At times, it may feel like your career is in the hands of others (your manager, company leadership, the economy, etc.). It is not. Your career is totally in your own hands. You ARE the CEO of your career. Take charge and start building your personal brand and thinking bigger. Here are some ideas to get you started.

1. Expand and cultivate your professional network. A strong network is a career gold. Join an industry-related association or volunteer for a non-profit organization. Seize opportunities to organize events or take leadership positions.

2. Approach interviewing as a way to network and learn more about your company's competition. Always entertain the conversation. You never know when an unexpected career opportunity will present itself.

2. Measure your career success by the success of those around you. Take 360 feedback to heart and be the facilitator of positive business outcomes. View every project, initiative or team you are a part of as an opportunity to create a win.

3. Be a problem-solver. It is easy to identify problems or issues. They can arise anytime and exist everywhere. What are you going to do about it? Avoid standing around the water cooler complaining with your peers and colleagues. Instead, organize a brainstorm and rally a team to present solutions to leadership. Be a positive cultural influence at your company.

4. Recognize that context is critical. Avoid forming an opinion before you understand all sides of an issue. Gather facts from all involved parties and seek to gain perspective. The truth normally lies somewhere in the middle. Avoid jumping to conclusions and gossiping at all costs.

5. Get a career mentor. Find someone who will advocate for you and help guide you in your career. Invite successful leaders or colleagues to coffee, learn their story and ask for insight as it relates to your career. Do not be afraid to start the conversation. People like to talk about themselves, so ask thoughtful questions and learn from them.

6. Do something for someone else every day and tell no one. Hold the elevator, open a door, or offer to help carry a box, etc. Go the extra mile for a colleague, your team or a client. Ask for nothing in return.

7. Compete with one person and one person only – yourself. Beat YOUR personal best. Set goals based on your values, want and needs, not on those around you. Focus on you and your work, not on what someone is or isn’t getting around you.

Being the CEO of your career is about taking charge of your personal brand, seizing opportunities and creating them. It is about being positive influence inside and outside of your organization.

The year is almost over and it's the time to start assessing business performance and results. Hiring the best talent, with the right skills and shared values is critical for the success of any organization. How do you measure the performance of your company's recruiting efforts? There is no magic metric that you can use. Measurement dashboards and recruiting scorecards can be complex and frankly, overwhelming. Keep it simple and use The Rule of 2 to start.

Historically "time to fill" and "cost per hire" are favored metrics by many organizations, but they only tell part of the story. You need to know what affects your organization's ability to attract and retain high-caliber talent. The Rule of 2 focuses on asking 2 simple questions to candidates on the way into your organization and employees on the way out.

Why did you accept the job?
Why did you quit the job?

These open-ended questions are simple by design, because the answer matters most. Seek insights into what drives a candidate's decision to join your organization. What are the internal and external influences? Consider what sources are the greatest in attracting candidates to your organization. Where are potential hires going to research and gather on your organization? How can you capitalize on that information?

It is just as important to understand why the candidates that you worked so hard to hire leave. Identify the direct correlation between meaningful insights and the recruiting process. Be accountable. Are realistic expectations being set for candidates during the hiring process? Are promises being made to attract top candidates that cannot be kept?

Stick to the Rule of 2 after you gather insights and feedback. Pick the 2 most important issues and focus on them. Just pick 2 and follow through. Do not be an island, get other departments and employees involved. Use a cross-section of employees at different levels and across departments to help you brainstorm solutions. Be transparent, communicate often and keep the organization updated on your progress. Be fearless in your commitment to results in those 2 areas, iterating often and as needed.

While the Rule of 2 may sound overly simplistic, it is not. Many organizations try to address a laundry list of issues and succeed at none. Keep it simple. Stick to The Rule of 2 and focus on delivering results.