Finding the right people for your career development plan

"It is never too late to be who you might have been." ~ George Eliot.

I was recently promoted to a role I had been planning to move in to for some years now. Starting the journey alone only took me a quarter of a thousandth step far. Involving the right network of people who invested in my growth took me leaps and bounds ahead in my plan. Today, I reflect on my journey in the hope that one in my position (years ago) can find it useful.

I am a computer scientist / software engineer by education. I had my career path mapped for 10 years after graduation. An opportunity presented itself and I joined in a position I wanted to be in 10 years from that moment. I had to learn the craft. I achieved so many firsts for my company in the regions that I covered with all the recognitions and rewards going my way. In a few years, I felt I had achieved everything I wanted to from that role. Gradually, my interest in it faded away and I was not motivated to wake up for work. That's when I started exploring other roles that'd excite me.

I spoke to hiring managers and peers in my desired roles and applied for so many, but I was always rejected for either not having relevant domain experience, visibility or sounding too desperate. I'd send emails to internal recruiters highlighting my personal achievements. I had all the capabilities to excel in my targeted roles. "Ask me to build a rocket and I will build you one", I'd say. I spoke to a few peers who had successfully transitioned into their target roles and that's when I realized my mistake. In every discussion regarding my aspiration to move, there was so much 'I' and so little 'We'. So much 'my' and so little 'ours'. Additionally, I had been going after it solo, without structure or support from others. Things had to change.

I started with finding a Mentor

Finding the right mentor is a very personal affair. It's very hard to find the right mentor at first choice. They must be passionate about seeing you grow and be equally invested in it as you are. I too made the classic mistake of reaching out to people in my target positions to simply be my mentor. A better way is to show them why your growth is important for them, the business they are associated with or the team they work for. The 4th person I reached out to was 'the one; for me. He coached me on skills needed for the role, my personal branding to broadcast me as a team player rather than an individual, gave me stretch assignments to test my caliber and allowed me to shadow him at work.

Then I found a Sponsor

For those of you who are confused, a sponsor can connect you with hiring managers and open opportunities for you by personally vouching for your abilities. A mentor is involved in preparing you for the next move. Both can be the same person, but I'd advise keeping them separate. A sponsor should be a person in a key high-level position. For example, a director. Whereas a mentor can be a person who is currently in the team you want to join or in a role you want to be in.

Building up a development plan

With key stakeholders identified and my next possible roles highlighted, it was time for me to structure my approach. My manager was kind enough to support me build a development plan. We agreed on a 70/20/10 rule. I'll learn 70% on the job by taking stretch assignments to help other teams, 20% from mentors through work they give me and 10% from professional training such as conferences, learning platforms etc. Having my manager on board was such a blessing because he'd connect me with teams in need of my skill set and I'd help them thereby increasing my impact as a team member. He'd help me project my wins in the right way to align with my brand and he'd escalate the visibility to possible sponsors.

Now I understand most of you may not get the same support from your manager. My advice is to get it from anyone who has moved up the corporate ladder successfully many times in his career and is invested in your growth. It could be your mentor.

Doing the work

You can speak about your capabilities, but actions speak louder than words. You need to have your work do the talking but at the same time be sure of who it is impacting. Is it impacting your next possible team? Are they aware of the work you are doing? Did you reach out to them for support? Getting support from them is a good way of showing what you are working on. Involve related teams to make it more impactful.

Define a few focus areas and work there. Do not work all around the place. In an age of generalization, be a specialized resource. Focus on a workload or area of expertise no one else is working on and brand yourself as the champ in it. Make sure that area aligns with the work your next possible team is doing. When the time is right and they need specialized expertise, they will think of you.

Growth mindset 24/7, No other way

There will be upsets. Your mentor will turn out to be a snitch or your manager will find out of your need to leave his team. Your sponsor may leave the company. You may be promised your next move but not given. It is common. Do not give up. Remember that everything you are doing following the personal development plan will benefit you. You must be patient and show a growth mindset. There is no other way. A moment of weakness can ruin months of hard work. In such times, take a moment to pause, think and then act. Act gracefully.

I hope it helps. Good luck!