When you think of NEXT LEVEL
Brands, Teams, Companies, and even Leaders, what comes to mind? I bet you think
of companies like Apple, Amazon, SpaceX, Uber, or Dell. Teams such as the
Cleveland Cavaliers, the Yankees, or Alabama swirl around in your
consciousness. Leaders such as Jeff Bezos, Carly Fiorina, Elon Musk, or Oprah
Winfrey could even be in your personal leadership hall of fame. But how did these
organizations or individuals get to be NEXT LEVEL? What do they do, say, know, or
value? This has me thinking out loud about how we become NEXT LEVEL and is
there a process to get there?
If you have read my earlier blogs,
you will know that I refer to those who have done the hard work of adopting and
practicing Servant Leadership as NEXT LEVEL Leaders due to the dramatic shift in
attitudes and behaviors required. In this instance, the NEXT LEVEL process
outlined certainly refers to leadership but it also can be applied to any
professional competencies and capabilities you want to achieve. Like many
things, this is easier said than done but I want to at least provide a
framework that will be of value in your professional trajectory.
Before you begin to consider applying
the professional development strategy, you need to ask yourself what NEXT LEVEL are you chasing? Asked another way, when you
think of YOURSELF, what do you REALLY WANT in terms of your next role,
position, capacities, etc.? In other words, what do you want to be able DO that
you are not doing now? What do you want to KNOW that you do not know now? What
do you want to BECOME in your professional life?
Becoming NEXT LEVEL in any enterprise
requires that you attend to three primary areas according to author Nancy Walborn
in her book, Future Perfect. These
areas include
- Personal Qualities – such as honesty, commitment, integrity, and inclusion
- Knowledge Base – both in terms of formal academic preparation and your own valuable personal experience.
- Competency Areas – such as Task Management, Process Management, and Resources Management.
Again, what are you chasing? I use that word very
intentionally since getting to a Next Level as you define it is not going to
just come to you. No one gets better at anything by accident! We have to be
very INTENTIONAL in our pursuit of Next Level career goals. Once you have a better
idea of what your Next Level is, complete the following six-part process.
- Assess WHAT YOU HAVE in terms of current level of Key Qualities, Competencies and Knowledge Base. The point being you do not have to start from zero. You are already equipped in some many relevant areas, just take a solid inventory of them.
- Next, consider WHAT YOU NEED in light of your response to the What Next Level Are You Chasing question. What qualities do you need to develop, knowledge or experience do you need to gain, and competencies to master that you do not now?
- Based upon the difference between your Current Functioning and Where You Want To Be, IDENTIFY AREAS FOR DEVELOPMENT in terms of Qualities, Knowledge, and Competencies.
- Next, Define, Describe, and Prioritize DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES. When doing so, consider what would provide the biggest return on your career development investment. What areas are you motivated to grow and develop right now?
- Using those priorities, develop ACTION PLANS to grow in the areas you have identified. These Action Items could include further education or certifications, informational interviews and shadowing, gaining a mentor, or a completing a professional internship.
- Finally, make sure to set clear benchmarks or MASTERY METRICS that will give you a clear indication of when and where you have obtained Next Level mastery. Make sure to provide specific timelines and indicators.
Just as an example, let’s say you
have given this matter a lot of thought and decided that in order to reach the
next level of your career trajectory, you need to have a better grasp of formal
Project Management strategies. This has risen as your number one priority, so
your goal is to understand the differences between various project management
processes, tools, and strategies with the intention of eventually earning a
Project Management certification to add to your professional portfolio. Your Action
Items include researching the pro/con of various approaches, conducting an
informational interview with a current certified project manager to discover
what she does, how she does it, and the formal training involved. Finally, you
decide that your metrics of success involve obtaining a relevant Project Management
certification within six months and successfully lead a team through at least two
successful project management processes and launch.
Again, Next Level
professionals and leaders operate at incredibly high levels because of:
- What they ARE
- What they KNOW
- What they can DO
Always keep these three elements in mind as you seek to grow not only yourself but others as well. When you bet better, everyone around you does too! Also, with some tweaking, you
can even apply the process described above on a Team or Organizational Level. Instead
of Personal Qualities, consider what are the foundational Organizational Values
or Culture desired and then develop the process of the Organizational Knowledge
and Competencies that need to be developed to reach your Next Level aspirations.
As always if I can help you and
the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I invite
you to visit my website below and see if any of the training or coaching
experiences I offer can provide an impact.
If you want to know more about
finding your leadership platform, I would direct you to Leading Out Loud: Strategies for
Raising Your Leadership Voice! available on Amazon.com. I would also be
happy to share the full NEXT LEVEL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT resources with you or
your organization or personally coach you through the process. Please feel free
to contact me for a no obligation inquiry.
Vita Integro,
Bill Faulkner
Principal Consultant – Out
Loud Strategies
Independent Coach, Speaker,
and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team TM
Email
= bill@outloudinc.com
Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com
For more information on the
John Maxwell Team, please visit
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