Is your leadership talented enough to develop you while developing themselves simultaneously?
Depending on your leadership to control your narrative is not an ideal way to build your professional brand. You can not rely on your existing leadership for 100% of your development. Development is key to better positioning your professional brand. When you step out of the workplace and away from workplace politics, you better position yourself for learning and growth. Enhanced leadership capabilities, strategic thought process, emotional intelligence, and creativity are just a few benefits of opening your mind up to learnings outside of your existing organization.
Sure, you can develop a great network internally, establish advocates that speak on your behalf behind the scenes, and share your professional brand during company meetings and events. However, the only way to truly grow your brand is through additional outside experience and exposure.
Some professionals do the following:
-Sit around and hope that they will someday get promoted or noticed.
-Learn the in’s and out’s of workplace politics and relationships to better position themselves for opportunities.
-Expand their learning beyond the workplace, continuous education, online courses, and executive MBA programs, etc.
The true way to win is through experience and exposure. This can only happen by aligning yourself with organizations, learning experiences, and individuals that will broaden your horizons.
Putting all of your eggs in one basket by relying on your existing leadership to provide all of your development needs is a problem. Your current role may not have you focused on the right development goals that will have the most impact on your professional capabilities in the long-run.
Taking the time outside of work may seem difficult at first, but the value behind formulating professional relationships outside of your company will help you in the following situations:
-Positioning for new career opportunities
-Positioning for new organization roles
-Advancement of your personal initiatives
-Support of your activities and hobbies
How much have you grown personally and professionally in the past two years?
Have you progressed against your goal list, vision board, or crossed a line through your list of dreams of in your journal?
Remember, you control your narrative. Having an outside perspective can take politics and pressure out of developing. Utilizing a professional coach to help you better understand yourself and position your professional brand internally and externally will be key to your development.