Career Development: Is your process working?

Over the last 5 or 6 years, I have found that people have been seeking me out to get career advice.?So much so, other managers have been referring their people to me to have a career discussion.?I honestly didn’t realize it as such until one of my peers referred one of their direct reports to me for a career discussion, and then it clicked, many folks weren’t having meaningful career conversations elsewhere.?As a leader and manager, I have always embraced the role of coach, but didn’t really consider myself a career coach.?But in retrospect, like so many other things, sometimes you get “called” to the work.?

One of the consistent things that happens in the conversations I have with people is a discussion of my career journey thus far.?I have been in the workforce for about 25 years and will probably continue my career in the corporate world for about 10 more.?My professional journey starts with my time as a commissioned officer in the United States Navy, transitioning to Goodyear, and the many roles I have had since I’ve been in the company.?I intend to retire from Goodyear, at some point in the future.

Arguably, my experience has been rich.?I have worked in many different roles, different functions, different states and different countries.?Having had the opportunity to have had multiple coaches and mentors, I’ve learned that asking questions is a very effective way to “get after it”.? After my explanation of my career path to date, I normally ask a very simple question, regardless of where the person currently is in their career, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”?That normally gets a chuckle.?As a student of Franklin-Covey, this is a very important question for me.?The reason why I ask this question is because I want to understand if they are “starting with the end in mind”, and are they willing to “put first things first”.

If they have an answer, my follow-up question is normally something like “Do you think you are on track to get there?”?If the answer is yes, then they don’t need me.?Because, if you have a goal, and feel like you are on track, my advice is to keep doing what you’re doing.?I’d be happy to share with you my ‘nuggets’, but the last thing you need to do is fix what ain’t broken.

If they don’t know where they want to end up, or if they feel like they are not on track, then I have an opportunity to perhaps offer some advice.?This is almost inevitably the situation.?What I have found is, many of the people I talk to, don’t seriously consider where they want to be in 10 (or more) years.?Often, people earlier in their career, are only focused on the next promotion.?“What do I need to do to get promoted from level 4 to level 5?”?This is literally, incredibly short-sighted.?What I have found is, the 10-year horizon is a timeframe that is realistic to focus on.?More than likely, things will be very different in 10 years in whatever organization you are in, but not so different that you can’t formulate a preliminary plan.

So, what is the secret??We focus on where they want to be in 10 years.?Specifically, what role do they want to have at that time.?This is often more challenging than it may seem.?We spend a lot of time talking about the kinds of things they like to do and the kinds of things they are good at (not always the same), and do they see themselves growing into more of a people manager role or more of a technical expert.?After a lot of exploratory questions, we often start figuring out what that future role could look like.?Then I ask the magic question, “Who has that job now?”?From there, using a very simple template, we visualize on the left side of a piece of paper ‘where they are now’, and the right side of the paper the future desired role. ??We then start figuring out how many blocks (roles) are in between.?Based on my experience here, I have a pretty good sense of the different kinds of roles that exist in my division as well as some of the attributes of the target role, ?but if I’m working with someone in let’s say IT or Procurement, the first homework is to understand more about that person currently in that role.?We then go to work on figuring out the roles in between.?Often, in my experience, the path from where they are now, to where they want to be is not linear.?People used to refer to this as a career ladder. ??An expression that I was recently exposed to is we are more on a career web.?Moving up, laterally, and even down, in some cases, could get us closer to the end goal.?

As we continue to talk about the “in between”, it becomes clearer to the person that this is a long game. ?And, it is important to be working towards the target role.?The next role or promotion is less important than making sure that whatever it is, is helping to get closer to the 10-year goal.?The next role(s) don’t necessarily have to be promotions, again, as long as they are getting the necessary experience to be prepared for the desired end role.?Do I need to get some experience in the ‘business’??Maybe I have to lateral or even move back a level to get that experience.?Do I need to demonstrate my ability to work internationally??That might be taking a non-traditional role for someone like me to get that experience.?Are there certifications that I can pursue to demonstrate my ability to learn and grow??For instance, If I am an HR person, and I get a PMP certification, I demonstrate abilities that set me apart from my peers and open me up for roles that aren’t specifically traditional HR roles.

My next step is to then ask them to set up an informational meeting with that person they identified in the 10-year role.?This, to some, seems crazy.?But this is incredibly important and powerful.?First, you get to learn a little bit about the role you have identified.?Often, people only know the title of the role, but don’t know what they actually do.?This gives them that opportunity to figure that out.?More importantly, in that conversation with that future role, you now are on that person’s radar.?You now are potentially in the conversation that happens when you are not in the room.?In this informational meeting, they can ask specific questions about the valuable skills and experiences needed to be successful in that role.

Once they do that, we get back together and refine the roles between now and where they want to be.?This often includes, after the discussion, roles and experiences they were not aware of.?We refine the “in between” roles, and often agree that we should identify people in the organization in those roles, and determine if it makes sense to have a couple of conversations with them as well (it always does).

After that exercise, we step back and take a “big picture” look.?Do the roles and experiences we’ve outlined make sense??Do these in-between steps get them closer to where they want to be??Does the order make sense??Are there any constraints??If I need an international assignment, can my familial situation support it (spouse, kids, aging parents, etc.)?

After we’ve reviewed it several times, and had several conversations with people that represent roles throughout the journey, we “high five” ourselves on completing our “first draft”.?In order for this to be a codified plan, they need to have a career development discussion with their immediate supervisor/manager.?Once they’ve had that critical discussion, we can then talk about how we make the plan a reality.

The most important element of the successful career path/plan, aside from having it written on paper, is performing in your current role.?If you don’t perform in your current role, the people that you need to advocate for you, to help you achieve your goal, may never even know who you are or what you are capable of.?Your current manager is the most critical person in your plan.?If you perform for your manager, they will be much more receptive to discussions and supportive of your growth.?That means, understanding what success looks like in your current role, and “killin’it”.?If you want to be something bigger, be the best at what you are now.

In conclusion, a lot of people want to know “how it happens”??It doesn’t “just happen” for most of us.?For you to position yourself to get what you want, you need to create a realistic plan, and execute.?This involves understanding realistically where you want to be (starting with the end in mind), and be willing to put in the work to get there (putting first things first).