people don’t speak up is that we’re all walking around terrified that someone will think we don’t have it all together. There’s this myth in corporate America that admitting you’re struggling is like signing your own professional death warrant. But here’s the thing: The real career killer isn’t admitting you have a problem, it’s letting the problem persist because you didn’t have the guts to call it out.
Look at any successful leader. They didn’t get where they are by passively accepting the status quo. They made noise when something wasn’t working, and they made sure the right people heard it. Steve Jobs? He didn’t quietly accept that Apple was tanking in the ’90s. He threw the company’s failures into the spotlight and then bulldozed his way to fixing them. Howard Schultz didn’t resurrect Starbucks by staying quiet about what wasn’t working; he pointed out the flaws and offered a plan to fix them. The takeaway? Success and silence rarely go hand in hand.
Picking Your Battles (And Your Allies)
But let’s not get this twisted — complaining is not a strategy. There’s a difference between whining about problems and being strategic about calling them out. The trick is to focus on the issues that matter. If you complain about everything, people will start tuning you out faster than they scroll past LinkedIn posts with the word “synergy.” So, prioritize. What are the roadblocks really holding you back? Is it a systemic issue, a lack of resources, or a particular person who just doesn’t get it? Identify the core problem.
And then — here’s the kicker — tell the right people. Not your coworker at the lunch table, not your significant other after a long day, and definitely not the company Slack channel. Find the person who can actually do something about it. Maybe it’s your manager, maybe it’s someone in another department, or maybe it’s the head of finance who needs to sign off on the extra budget. Whoever it is, make sure you’re talking to the person with the power to remove the obstacle, not the one who’ll just nod sympathetically and move on.
Present the Problem, Propose the Solution
Here’s the other part of the equation: Don’t just bring the problem — bring the solution. People who succeed know how to package their complaints with potential fixes. It’s one thing to say, “This system sucks.” It’s another thing entirely to say, “This system is slowing us down, but I’ve looked into an alternative that could save us 10 hours a week.” Guess which one is more likely to get a positive response?
Solutions give you power. They show that you’re not just pointing fingers, but that you’re taking ownership of your role and your success. And that’s the magic word — ownership.
Take Control of Your Career
At the end of the day, you can’t control everything. Some obstacles are too big, too complex, or too far outside your sphere of influence. But you can control one thing: your voice. You can control how you call out the problems that stand in your way and how you propose to solve them.
Success isn’t about perfection. It’s about ownership — ownership of your problems, your solutions, and your career. So stop waiting for someone else to clear the path for you. Speak up.
Brian Fink is the author of Talk Tech To Me. He takes on the stress and strain of complex technology concepts and simplifies them for the modern recruiter. Fink’s impassioned wit and humor tackle the highs and lows of technical recruiting with a unique perspective — a perspective intended to help you find, engage, and partner with professionals.
