Defining Moments
Kim Nugent
Passionate about From Prison to Possibilities Peer Educator and Mentorship Reform
There will be defining moments in your career when you are confronted with a situation and it will determine the next steps in your career. Be listening for those opportunities. So you might think yes of course I will listen to the opportunity and say yes. If it were only, it was that easy.
Looking back at my career, there were defining moments all along the way. So for example, I worked for a University for about a three-month period. It was the Fall semester and I noticed a lot of new teachers started and that seemed not to know what to do. After I finished teaching my class, I went to visit the Dean of Education. I mentioned what I had seen and suggested the University provide a new employee orientation. He said good idea, do that.
Now I knew the components for delivering an orientation, and there was much I did not know. I partnered with another colleague who was a staff member and had been at the University for many years. Diligently, in each session, we offered a new employee orientation. With each session, it improved.
Another time, my supervisor asked me to create a faculty development program for his faculty. I had done nothing like it before but said yes. I had the skill set but not the practical experience yet. We had it approved by the certifying agency and then I taught all his faculty. Ten years later, these two projects turned into me obtaining the career of my dreams as Vice President of Faculty Development for the University Company. If at any point, I had just complained about no employee orientation or whatever the problem was at work and not been part of the solution, my career would have turned out differently.
Look around and see people at work where their careers are stagnant. Then pay attention to what they say at work or if they complain. There is no coincidence.
I have many more examples of when I was confronted with a problem or listened to people complain about a situation at work. I immediately went to creating a solution or saying yes to help someone solve a problem. It certainly reduced my frustrations and actually provided fulfillment for me personally.
Listen for the problems. Be part of the solution and not the company complaint crowd. You will be amazed at what happens next. Your attitude makes all the difference.
So decide if you want to be part of the problem or do you want to be part of the solution. So look for those defining moments. They are all around you.
What is one of your defining moments? Let's share.
Great points on #leadershipexcellence! Leadership truly thrives on empathy and adaptability ??. The blend of these qualities can elevate team dynamics and success.
I agree it is important to mentor new staff and, especially, student workers. They were not staffers, but equals in labor, creativity, and input in a significant role on campus and a national and corporate level in many ways and earned the name of Cracker Jacks and the library as a labrary. They were the go-tos for many campus and national requests for assistance. With their input, one head of all the libraries said our campus dragged the libraries technology into the 21st century. They paused Home Office from introducing e-books over physical books until the library offered a method to cheaply distribute both, the idea was a success and Home Office was able to renegotiate text book costs and give some text books for free for the national libraries. Once, when unable to go to a campus accreditation, the students gave them a tour and answered all questions and we received As a strength review. They graduated skilled in organizing, mentoring, and assessing and job qualified. Student workers are underestimated because of turf issues, a mistake for them and an organization. Audrey Hepburn said, Impossible is I'm Possible. True when student workers reach that level to teach themselves to teach themselves, colleagues, and others.
People-Focused | Passionate about Growth & Development | Team Transformation
1 年I love this Dr. Nugent. I have had similar moments in my life where I was posed with a project or problem and I had no idea what to do or where to start. But I am so thankful to those people and to those projects because I learned skills I never knew I had and experiences that I can share with others. Those defining moments helped me to evolve and break out of my shell. Thank you for sharing ??
BS MPA CCT CRAT ACLS PALS
1 年This is an amazing read, one that I needed, thank you!