“I want to be doing something different. I want to get promoted to the next role?”
Yesterday, I was chatting with this young woman who asked, what is a very common question.
Our career conversations usually tend to start with what “WE want”
Ironically though, you tend to progress faster when you start with “What existing problems you can solve for with unique talent”
Here are a 3 pointers to get the career conversations right
#1 Your career discussions always happen in rooms where you aren’t there to represent yourself. Are you ensuring that you have sponsors/leaders who are aware and can champion your cause?
#2 Be curious and remove your blinders – We tend to stick to what we are being asked to do. Be curious about what is happening around, what decisions get taken, why, who are the movers, and how it impacts the organisation.
Ex – Ask your leaders about problems that they are working on and figure out the ones that align with your skills. Give before you take.
#3 Build a unique ‘skill stack’ – The Scott Adams model
The Dilbert creator says he wasn’t the most skilled artist and yet he has one of the top-rated comic strips.
What he says he has is the combination of skills that stack up to make him unique. He spent a year in the corporate world, has an MBA degree, and is an engineer AND an artist. No one else in the world provides that combination of skills that allows him to create what he does.
What is that combination of skills that make you unique?
Hope isn’t a strategy. Nor is waiting on things to happen 🙂
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