In my emails and DMs I get questions about developing and leading your team and developing and leading yourself. (Get the full story plus notes HERE on YouTube!) If you’ve been around here for long you know that leading yourself comes first. You cannot lead your team well or develop them into their full potential until you’re leading yourself. Sometimes people are starting at the very beginning. They message me saying, I know I want something new but what else would I even do?! I get that question often enough that I developed a quick quiz that can answer just that. Identify your perfect career path, and get suggestions of specific roles to consider with the Pitch Perfect Career Path quiz. If you’re stuck in the loop of knowing you’re meant for more in your career, and worrying you’ll never find your right next step, this quiz is the perfect place to start.
Once you’re clear on your next step, you’ll have a new problem. Fear starts to creep in. It won’t present the same as the first time you watched I Know What You Did Last Summer though. This fear is more insidious than that; it shows up as questions. How long will it take? Could I even make the time to do it? How will I do this on my own? That is your fear creeping in to keep you safe. Now, when you know that you can do something about it. You can respect your brain for working to protect you, and still move forward. Courage answers those questions with action. Today, we’re focusing on how you can take your next step in your career without giving up any control.
I know where I’m going, but I need a map
So you know where you’re going? You know that you’re working toward the next step in your career, more money, more influence, more autonomy. That is great. Now, I want you to get specific. Maybe it’s as specific as finding the job titles from the Pitch Perfect Career Path quiz, and learning what it would really take to get there.
Maybe you know the logistics, like when you’re considering a promotion in your current role, you need to define what the mores you just referred to really mean. How much money do you need to make in the next 5 years to take the annual family trip you want to take? Who would you need to influence to get free reign on that project you’ve been hoping to take the lead on? These next steps are going to prepare you for the development plan that takes you exactly where you want to go.
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Understand
This is the first step because it lays the foundation for your professional development. We are going to consider development from two vantage points. What does the employer need from the role, and equally important, what do I need from the role? To understand what the employer needs from the role, you’ll start with research. Do a search of job titles you’re considering and see what they bring up. Look at lots of them in as many different places as possible and look for the similarities.
Now, do the research on yourself. What are your natural strengths? How will they be useful in the role? What are those mores you were thinking of earlier? What values do you have that align with the work. For example, does the company offer family days? Whether you’re actually planning to use them or not it likely means they value balancing work and family life so you can be comfortable discussing what you need to find balance for yourself. Is the company growing and hiring a lot of roles? It may be a great opportunity to make your mark for the future.
Then, find connections you have that do the type of work you’re interested in or work for the companies that are appealing to you. Start talking to people you know that are one step closer to the role you want. Even if you don’t think you have connections to your pitch perfect role now, you’re likely closer than you think. Develop a list of questions based on your ideal role, your values, and what it takes to get where you’re going. People love sharing their story and experiences; making these connections will serve both you and those new connections so get into it!
Evaluate
Once you’ve gained clarity by understanding where you’re going, what it will take to get there, it’s time to determine how to bridge the gap. The best way to make progress in developing yourself is to grow your strengths, and partner with others who are growing theirs. Leaning into your strengths allows you to make progress quickly even in a new venture. That means you can demonstrate your experience and expertise, even if you’re working in a new field. Which is how I showcased my ability to reduce lost time from work for a plumber based on my experience in a drive-in diner.
My top strength in Strengths Based Leadership is Activator. Understanding that action is the best way for me to learn allowed me to get up to speed quickly when I started managing a restaurant. I jumped into scheduling and ordering with the same enthusiasm I had for waitressing and learned from every win and mistake along the way. I took that same initiative into adjusting work comp claims. If I could activate myself and 20 employees from preteen girl to middle aged dad, I could activate someone with a strained back to get back to light duty. I simply had to evaluate how my existing experience enhanced my ability to do the new work.
Not sure what talents will bridge your development gap?
Gallup has helped millions of people figure it out through Strengths Finder and Strengths Based Leadership. I use these tools personally and have used Strengths Based Leadership with each client I work with. It allows them to see more clearly the talents they were taking for granted. Even traits you thought were holding you back can turn into strengths that propel you forward. Which really means you can go from working nights and weekends trying to change yourself in secret to accomplishing every task before 3 pm.
In coaching Megan found out she was talented in deliberative, meaning she took great care in making decisions. She rolled her eyes when we covered that result because taking a long time to make a decision is awful. She thought leaders were supposed to think quick and take action quicker, but that just didn’t describe her. Where some leaders were shooting from the hip and diving in head first (ahem… including me) Megan was thinking through all of the impacts. With coaching she was able to lead through this strength. When she thought of it as a weakness she hid away doing all of her research herself spending hours on it. When she embraced deliberation as a strength in leadership, she set a meeting to draw out wisdom of her team. Now she could fully deliberate in their 2 pm huddle and move on to the rest of the day. Getting that work-life balance from embracing your methodical thinking is what you want too isn’t it?
Infultrate
Final step, and potentially the most difficult. You must get in there. All of the planning and the thinking is great. It’s necessary. However, you must take action to make this come together. Find the lowest barrier to entry. For me, wanting to get into corporate leadership, it was taking a step ‘down’ to handling low level work comp claims. For Megan, wanting to get promoted, it was speaking up in meetings with people who made decisions on promoting her. But for you, it might be asking that contact you made for another contact to meet with. It might be actually meeting them at their office rather than emailing them a list of questions with the excuse of ‘saving time.’ You might even go so far as volunteering or interning at a hospital or school or any organization you’re considering.
The point is you need to be in close proximity to the people doing the work. Call it politics, rubbing elbows, networking, or even manifestation. That is the work you do to make your next step in your career happen.Get out there and do it. And not just once. Get more connections, ask more questions, get closer and closer to what you want to do and pretty soon you’ll find yourself exactly where you want to be.
Don’t I need an education?
The push back I get most often on this is, but I’m not certified. Usually, not always but the vast majority of the time, the answer is no. But, how do you know for sure if you need more education or not? Google or LinkedIn search the job titles you’re considering. What requirements do you see? Do you need a degree or certification? For some positions or industry shifts, you may truly need to enhance your technical skills. You can’t go into teaching without a teaching certificate. However, if you’re looking at internal roles, even diverse ones like moving from Sales to HR or from IT to Project Management, you likely need less technical education than you think.
If you need letters after your name or a technical degree, go get it. But, that doesn’t mean you’re dead in the water until you have it. Taking the steps above will enhance your network, help you apply what you’re learning, and be the silver bullet for building experience while building your credentials. Remember your development will never end with getting the certificate. Regardless of the preferred education level, I’m sure there were other required skills. Likely you saw self starter, adaptable to change, resilient in problem solving. Those are character traits that you can develop today and demonstrate to your growing connections.