LEADERSHIP
Finding Your Way
Helpful hints for your leadership career path
Working toward your career goals can sometimes be a daunting task. It can feel like you are in a forest of trees with multiple paths without the ability to see if it is a dead end. You try to choose wisely and follow the signs, but you still end up lost and frustrated. Having a guide to show you the way or explain where each path may take you is valuable. You do not have to travel the road alone. There are others who have gone before you, and can share their experience and knowledge to help you. At the end of the day, the decision to walk right, left or straight ahead is yours to own. Leaning on others to gain confidence in your decisions will enable you to move forward. I have 15 years of experience moving from a frontline role into leadership in Corporate America. I would like to share some of my journey and what has helped me achieve success in my path. A career path is not always up and forward, it may be a side-step to gain experience and exposure. There is a misconception that career paths are straight. Many describe it as “climbing the corporate ladder.” You do not have to make any decisions about where you are going when you are on a ladder—it is either up or down. Since lateral moves are not feasible on a ladder, this narrowly focused journey can cause you to miss what is to the right or left. 18 Lead Up for Women
I will never forget what Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg said during a webcast I attended. Sandberg, author of the bestselling book “Lean In,” compared trying did her career path to a jungle gym, where sometimes you may reach the bar above you to go up, and sometimes you move left to right. It is unpredictable, exciting and unique to you since you get to decide where to go next. There is nothing wrong with a lateral move. It may open an upward climb that you could not see from your previous vantage point. Sandberg’s simple concept had a significant impact on me personally. I was always looking straight up and did not see value in a lateral move. I became frustrated when upward mobility was not happening or opportunities did not exist. It was not until I started to look laterally that I identified valuable next steps in my career. While it was scary since it was not as clear where I would go next, it enabled me to learn new skills and work with different people. This experience was pivotal in the most significant career shift I encountered from leadership in the business to leadership in IT.
By Kristen Main
Take calculated risks that challenge you and help you grow in your career If I am being honest, risk taking is not easy for me. I am naturally risk averse. I have worked in the insurance industry for years—a market where this personality trait aligns very well. Early in my career, I did not have the confidence or see the value in pursuing career opportunities that were not 100% aligned to my skill set. That all changed when my company went through a “Lean” transformation. It was uncomfortable being a manager at the time and feeling like a new hire. I had to learn new ways to do my work and how to use the system we were implementing. It was the most difficult and rewarding experience I have had in my career, changing the path I was on tremendously. I realized I had strong problem-solving capabilities that I was not only able to use for what I was facing, but to help coach and train others, too. I recognized I was not as strong in the analytical aspect, so I went back to school to earn an MBA with a concentration in Six Sigma. I did not need this degree for a specific role or career move; I needed it for my own growth and confidence. In fact, I will never forget a colleague’s response when I told him. “Well that is similar to an engineering degree,” he said with a surprised and skeptical tone in his voice. At first, I had butterflies. His doubt nearly shook me. I ended up graduating January-February 2020
