Thomas Jefferson said it best, “If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” Where do you want to go next in your career? Whether it’s stepping it up to the next level, taking on more responsibility or working on more interesting and challenging projects, it’s essential to think about the things you need to do to prepare yourself for success. And these may be things you’ve never done before or never had to do in your current role.
I work with high-potential leaders who have either landed a new role and want to figure out how to go from 0 to 60 seamlessly or who are preparing for their next opportunity and want to determine how to step it up to get there and begin performing at a more senior level. Through my coaching, we explore areas where they can leverage their strengths, illuminate blind spots and close the gap on development opportunities. You can accomplish much of the same by conducting your own self-assessment in these three key areas. To help you accomplish this, the below questionnaire will help you zero-in on the things you need to do or do differently to step it up.
1. What additional skills do I need to develop further?
2. What are the situations with which I need to gain more experience?
3. Where can I make the greatest impact and what are some quick wins?
4. Where can my skills and talents add the greatest value?
5. Who are the people I need to build relationships with and further develop my network?
6. Who can I reach out to who has mastered my areas of opportunity that I can learn from?
7. What do I fear most and what actions should I take to address my fears?
8. What are risks I should take to continue my growth and development?
9. Where do I need to stretch to put myself in uncomfortable situations to grow?
10. What can I do differently that will make me more valuable and have a greater impact?
This self-assessment requires reflection and feedback from others. The answers to these questions will help point you in a direction that you may not have thought to take or to do things you may have never done before. Ensure you gain feedback from your manager and the key people in your network to help round out the answers to the above questionnaire.
Armed with these insights, sit down with your manager for suggestions and support for putting together your action plan to step it up the ladder, for greater success in your career.
Sage Alliance, a Leadership Performance Company, provides coaching, teambuilding and assessments, workshops and speaking on topics including; leadership development, empowering teams, communications, lasting impressions, personal branding and building a coaching culture for executives and high-potentials – for both team and individual leaders.
Contact us today to discover how your organization can get the most through improved productivity, efficiency and direct impact to your bottom line, while leaders gain powerful insight, crystallize opportunities for growth and fine tune their strengths, enabling them to make the greatest impact. You can contact Shelley Hammell directly at shammell@thesagealliance.com.