Cross-functional skills are the abilities to work effectively with people from different disciplines, departments, or backgrounds. They are essential for any professional who wants to collaborate, innovate, and solve complex problems in today's dynamic and diverse workplaces. As a mentee, you can develop your cross-functional skills by following these tips:
One of the best ways to learn from someone who has a different perspective, expertise, and experience than you is to seek a mentor from a different function. For example, if you are a marketing specialist, you can benefit from having a mentor who is an engineer, a finance manager, or a human resources officer. A cross-functional mentor can help you understand how your role fits into the bigger picture, how to communicate and coordinate with other teams, and how to leverage your strengths and address your gaps.
As a leadership coach and organizational strategist, in collaboration with mentees and coachees (those being mentored and coached), we approach our work with a strategic and intentional focus on the outcomes they aim to achieve. Partnering with a coach, the mentee can explore the path to developing cross-functional skills. This includes cultivating relationships with sponsors, mentors, or individuals from diverse industries. Engaging with a mentor outside one's discipline offers fresh perspectives and broadens the scope of learning. Mentorship that goes beyond experiential boundaries nurtures innovation, curiosity, and adaptability. This exposure accelerates skill acquisition, enhancing problem-solving abilities in various scenarios.
Seeking mentors from various departments can provide valuable insights into how others perceive you and their expectations. It allows you to gain a better understanding of different mindsets and backgrounds, enabling you to adjust your communication style and language to collaborate effectively with diverse individuals. Additionally, such mentorship relationships can also expose you to new career opportunities, helping you discover interests or roles you may find more appealing in the future.
Another way to develop your cross-functional skills is to take on stretch assignments that challenge you to work outside your comfort zone and learn new things. Stretch assignments are projects or tasks that require you to apply your existing skills in a different context, acquire new skills, or collaborate with people from different functions. For example, you can volunteer to join a cross-functional team, lead a new initiative, or support a different department. Stretch assignments can help you broaden your knowledge, expand your network, and demonstrate your potential.
Initiate a conversation with your manager(s) or proactively demonstrate this in your daily work. Begin by identifying the tasks or responsibilities you feel comfortable with. Then, explore areas where you may not be comfortable but have a genuine interest. If your work is organized in sprints, express your desire to take on new challenging projects that align with the intersection of both discomfort and genuine interest.
A third way to develop your cross-functional skills is to seek feedback and coaching from your mentor, peers, and managers. Feedback and coaching can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, set goals and action plans, and track your progress and results. You can ask for feedback and coaching on specific aspects of your cross-functional skills, such as communication, collaboration, problem-solving, or innovation. You can also use tools such as self-assessments, 360-degree feedback, or personality tests to gain insights into your cross-functional skills.
This is a practice you should also apply in your everyday life. Have you ever asked the people around you how they perceive you? What strengths and areas for improvement have they identified based on your interactions? You can learn valuable insights from these conversations and apply them to your career journey.
A fourth way to develop your cross-functional skills is to learn from others who have different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives than you. You can learn from others by observing how they work, asking questions, listening to their stories, and sharing your own. You can also learn from others by participating in formal or informal learning opportunities, such as training courses, webinars, podcasts, books, or articles. Learning from others can help you gain new knowledge, skills, and ideas, as well as appreciate diversity and inclusion.
A fifth way to develop your cross-functional skills is to practice and reflect on your learning and performance. Practice means applying what you have learned in your work and seeking opportunities to use your cross-functional skills. Reflection means reviewing your actions, outcomes, and feedback, and identifying what worked well, what didn't, and what you can do differently next time. Practice and reflection can help you consolidate your learning, improve your skills, and increase your confidence.
Effective cross-functional collaboration can lead to improved innovation, problem-solving, and overall organizational success. Individuals should recognize the value of working with colleagues from various backgrounds and perspectives. This mindset shift includes being open to new ideas, actively seeking opportunities for collaboration, and acknowledging the expertise of others. Remember to actively contribute to the success of others (not only yours!)