The Flight Plan for Career Growth

In aviation, pilots learn to follow a simple but powerful mantra: “Aviate, Navigate, Communicate.” This prioritization ensures pilots maintain control of their aircraft first, then know where they’re going, and finally, communicate effectively to ensure a successful flight. You can use this same framework to manage and advance your career. Whether you’re aiming for a promotion, transitioning to a new role, or simply excelling in your current position, following these three principles will help you stay on course.

Aviate: Master Your Craft

Before plotting your next career move, you should first focus on excelling in your current role. Just as pilots prioritize keeping their aircraft under control, professionals should aim to perform their best at their existing responsibilities. This means:

• Delivering high-quality work consistently.
• Building expertise in your field and refining your skills.
• Taking ownership of tasks and demonstrating reliability.
• Seeking feedback and applying it to improve.

By mastering your current position, you establish a solid foundation for growth. Promotions and new opportunities don’t come solely from ambition—they come from proven competence.

Navigate: Chart Your Career Path

Once you’re performing well in your role, it’s time to determine your destination. Just as pilots must plan a route before flying, professionals should strategically map out their career trajectory. This involves:

• Understanding the landscape – Learn the expectations for your desired role and how your company defines success.
• Identifying skill gaps – Assess your current abilities against the requirements for your next position.
• Setting short-term and long-term goals – Outline actionable steps to prepare for advancement.

Having a clear roadmap ensures you aren’t aimlessly drifting in your career but actively working toward your next goal.

Communicate: Advocate for Yourself

The best pilots communicate constantly with air traffic control to coordinate their flight safely. Similarly, professionals must express their career aspirations and actively position themselves for success. This means:

• Speaking up – Let your manager and mentors know your career goals.
• Demonstrating readiness – Showcase your progress in bridging skill gaps and taking on higher responsibilities.
• Seeking opportunities – Volunteer for challenging projects and leadership roles to prove your capabilities.

Without effective communication, opportunities can fly past unnoticed. Confidence and clarity in discussing your ambitions ensure you stay on the radar of decision-makers.

Cleared for Takeoff

In aviation, ignoring the Aviate-Navigate-Communicate rules has led to many accidents. When a pilot puts navigation before aviation, they focus too much on where they want to go and forget to fly the plane. They make rudimentary mistakes and increase their chances of being involved in an accident.

The same thing can happen to our careers. Focusing on where we want to go (blind ambition) often leads us to ignore our current responsibilities—making it difficult for anyone to see our true potential value to the company.

Career progression doesn’t happen by chance—it happens when you take control. By aviating (excelling in your current role), navigating (strategically planning your next move), and communicating (advocating for yourself), you set yourself up for success. Like a well-prepared pilot, you’ll confidently take off towards new heights in your career.

See you next time…