Career Paths…Are They Still Relevant?
When I started my career, it was very common to see prescriptive career paths and not think about whether there were other options. You might start as a bank teller, move to CSR, to assistant branch manager and then to branch manager or start as a consulting analyst and move to consultant to manager to associate partner to partner for instance. Those paths still exist today, but I think the opportunities to leverage skills from one role into something different is much more common than when I was starting out. As well, the trajectory of how someone gets to the top job in a team or an organization often looks very different from one person to the next.
I ran a series of Career Journey sessions with several leaders who often had the same job function, but when you listened to the set of experiences they had along the way, none of them were exactly the same. There may have been some common themes or roles but more often, they were very different. This finding is a good sign for people who start out going down one career path and then decide they want to move in a different direction.
So...what does this mean for your growth or if you're coaching your team?
If there's a role that you want to grow towards...here's a plan on how to get there:
Start by investigating what makes people successful in that role. It's likely not just one thing but a combination of factors that are mixed in with the individual's distinct capability (detail orientation, great with clients, amazing listener, engaging speaker, innovative idea generator, etc.)
Find out what experiences those individuals had on their journey to that role to see if there are any common themes.
Evaluate the skills and capabilities you've already acquired and identify if there are any gaps.
If you find gaps, assess what projects or roles you could take on next that would fill in those gaps to better prepare you for your aspirational role.
If your assessment shows you have the "right stuff" already - then it's time to start your story telling journey around why you are qualified for this new role. If your career trajectory to date is different from many who fill this role, strategize on how your unique set of skills and experiences will make you exceptional in the role.
If the story doesn't resonate at first...keep refining it by getting feedback on what was missing.
I think what's key in today's world of work is that the career options are bigger and bolder than our imaginations may have considered so focus on what's possible vs. the potential limitations.