90 Seconds to Be Inspired

“One year to learn the job, one year to get good at it, and one year to become an expert, then we can talk about promotion.” This came from my boss about 5 years into my career and I remember thinking, that sounds reasonable. 🤓 

Fast forward to today and anyone on my team would look at me in disbelief and horror if they thought it would take them three whole years to elevate! Somehow along the way we have gotten too attached to the outcomes of growth versus the journey of growth. 

I’ve had many direct reports who could barely do the job they were in, yet they were already hankering for a promotion. I know I’m not alone in this. I needed a way to have a real conversation with them, one that would ground them but not deflate them,  help them see that the joy and pain of the journey is what they should embrace, and the money, title and responsibility would surely come! Career growth happens in a lattice versus a ladder.

As I reflected on my 20 year career journey, I grew the most in the in-betweens, the extra projects I took on when my boss went on parental leave, the sideways steps I took to explore something I was interested in, and the pivots where I aligned more to my strengths versus my ego. 

So I developed this framework. At its simplest level, think of it as three types of growth that people experience throughout their career:

Here are a few quick examples of each from my network: 

• Enrich: I hired someone right out of grad school to be a Coordinator on my team. As she ramped up, she took on more responsibility and became more autonomous in her role. We went through a new HRIS integration her first year. She was an early adopter and raised her hand to take a leadership role in the rollout. Based on this initiative, she became the SME on it and trained everyone who joined the team. 

• Realign: 

  • My colleague was in Customer Service at a startup and was great at it, but she didn’t love it. Her boss saw the potential in her based on her organizational & influencing skills and gave her a job in Product Management. 

  • My client was the CRO of a unicorn tech company with a team of 150 under him. He became a dad and realized he wanted to balance being able to be present with his spouse and child, so he took a realignment to become an individual contributor salesperson.

• Expand: My friend was the Chief of Staff at her company when it was 80 people. She was still Chief of Staff when the company had grown to 800 people. Her title hadn’t changed but her scope and responsibilities had grown significantly with the company’s growth. 

For an inspiration break today, map your growth lattice using this worksheet!

90 Seconds to Learn a Little

Looking for an Individual Development Plan template that helps your team be in the driver’s seat of their career aspirations and development goals? Use the ScaleJOY Individual Development Plan Template!

“Growth happens at the end of your comfort zone.”

“The second you’re comfortable, it’s time to make a move.”

“Growing pains are called that for a reason.”

I oriented my career around these quotes. Why? Ambition…(Over)Confidence… Drive… Probably all of the above. But as a manager and leader, I found that everyone who worked with me didn’t share that same orientation. I had to help them uncover the joy of pain and the fulfillment of growth. I had to help them remember they were in the driver’s seat of their career.

The growth lattice language and framework was the perfect kickstart, but I needed something more substantial as I coached my team through their career journey. So, the Individual Development Plan was born.

I recommend using this with every new person who joins your team. Share it with them, have them fill out as much as they can independently, then meet to review and align on goals. You will learn so much about them, they will see and feel your investment in their growth, and you will have a concrete way to track their progress.

This doesn’t have to be driven by People Ops or HR, but if you already have a system or tool in place to do this in your company, use it. 

Whether you’re the CEO or a first time manager, make sure you’re carving out time to discuss growth with your people. And now you have two simple tools to make it easier, so get on it!

90 Seconds to Connect

One of my favorite parts of growth conversations is figuring out the “how”. Some people learn the most from doing. Others like to listen to podcasts, read a book, or attend a conference. The last page of the IDP Template features a development menu of options of the “how.”  And great news, most cost zero dollars! 

I polled my network and learned some new creative ways they are growing. Feel free to add them to the menu!

• A client who is in the Enrich stage: “I have coffee with one new person every week and at the end of the coffee I ask, who is one person you think I should meet with next that I can learn from? In my first three months in this job, my network and knowledge has multiplied 10x. I not only feel smarter, I also now have a ton of people who can help me.” 

• A friend who is in the Realign stage: “ I hired an executive coach to help me get clear on where I want to go next but also to hold me accountable to make steps towards this new direction. Without her, I was dreaming about a change but not sure how I’d ever make it happen.”

• A client who is in Expand: “I recently joined an executive team for the first time. While I feel confident in managing my function, I realized I now need to help manage the organization, which means understanding each of the other lines of the business is critical. I asked each member of the executive team to share their top 3 book recommendations from their specific field. It’s been incredible learning more about each segment of the business and a great way to build relationships with my new peers.”

If you’re interested in rolling out the growth lattice to your company but need some help, send me a note here! 

Help expand my inner circle!

My company, ScaleJOY, has grown solely through word of mouth and by delivering quality experiences to the hundreds of clients we have supported. Spread the word by sharing this newsletter or connecting them directly to me for leadership development, coaching or offsite facilitation. Thank you for your continued support!