Career Ownership: Why Your Career Is No Longer Your Manager’s Job
If I had a pound for every person who has said, “I’m just waiting to see what my manager thinks,” I’d have funded a whole new keynote tour by now. It’s such a familiar phrase. Hopeful. Polite. Understandable. And completely outdated. Because waiting to be “tapped on the shoulder” is no longer a career strategy. It’s a gamble. That’s why career ownership is so important.
The world of work has shifted, and the rules many of us learned no longer apply in the way we expect. Organisations have changed shape — flatter, leaner, and often harder to navigate than they look on paper. Roles evolve faster than job descriptions can be updated — sometimes faster than anyone is willing to admit. And managers, however committed they may be, cannot own anyone’s career for them.
In today’s environment, ownership isn’t pressure — although it can feel that way at first. Ownership is power. And I’d like to share why.
The Illusion of the Tap on the Shoulder
Let me take you back to an early moment in my own career.
I was 27. Enthusiastic. Ambitious. And if we’re being brutally honest, a bit too confident for my own good.
I believed that if I worked hard, kept performing, and said “yes” to the right things, someone would eventually tap me on the shoulder and say, “Antoinette, here’s your next step.”
But life doesn’t always work that way.
It took being made redundant from my first ‘proper’ job — and feeling more lost than I expected — to realise something important: No one is as invested in your future as you are.
A coach helped me slow down, reflect, and rediscover what truly mattered to me. That moment sparked a mindset shift I have carried through every stage of my career — including my own decision, three decades later, to transition into speaking full-time.
Career ownership isn’t a nice idea. I learned the hard way that it’s a necessity
Why the Old Rules Don’t Work Anymore
For years, many of us were taught that careers were linear. You worked hard, followed the rules, and moved gradually up the ladder.
But that model only worked when organisations were stable, structures were predictable, and career paths were well-mapped.
Today?
Roles shift.
Industries transform.
Businesses restructure while also trying to respond to new technologies, new expectations, and new ways of working.
Managers are juggling performance, wellbeing, hybrid workflows, and their own development. They can support you — but they cannot chart your career for you.
It’s not their job.
And it’s not in your best interests to wait for them to try.
Career Ownership Is Not Isolation
When I talk about ownership, some people hear, “You’re on your own.”
Absolutely not.
Ownership means:
You make choices.
You seek support.
You decide what matters.
You take steps — small, sustainable, sometimes slightly uncomfortable steps — toward a future you’ve chosen.
And you involve your manager in a more powerful way: not as the driver, but as a partner.
In the COMPASS framework, ownership sits right at the centre — something I only fully appreciated after watching people stall without it.
Think of it this way:
Your manager can open a door.
But you choose which door you want to walk through.
A Story That Changed How I See Career Ownership
Years ago, I was working with a global insurance company, facilitating its succession planning process.
We were discussing a senior role — a big one — and everyone agreed it should go to a talented underwriter in Bermuda. I still remember the confidence in the room:
“He’ll be thrilled.”
“Ambitious guy.”
“His wife will love London.”
Six months later, the role was offered.
And what did he say?
“No thanks.”
He didn’t want the management responsibility.
He didn’t want to move his family.
He wasn’t interested in that career path — not then, not later, not ever.
The room fell silent — the uncomfortable kind, where everyone realises something important has been missed.
Not because he said no, but because no one had asked him what he wanted.
And he had never said.
When people don’t own their careers, assumptions fill the gaps — and the outcomes rarely serve anyone.
Soon after, he left for a competitor.
The company lost a star performer.
And he made a choice that aligned with his priorities — but far later than he might have, had he taken ownership earlier.
Why Career Ownership Is Empowerment
Ownership gives you freedom.
Freedom to explore.
Freedom to change direction.
Freedom to define success in a way that energises you.
It’s one of the reasons I made my own shift into professional speaking. I realised that the work that lit me up most — storytelling, energising rooms, sparking mindset shifts — deserved to be at the centre of my career, not squeezed around the edges.
Ownership lets you follow the path that fits you best, rather than the one others imagine for you.
Three Questions to Help You Step into Career Ownership
Start with these simple prompts (although I hasten to add ‘simple’ doesn’t always mean easy!)
1. What do I want people to come to me for?
Strengths, reputation, energy — what makes you feel most alive?
2. What does success look like for me in the next 12–24 months?
Not promotions but what experiences? What impact? What learning?
3. What small step could I take this week?
A conversation? A course? A new responsibility? A reflective exercise from the Career Compass Workbook?
Career ownership is built through small steps, not dramatic leaps — something I have to remind myself and my clients of regularly.
Managers Still Play a Vital Role — Just a Different One
Your manager is still important. Your manager can:
- Support
- Coach
- Challenge
- Open doors
- Offer feedback
- Create visibility
- Champion opportunities
- Have meaningful career conversations
But just remember, they cannot choose your goals.
They cannot define your success.
They cannot build your future.
That belongs to you.
When managers support — and employees genuinely own — something powerful happens:
People grow.
Work becomes more enjoyable.
Organisations thrive.
This is exactly what we explore in the Confident Career Conversations and Career Compass Masterclasses — how to turn everyday moments into meaningful career dialogue that empowers individuals to take the lead.
One Small Step
This week, take 10 minutes to reflect on a simple question:
“What do I want from the next chapter of my career — and what one action could I take to move toward it?”
Open a notebook.
Or simply sit with a cup of tea and let your thoughts wander.
Clarity comes from reflection.
Progress comes from ownership.
Success comes from small, deliberate steps.
If you’d like to explore how this thinking could support people in your organisation, let’s start a conversation about a keynote or masterclass on career ownership.