Questions to Consider for Career Growth

I've done a lot of career switching. I’ve switched industry, I’ve switched role type, I’ve switched my own priorities. As I’ve looked across my career, there is a common thread. I like to be in the thick of a transformation, I'm really comfortable with ambiguity, and I like it if I can join in the messy middle (said in non-corporate jargon = I like to navigate changes, build new solutions, and support people in the process). If you’re thinking of changing lanes, here are some questions to consider before you update your resume, send another Linkedin message, or request another networking meeting. 1. What are my values now and how have they shifted? The version of you that took the last job is likely now the same person in this moment. 2. What skills do I carry that I no longer want to monetize? You don’t have to monetize everything that gives you energy. 3. What’s the story I want to tell next and how do I want people to feel when they hear it? This is your personal brand. Spend some time thinking about it. You control the narrative. 4. Who are the three trusted people I can reach out to today and ask for feedback on my personal brand and networking approach? Networking takes practice! Ask a few trusted advisors for 15 minute syncs to give you some quick, direct, and honest feedback. 5. What does rest look like in this new season? Name it +  put it on your calendar or it will not happen. 6. How will I know this move was successful? The goal doesn’t always have to be an achievement. The goal can be peace. Pick the one question that surprised you? I’d love to hear about it. Let me know your thoughts in the comments. ✨ #CareerSwitch #RestIsStrategy #CareerReinvention #FutureOfWork #DearRosie

Do you know what you're good at and what makes you, you? If you are early in your career, here’s how to find and use your strengths to make the right career decisions. After years of reflecting on this and talking to others, I’ve realized that the moment you start focusing on your strengths, you feel less confused about your career path 😌 , more confident about the value you bring to the table 💪, and ultimately, are better positioned for success. 🚀 So here are some tips and questions to help you unlock your superpowers. Use them and let me know if they help you discover what’s unique about you. 1️⃣ What are some past experiences and hobbies where you lost track of time and excelled effortlessly? Those skills and qualities can translate to professional strengths. 2️⃣ What projects, internships, or online courses have you tried and enjoyed? New things can uncover hidden talents and strengths you weren't aware of. 3️⃣ What do people often praise you for? These compliments might point to your hidden strengths. 4️⃣ What are some challenging tasks you can attempt outside your comfort zone that can reveal dormant strengths or areas for growth? 5️⃣ Finally, you can spark self-reflection by talking to a wise friend/coach or taking a personality test. What you uncover may surprise you! Remember, strengths can be found in personal / professional settings. Translating them is key. You may have many strengths, and their importance may vary depending on the context. They are also dynamic and can be developed throughout your life. Don’t lose heart if it takes some self exploration and learning to figure out! Own it. Build your career and brand around it. ✨ If this isn't quite answering your question, tell me your scenario below and I’ll try to respond with something helpful. 💬

When working on your professional growth with a coach, it's important to ask yourself reflective questions to maximize the benefits of coaching and your personal and career development. Here are some questions to consider: ➡ What are my short-term and long-term career goals? Define your aspirations and what you hope to achieve in your professional life. ➡ What challenges or obstacles am I currently facing in my career? Identify the specific issues or hurdles that are holding you back. ➡ What skills or competencies do I want to develop or improve? Determine the skills and knowledge you need to reach your goals. ➡ What are my core values and principles? Clarify your values to align your career choices with what truly matters to you. ➡ What motivates and inspires me in my work? Explore the aspects of your job that bring you joy and fulfillment. ➡ What is my leadership style, and how can I enhance it? Assess your leadership qualities and consider how they impact your career. ➡ How do I handle stress and setbacks, and can I improve my resilience? Reflect on your coping mechanisms and strategies for overcoming challenges. ➡ What feedback have I received from colleagues or supervisors, and how can I use it for growth? Evaluate the feedback you've received and identify areas for improvement. ➡ Am I effectively managing my time and priorities? Assess your time management skills and productivity habits. ➡ What opportunities for growth or advancement am I overlooking? Explore potential career paths, projects, or opportunities you may not have considered. ➡ How do I handle work-life balance, and is it sustainable? Reflect on your work-life balance and whether adjustments are needed. ➡ Am I open to change and willing to step out of my comfort zone? Consider your willingness to embrace new experiences and challenges. ➡ What is my vision for my ideal career and life? Envision the future you want to create for yourself. ➡ What steps can I take right now to move closer to my professional goals? Break down your goals into actionable steps and prioritize them. ➡ How can I measure and track my progress and success? Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) or metrics to gauge your growth. ➡ What support systems and resources do I need to succeed? Identify mentors, courses, books, or tools that can aid your development. ➡ What does success mean to me personally and professionally? Define your own definition of success beyond external expectations. Remember that working with a professional growth coach is a collaborative process, and these questions can serve as a starting point for meaningful discussions and self-discovery. Your coach will guide you in exploring these questions further and developing strategies to achieve your goals. #professionalgrowth #coaching #growth #professionaldevelopment #career #leadership

This is an entry in a series of posts on planning one's career. Not long ago, I gave a talk to a group at a large tech company about career navigation. We discussed a range of topics from planning, to facing our demons in the workplace (e.g., imposter syndrome, key skill gaps), to picking the right projects.       At the conclusion of the talk, one of the attendees asked for my advice re: the ONE thing that they should focus on in the next month if they only had time for one thing.  In coaching fashion, I turned the question back on them and asked them what might be most impactful to them given their skills, their challenges, their aspirations and frustrations.     His answer:  "Honestly, I need to take time to reflect.  We get so caught up in emails, perf, projects, etc., life just goes by.  I really need to take time to reflect on my path so far and where I want to go from here."      Good answer.  We could all benefit from periodically taking stock of where we are and where we're going.  Some questions to ask ourselves:      "If I make no changes in myself or in my circumstances, where am I likely to be in X years?  Is that okay?"    "Am I opening doors or closing doors on my career path?"     "Am I developing complementary skills that will allow me to solve larger, more complex problems in the future?"     "Am I doing work that will be valued by other employers - or valuable in my own business, should I choose to start one?" We don't need to have specific goals in our lives...but it helps to ask ourselves these kinds of questions to ensure that we are pointed in a promising direction.

I remember being so upset when I didn't get advancement opportunities at work. I quickly learned that being a "good" performer often means being overlooked when it comes to career acceleration. Good performance leaves you in the people pile with the majority of employees. The key to career acceleration is to stand out. The best way to stand out is to Exceed Expectations. I realized I had to get very clear on what exceeding expectations meant to my leader. Here are some questions I asked: 1️⃣ What needs to be true for me to exceed your expectations?  2️⃣ What did the last person in this position do very well and where did they miss the mark?  3️⃣ What would you say are my strengths? How can I grow them further? 4️⃣ What are my opportunity areas? How do you suggest I grow in these areas? By asking these questions and acting on the feedback, I started to stand out. Leaders started to notice, and I started to get offered more opportunities inside and outside of my organization. 🌟 Don't settle for being just another face in the office —aim to stand out and reach your career goals whatever they are. You got this! 💪 How are you ensuring that you exceed expectations in your workplace? Share your strategies in the comments below. 👇 #LeadershipCoaching #CareerDevelopment #ThoughtLeadership

Do you wonder how to create rich conversations? Or how you can improve engagement in the team? ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ Successful 1:1s create successful teams. And asking the right questions allows you to dig deeper, promote critical thinking, and gain clearer understanding. Of course, it's still the employee's meeting, not yours. They should have every opportunity to discuss concerns, issues, and other important topics. Asking questions means that you manage with curiosity. And in doing so, you: • build rapport • identify frustrations • overcome obstacles and setbacks • talk about goals and career development • get feedback for ongoing and future support Don't read from a script, though. Questions should arise organically. It's a friendly conversation, not an interrogation. When the employee feels heard, they will more than likely openly share. 💡Tip: A prompt or two is helpful. Pick one or two questions in advance just in case! Here are 20 questions to get you started. 1: How are you? 2: How is your work-life balance at the moment? 3: Is there anything that could help improve the balance? 4: How is work recently? 5: What has been on your mind recently? 6: What do you wish you had handled differently? Why? 7: How has your work been progressing recently? 8: Have you been stuck on anything? 9: What have you found challenging and/or been struggling with? 10: What area of your work do you want to improve? 11: Do you feel challenged and engaged at work? 12: What skills would you like to focus on the most? 13: What additional coaching or training would you like? 15: What are your long-term goals or aspirations? 16: What responsibilities fit with your long-term goals? 17: What is something I could do better?  18: What can I do to better support you? 19: Do you feel the quantity / quality of feedback is enough? Why/not? 20: What parts of your work would you like more / less direction from me? Remember to be sincerely invested in the 1:1s. If you schedule 1:1s because you have been told to do so, regularly reschedule or cancel, or treat them as status updates, they will fail. PS. What questions do you ask in your 1:1s? 🔔 Follow Chris Cotter for more on #leadership.

12 questions managers need to ask everyone on their team (once someone's been there about 6 months to a year): 1️⃣ What’s in store for you over the course of your career — at least as you’re able to envision it today? How do you measure "success" in your career? 2️⃣ What about [ROLE/COMPANY TYPE] interests you? Tell me how you’d know you’re ready for that next step. 3️⃣ Do you see yourself managing people in the future? Why or why not? 4️⃣ Are you gunning for a promotion? What would you want out of one? When would you expect this to happen? 5️⃣ How much money would you like to be making 1 year from now? 5? 10? 6️⃣ Thinking about your current role, what type of work gives you the most energy and you’d like to do more of? 7️⃣ What’s currently the biggest “drag” for you? What type of work would you like to do less of? Conversely, what type of work gives you the most energy? 8️⃣ What types of responsibilities or projects would you like to take on in the future? 9️⃣ What are your biggest strengths? How can you leverage them to achieve your career goals? 🔟 Do you foresee any obstacles or challenges in reaching your goals? 1️⃣1️⃣ What resources or support do you need from me? How do you expect me to help you get from here to there? 1️⃣2️⃣ If you could change one thing about how our team is structured or functions, for the good of the company, what would it be? --- But more important, perhaps, than WHAT you ask is HOW you respond to what they say, both initially and over time. Aim to: 👉 Listen more than you speak, and ask good and thoughtful follow-up questions. 👉 Take good notes! It means *a lot* to people when you categorize what they say as important, and repeat back what they say over time. 👉 Be encouraging and positive — and for heaven’s sake, don’t laugh. (This really happened to me once when I disclosed a goal to a manager and it did NOT feel good). 👉 See yourself as a true partner in helping them get from A to B. Get them the training they need. Put them on growth projects that help them tell the career progression story they want to tell. Whatever’s within your authority.

Most managers are bad at a critical part of their job... b/c most probably don't think it's their job. 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭! It's something I frequently think about. And I hope anyone who has ever worked for me feels this. Here are some of the things I do to help develop my team. 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐲 When someone joins the team, I send a Welcome Survey that covers work styles, professional development & personal interests. Questions include:  – What impact do you want to have at Crosschq? – What are you most excited to learn in your new role? – What are your career goals in the next 5 to 10 years? – List 3-5 professional skills that you'd like to develop in the next year. – What would make this job especially meaningful and enjoyable? DM me for my full survey. 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤-𝐈𝐧𝐬 Different than a weekly 1:1, in this meeting, we take a step back to assess how things are going. I'll often pull up the welcome survey to guide the conversation, but it's a chance to ensure:  – They are getting what they need out of the job – The company is getting what it needs from them I'm asking questions like:  – Do you know what is expected of you? – Do you have what you need to be successful?  – Do you feel like your work is having an impact?  – Are you enjoying your work and the people you work with?  – Do you feel like you have the opportunity to do your best work? Then, we spend a chunk of time on career pathing so they know what’s needed to move to the next level. 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 Any good manager knows they must give frequent feedback, but there's still value in more formal performance reviews. Feedback is something I try to weave into the culture by training my team on how to give & receive feedback. Personally, it's something I'm still working on. 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 One of the most important things a leader must do is intentionally create their team culture. I believe this is separate (but strongly aligned with) the company culture. The best way to do that: values & operating principles. One of the core principles I always set is continuous learning and a growth mindset. Other things I think about for good career development: 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Open comm ensures everyone feels comfortable discussing their aspirations, concerns & feedback. 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Involve other stakeholders/depts to ensure that development plans are holistic and integrated into the broader org strategy. 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 Eveyrone is unique. Personalize the plan to suit their specific needs & aspirations. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 Be open about the business's needs and how they align with individual growth paths, so expectations are clear on both sides. 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 Allow everyone the autonomy to make decisions regarding their career path, providing guidance and support as needed. What would you add?