Taking Control of Your Well-Being Career

Some well-being professionals are fortunate to work for an employer where career development is planned across every function. In others, “stars” are chosen relatively early and given access to the best mentors and internal/external training. In any case, it’s rare for an organization to have a deep bench or long history when it comes to well-being development, so it’s left to you to chart a course. Some ideas:

• Know what matters to those who matter. Starting with your boss and their boss and so on, find out how you and your wellness program will be evaluated. Participation? Engagement? Population risk status? Write them down along with several key performance indicators. If you’re being assessed on factors you can’t control (such as ROI), negotiate for something where you can have impact. Feed this back to the stakeholders and engage in ongoing conversation to be sure you’re on track and the goals haven’t changed.
• Ask for honest appraisals. Top performers are continuously self-examining progress and growth while seeking feedback from peers, bosses, and those they lead. After a significant event like implementing a new program or presenting to management, they share thoughts on what went well and solicit feedback on what could be done better. If you get a laundry list of improvements, ask for the 1 or 2 most important things to focus on.
• Build up your strengths and shore up weaknesses. Capture the feedback and rate yourself (or ask a close, trusted adviser) on the importance and your performance of the skill. Concentrate first on those of significance with lower performance. Map out a self-study or mentoring relationship plan aiming for the most efficient route to your goal. Then look for ways to burnish your skills and elevate your ability.
• Increase internal visibility. C-suite residents don’t make it down to the wellness office often? No worries. Raise your profile by volunteering for leadership roles in company-sponsored charity events, on-campus recruiting, or community partnerships. This is easy and typically rewarding beyond the added visibility.
• Seek industry visibility. Apply for conference speaking gigs, serve on regional and national boards, and look for opportunities to be part of original research in the field. Then keep your internal PR folks current on all of your activities so you and your program appear in organization and industry news. Relationships you establish through these channels will serve you well throughout your career.

Ultimately, your knowledge, skill, and ability to get things done are your best ways to ensure success, so never stop learning and taking on more responsibility, while attending to the steps above.