When Sarah Charai, Executive Director of Supply Chain Management at Cleveland Clinic, thinks back on her career journey that has led her to her current role, she definitely has a few people to thank. She also can’t help but acknowledge that she had a plan in place to aid her in developing and advancing. And she’s now eager to share her knowledge with others who are looking to take their own next step. 

“It was a very conscious decision that I made probably about five years ago,” Sarah says. “I just really wanted to focus on my own career advancement, so I joined some organizations and really started doing some networking.” 

For others looking to advance in their own careers, Sarah has four key strategies she points to: 

• Develop a plan 

• Find ways to get involved 

• Form your own personal board of directors 

• Return the favor 

Developing a Plan 

According to Sarah, everyone needs to have an individual development plan, and forming that plan starts with having what she refers to as “intentional focus.” This means finding what you want the next step in your career to be and making sure all of your energy and momentum continues moving in that direction. 

“Be thoughtful about what would be the next job that you would go for,” Sarah says. “Take a look at that job, pull the job description, see where you are today compared to that job description and figure out where there might be some gaps. Those are the areas that you need to focus on in your current position to prepare yourself for that next role.” 

Filling those gaps can mean finding projects to take part in, but it also means keeping up with your personal brand. 

“There are things as simple as keeping up with your resume,” Sarah says. “You should really be doing that on, at minimum, a yearly basis. Each year, when you’re asked to do your self-evaluation, that’s the perfect opportunity to also update your resume, because you’re thinking back on that year and what you accomplished.” 

Sarah also notes that once you have that individual development plan formed, that you need to continually go over it and ensure you’re making progress.   

Finding Ways to Get Involved 

Next, Sarah suggests finding ways to get involved. Not only does she recommend taking on projects and more responsibility, but there should also be an effort to network by joining organizations, groups and committees. 

When Sarah was really starting to advance, she joined an organization called Strategic Marketplace Initiative, and within that, she took part in their Advancing Women Leaders program. 

“As soon as you start networking, it’s amazing how things start to fall into place,” Sarah says. “I attribute how I got to Cleveland Clinic and gained this position through the strong networking and connections I made through SMI and the Advancing Women Leaders program.” 

Sarah says networking is a skill that you have to practice, but that it’s a necessary skill to have and to continue to develop. 

One option for networking is Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), which Cleveland Clinic offers a variety of to caregivers. Sarah is a member of Women Inspiring & Sustaining Excellence (WISE), and there are a number of other ERGs where caregivers can get involved. 

These ERGs hold both virtual and in-person sessions and provide opportunities for members to network and connect. 

“I have found that as a great way to meet other women having similar interests here at Cleveland Clinic,” Sarah says. “I find that it’s a nice safe space to bounce ideas off folks and make connections.” 

Forming Your Own Personal Board of Directors 

Within most organizations sits a board of directors, which helps to steer and guide the organization in the right direction to continually advance. 

When working on your own advancement, Sarah suggests looking at yourself as an organization and forming your own personal board of directors. 

“It’s important to put together that team that is advocating for and advising you,” Sarah says. “That’s something that I’ve gotten a lot out of. It’s folks that I have met that have these skill sets, and I think they can be good advisors to me as I make career decisions.” 

For many people, that can come in the form of a mentor relationship. Cleveland Clinic offers a mentor program, where caregivers partner with each other to help develop skills, build confidence, experience multidisciplinary collaboration and improve relationships. 

“With a mentor-mentee relationship, you have that person who you can really feel comfortable bouncing ideas off of and getting advice from,” Sarah says. “But you can also find people who continue to challenge you to do things.” 

Returning the Favor 

Advancing in your career doesn’t come without help from others, and Sarah finds a personal responsibility to pay it forward by helping others who are looking to advance. 

“I try to be very intentional about supporting the caregivers on my team,” Sarah says. “I’m constantly making sure that they are aware of the opportunities that are available to them and making sure that they are working on things like networking and joining different organizations to support their career advancement and career growth.”