Is Omission Holding Back Your Career Advancement?

An act of commission is when someone does something on purpose. It can be a good thing or a bad thing, but it's always something that the person meant to do.

An omission is a failure to act. Acts of omission are those actions which you didn’t do.

Neha a fresh hotel management graduate was joining the Front Office department of a hotel. During her induction, she was asked to spend a week in housekeeping. She could have made a room, learnt the standards and processes at this hotel, but she figured she knew how to do it from her internship and what was the point now anyway? She would be at the Front Desk, why bother.

Aryan a Restaurant Manager is introduced to Mohit, the new Revenue Manager of the hotel and is asked to show him around the F&B department. Aryan does as he is told. Mohit asks about revenue management practices in the department. Aryan just shrugs his shoulders and says ‘don’t know of any’.

Both of these were opportunities.

Neha could have taken the opportunity to learn the hotel’s standards and in sold out positions could have assisted housekeeping in releasing rooms faster.

Aryan, could have asked Mohit what were some of the revenue management practices that were gaining ground in Food & Beverage.

Here are some omissions that may be hurting your career growth:

1. Not Seeking Stretch Assignments: Omitting to seek out challenging projects or responsibilities beyond your current role, could mean missing opportunities to showcase your capabilities and potential for growth.

2. Not Building a Diverse Network: Omitting to actively engage with colleagues from different departments, industries, or backgrounds could mean missing out on building a diverse network which can expose you to new ideas, opportunities, and perspectives.

3. Not Pursuing Continuous Learning: Omitting to invest time and effort in ongoing skill development, such as attending training programs or workshops could result in you not staying competitive.

4. Not Seeking Feedback: Omitting to actively solicit feedback from supervisors, mentors, and peers, could create blindspots in areas of improvement and for course correction.

5. Not Taking Risks: Omitting to take calculated risks, such as proposing innovative ideas or volunteering for leadership roles can lead to stagnation.

6. Not Cultivating a Personal Brand: Omitting to actively manage your online presence, network effectively, and showcase your skills and accomplishments can reduce your professional visibility and advancement opportunities.

You could ask, what is the guarantee that had Neha or Aryan done that something extra, it would have resulted in a promotion or career advancement, but as RJ Smith said “You have to be in it, to win it.”

The cost of not doing something, could be far greater than doing something. What should you do?

3 Things we suggest you do:

1. Make a list of actions you could have taken in the recent past. You can think about last week or last month. After making this list, put a checkbox in front of each. Now, go do each one.

2. Start a ‘What If’ log.

   e.g. Log, 02 Oct 2024, 4:44 pm. What if I had called the person immediately, rather than sending an email?

   You can do just this much or fill in the blanks, make up a fantastical story.

   Log, 30 Jan 2024, 5:55 pm. What if I had called the person immediately, rather than sending an email? He would have immediately hired me!

   The ‘what if’ log is just to capture all the omissions. Over a period of time, you will notice a pattern.

3. Tell someone about what you could have done, or wanted to do, but didn’t. Telling a friend, or a mentor, might help in learning when it is advisable not to do anything. Your trusted source may also suggest alternate actions that you did not think of.

Want that special someone to be us? feel free to write in to mentor@eclathospitality.com

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