Life is not about finding
yourself. Trust me on this one, you are right here, just where you left you!
Life is mostly about creating yourself, time and time again. We will do this as you progress in life, career, and, accordingly, your leadership progression. As
I shared last time, this has me thinking out loud about how we go about doing
this.
Pulling heavily from
Herminia Ibarra’s great book, Working
Identity, making a significant life change often starts with a simple, but
incredibly compelling idea, that at some point in our life, we reach a point
where we want to be somewhere else. We know we are capable of being
and doing more, but we are not sure what to do or how to start. Since I
usually finish what I start, I want to share the last 5 of the 9 of her
strategies that may help move your forward.
Strategy #5 – Craft Experiments
Try new projects that
align with the type of roles and activities associated with a new line of work
or leadership approach. This could include side projects, cross-functional
committee work temporary roles, volunteer work, pro bono consulting, etc. Then
decide if you really liked doing those things. Did they reflect your strengths,
values, and skills sets? Did you like the people and culture that are part of
the “usual suspects” of this type of work? You have to do enough of this to
really get an accurate idea of what the new career role or leadership approach
entails.
Strategy #6 – Shift Connections
Speaking of “usual
suspects” when you are considering a new career role or shift, it is vital you
can around people that do what you think you want to do. You
will find them in networking groups, professional associations, conferences,
and in on-line communities. This will feel a bit uncomfortable at first since
they will not use the same jargon, have different outlooks and mindsets, and
have “been there and done that” more than you. This is critical. For my own
example, when I was considering a move into freelance consulting, joining the
John Maxwell Team was a great “deep dive” into this world. They were definitely not your
usual higher education types! Yet, they were a great source of information and
guidance on the good, bad, and ugly of becoming a content marketer, performance
coach, and solopreneur. I was also fortunate to get connected with great
coaches and consultants like Frank Lind and Alan Dobzinski. They were a great
source of ideas and guidance, but we also became teaching allies and partners.
The same is true when you seek and shift to a new professional/social network.
This new “tribe” can and will be a great source of information, “how to’s”, and
job opportunities but you have to be open and listen.
Strategy #7 – Value the NOW
Don’t wait for the
clouds to part and the heavens to open for the truth of your next role to be
revealed. Reinventing yourself as a professional and leader takes a lot more
time than you think – 3 – 5 years according to Dr. Ibarra. Use everyday events
and situations to inform what you want to be and do. How you interpret events
is more important than the events themselves. The point is that if you wait for
some obvious moment of truth you may be waiting a long time! Leadership authors
Barry Kouzes and Ken Posner share that we experience small moments of truth
every day, we just may not recognize them as such. Take advantage of what life
sends your way and use those experiences to help evolve into the actual
self you want to become.
Strategy #8 – Step Back and Take Inventory
If you are becoming
frustrated that your new leadership approach is not working the way you want,
or your career shift is not occurring in the manner you would like. Take a
short break. A really short break. It’s kind of like that phenomenon that
occurs when you are just about to fall asleep then all of a sudden, an answer
you have been looking for all day or a sudden insight occurs. Sometimes our
brains just need to marinate on a problem. I once heard that our brains cannot
really multitask, they simply timeshare! Take a walk, even two, but
get back in the game. It is only through actively playing the game that we
discover what we are capable of and what we want to do. Also, don’t discount
how far you have come or how much you have changed. Trust me, you will be
amazed at your progress.
Strategy #9 – Seize Opportunities
Changes and
opportunities can come out of nowhere! A job offer or an interview request that
you had previously thought was a non-starter shows up. Opportunities come and
go but even if it is not “the” one but gets you a step closer, don’t discount
it. I have made wonderful connections and have had great interactions with such
offers to help, support, etc. Whatever you do, bet on yourself and don’t
retreat back to safety. If someone thinks highly enough of your skills and
talents, hey, who are you to tell them they are wrong! In fact, I cannot think
of any new job I obtained that I was 100% factory equipped to take on that
role. You see, when I look for a new role, I always judge it on 1) what I can immediately
contribute and 2) what I will learn. Such an approach has kept me from becoming
complacent and focused on being a life-long learner.
If any of this has resonated
with you, then take some action on it. Create a checklist or strategy journal
that contains action steps you can take in the near future that will move you
to your next self. It is OK and even advisable to reflect on these strategies,
but make sure you calendar specific and actionable steps you can take on each
one to be completed no later than 30 days from the date of your reading.
Anytime you are thinking of
a significant life change or know you need to “next level” your leadership
skills, I recommend a adding a personal board of advisors. Here is who I would
invite to be on your board:
-
A Sector Mentor who can guide you in the transition with industry-specific
content and considerations
-
A Career/Leadership Coach who can walk this journey with you and
be that confidential sounding board and accountability partner
-
A long-time Personal Mentor who has always been there for you
throughout your career
-
A good but Candid Friend who will speak truth in your life
I would not invite
the following:
-
The Itty Bitty Crappy Committee that holds meetings in your head and
tells you that you cannot do something
-
Average People who want you to stay average. In fact, leadership
guru John Maxwell shares that you know you are on the right track when average
people are trying to talk you out of something!
-
CAVE Dwellers = Colleagues Against Virtually Everything, Negative
people will always pull you down. They have nothing new to offer except criticism,
so you can just invite them to join the competition.
Creating a new and more
vibrant self will take hard work. A next level life cannot be achieved by down
line efforts. It will be worth it and not just because of what you achieve but
what you become in the process!
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 leading with intention, 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 LEADERS training
resources with you or your organization or personally coach you through the
process. Please feel free to contact me for a no obligation inquiry.
Yours in leadership,
Bill Faulkner
Email = bill@outloudinc.com
For more information on the
John Maxwell Team, please visit
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