I had a mindset at the beginning of my career that development was something provided for you as a reward for hard work. You focused on your current position and putting in the work, and then (and only then) would development come to you in the form of promotion opportunities and training.

Over time, I learned that you are much more in control of your own development. In fact, your employer may provide development opportunities for you in terms of learning and training, but your own efforts will far exceed those offered by your company. Don’t get me wrong – you can and should maximize development opportunities through your employer. Just don’t wait for resources and opportunities to open up before seeking growth and development.

Consider the following example of two employees in the same department, and the outcomes based on their approach to personal development:

STORY ONE: LOOKING FOR GREENER GRASS

Kevin is a seasoned individual contributor on a marketing team, with nearly six years of experience. He has supervised people in his past but doesn’t currently have any direct reports. He knows that the next logical step for him is a Director role in this department which would likely bring at least two direct reports and a 25% increase in salary. The challenge is that the current Director role is filled by a colleague, and that colleague seems content in their position and is likely not to leave the organization for several years.

Kevin has started some exploratory job search activities but has yet to find the ideal role. He interviewed for a couple of Director roles but lost out to candidates with more relevant experience. From his conversations with other external contacts, Kevin knows that sometimes being an internal candidate means a greater probability that you can land a promotion. He certainly feels that way about his own team/department. If only the current Director would leave sooner…then Kevin wouldn’t have to wait for his turn to move up.

For now, Kevin is focused on trying to be successful in his current role. When time allows, he also looks for external opportunities to interview. He is neither extremely satisfied nor dissatisfied with his job – but he is definitely ready for new challenges. He will continue to work hard and hope that someone will notice his work and his next opportunity will emerge someday soon.

STORY TWO: LOOKING FOR DEVELOPMENT OPTIONS

Samantha is also a seasoned individual contributor on the same marketing team, with nearly five years of experience. She has never had the option to oversee others and would be interested to learn more about that experience. Like Kevin, she knows that the next logical step in her career if she stays with the current team is to become a Director. It seems like the current Director is really happy with the team, colleagues, and work/life balance and doesn’t have a desire to leave.

Without a promotion opportunity in sight, Samantha is focusing on how she can develop other skills and be exposed to more leadership opportunities internally and externally. Internally, Samantha has spoken with her manager about options for mentoring or coaching. Her manager has suggested that she reach out to a VP in the Sales team who is frequently singled out for their leadership style and known as a change maker internally. That VP has agreed to meet with Samantha once a month for the next year and asked Samantha to start thinking about her long-term career ambitions so they can discuss those regularly.

In addition, Samantha found out from her manager about a management training class that is normally reserved for new managers. Her manager was able to work with HR and allow Samantha to be a passive attendee for the first three sessions to give her a taste of what management expectations and skills would be needed.

Externally, Samantha has been spending time co-chairing a marketing association committee on marketing technology tools. This work has introduced her to many new contacts including one who really appreciates Samatha’s drive and has asked her if she would be willing to explore a future management position in his marketing team. Samantha isn’t sure that she is ready to jump ship so quickly from her current organization, but is curious to learn more. She has agreed to spend a few hours one afternoon with the other marketing team to meet potential future colleagues, learn more about how the team operates, and what a position at that organization might look like.

Shifting from Passive to Aggressive Development

In both stories, Samantha and Kevin are talented employees who are interested in developing their careers. However, their approaches are polar opposites: Passive vs. Active.

I’ve known people who were fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time and have a promotion or a new external job opportunity land in their lap. However, this is not the norm. For every lucky “Kevin” who dreams of greener grass and lucks into it, there are another 19 unlucky “Kevins” who are still sitting in their current position.

On the other hand, I’ve seen many “Samanthas” in my career and all of them have been successful. Why? They aren’t relying on luck to propel their career – but have the drive to pursue growth and development opportunities at every turn.

At Corporate Path Leadership, our challenge to you this year is to let go of any passive “Kevin” attitudes and embrace your active career development. We ask that you embrace your “Samantha” energy and take action for your future personal and career development.

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