Climbing the career ladder: there’s no one-size fits all

The secret about climbing the career ladder is that… there is no secret. It’s all hard work and commitment, as the three speakers at our event on 21 February, at Badenoch & Clark, highlighted. Andrew Notter, Karen Wauters and Brandi Karlstedt talked about building a successful career while keeping a work-life balance.

To advance your career, declare what you want

“I always had a goal, always wanted to progress”, said Andrew Notter. For him, working out what really matters, setting up clear objectives and seeing how they fit into your life as a whole, are key elements to a successful career.

The growth path is not, however, lean and straight-forward. Most people get stuck on the way, question themselves and feel at a loss. The only solution is to take the time, identify the barriers and pain points, and ask yourself: “What can I do to grow?” Looking for advice and discussing your issues with people you trust can help you clarify your thoughts and better see opportunities.

Getting promoted is like running a campaign 

For Brandi Karlstedt, once you know what you want, you must move to the next step: articulate who you are and what you know. In other words: build your personal brand. “You have to set a goal, take responsibility and make yourself heard and seen”, she said.

Brandi also stressed that there is no single ladder and no single journey. Everyone builds their own career path, but it’s important to learn from other people’s experience. “You can then pick what fits your journey and move on”.

Work-life balance juggling

It’s not always about roles it’s about making a difference. Sponsoring and mentoring are key in this respect; feeling supported in your moments of doubt or fatigue can really move the needle. Unfortunately, Karen Wauters thinks, women are often under-mentored and under-sponsored.

When it comes to work-life balance, she uses a metaphor: “It’s like juggling and you have some rubber balls and some crystal balls. If you drop one of the rubber balls, it’s ok. Maybe it will bounce back in one day, maybe it won’t. If you, however, drop your crystal balls, they will break off and you might not be very happy in the long run. So, know your rubber balls from your crystal ones”.

About our speakers

Andrew Notter is Director and Head of Office at Badenoch & Clark Luxembourg.

Karen Wauters is an independent director and an expert in change management.

Brandi Karlstedt is Executive Director in Financial Services and corporate and personal coach.

We had a full house, with nearly 50 participants, and we’d like to thank again Badenoch & Clark for heir hospitality. This was the first event from a series of three on professional development. You can already register for the following two: How to bulletproof your career and A confident you!