What is Career Navigation?
“It's not always about moving roles or changing companies... Sometimes it's about understanding yourself and what you really want to do...”
Navigating Your Career at Koch
Hear about the importance of partnering with your supervisor and the other avenues for navigating your career.
Career Navigation at Koch
At Koch, career navigation is a journey each employee takes to realize their potential and continually discover how they can maximize their contributions.
To understand Koch’s approach, it can be helpful to contrast it with some common or traditional approaches found in many organizations.
| Traditional Career “Advancement” | Career Navigation at Koch |
|---|---|
| Company-defined career paths and structured development programs | No pre-defined career or development paths; the “next role” may not be obvious |
| Checklist of things to do before being eligible for “the next role” | A person doesn't have to be 100% “ready” to take on a new challenge or move into a new role |
| Focus on certifications and credentials, especially to increase pay | Focus on developing skills and pursuing interests that match aptitudes — improving opportunities to expand contributions |
| Advancement means promotion or “moving up the ladder” | Advancement means realizing your potential and maximizing your contribution |
| Advancement or opportunities are based on tenure or other milestones | Opportunities are open to those who are contribution motivated with the right aptitudes for the job |
Shortcomings of Traditional Career “Advancement” Approaches
The traditional approaches listed above are inconsistent with our principles and ineffective over the long run because they:
- Tend to take a one-size-fits-all, bureaucratic approach that limits development as a discovery process.
- Often put more weight on credentials and technical skills than a person’s effect on culture and other people.
- Primarily use promotion/hierarchy to increase pay, decision rights and influence — such that climbing a career ladder is the only path to success.
- Lack flexibility needed to adapt to the rapid pace of change.
Our approach to Career Navigation does not mean you should have no vision of your future in your mind, or no plan for your development.
However, if you are contribution motivated and exploring new (and maybe unfamiliar) ways of maximizing your contribution sounds exciting, then you will find our approach energizing.
If you prefer the company to provide a mapped-out path or career structure, Koch may not be right for you.
Principles for Career Navigation at Koch
Using the following principles to navigate your career can help you realize your potential in new and different ways.
Self-actualizing is about realizing your potential — becoming everything you are capable of becoming. It is a deeply personal and unique journey.
Part of this journey is identifying, developing and applying your gifts and passions so you can best contribute in ways that are most meaningful to you.
It is important to stay open to career opportunities that might not be obvious.
As you develop new skills and uncover new things you are passionate about, traditional, prescribed career paths can stifle your growth. Letting exploration fuel your growth — rather than allowing pre-set programs to dictate your development — can lead to surprisingly different ways to use your talents.
You are an individual with a unique combination of aptitudes, interests, and preferences that can evolve or change over time.
When considering what's next in your career, ask yourself questions like: What excites me? What does not? What kind of challenge am I looking for? What is important to me and what is not?
Because many organizations emphasize hierarchy, people often chase promotions or prestigious roles. Instead of fixating on some predetermined career path, we strive to create an environment where employees seek work where they can maximize their contribution. This leads to greater opportunities and rewards for the employee.
Additional Resources
Koch Careers
Koch employees can log in for additional career navigation resources.
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