How to Manage Your Own Professional Development
Kent R.
What can you do if you if you want to take your skills and career to the next level, but you’re in a position and/or organization that doesn’t provide a clear path for career development and professional growth? And if you’re a manager, or your career development leads you to be a manager, what can you do to better support the growth and professional development of your team?
Well, that’s what we’re getting into on this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays Podcast.
TRANSCRIPT
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How to Manage Your Own Professional Development
Caanan
We hear from a lot of people who really want to take their skills and career to the next level but find themselves in positions and organizations that don't provide a clear path for career development and professional growth.
So what can you do if you find yourself in this situation?
And if you're a manager – or your career development leads you to be a manager – what can you do to better support the growth and professional development of your team?
Well, that's what we're getting into on this episode of the Stop Hating Mondays podcast.
I'm Caanan and, as usual, Kent is here and we're just going to get right into it.
Caanan
Here's a question from Tara.
She says, “I love my job and I have a wonderful boss.” She says, “the problem is she does nothing to promote career development and the company doesn't seem to mind. What can I do to promote growth in this job I love?
Kent
So when Tara says “I love my job” – that's what she said right? I love my job and have a wonderful boss? The first thing I think is you need to question how you're assessing your situation, because this is something we talk about a lot.
We have to make things work.
Because we have the boss. We have. And if we left every job in which we didn't like our boss we would have 100 jobs in our lifetime. So a lot of the work we do is helping people work around that obstacle, you know.
So we have a group of people who report into a manager that's not a great manager.
Well, guess what?
That manager, she's part of a team of managers that also reported to a manager that's probably not a good manager. And so on and so forth.
So you know the gripe that Tara has about her boss is likely a gripe that her boss has about her boss, yeah?
And I can say that truthfully, because typically managers will, unfortunately, mimic the behavior of their own boss. So I would say, I would guess and probably be right that Tara's boss probably feels no sense of career development from her boss.
So the question is what can she do?
Well, she's got to be proactive to make this a part of her journey at this job that she claims to love. I would imagine she's making a good salary, has good benefits, is in the right pocket – really wants to stay there is what I think she's telling you.
She's got to find a way to work this language in and I would encourage Tara and anybody in this situation to do at your next one on one – wowever, that works in your organization – you've got to bring this up and you've got to bring it up proactively saying – 'cause clearly if your boss doesn't have the structure or isn't using this structure – then you've got to say, like, “hey, I want to start away in our structured one on ones to have this be a portion of of those meetings. What can I be doing to grow my skills?”
Maybe Tara’s boss is intimidated. This is often the case with managers.
Many managers aren't good managers and they know it, so they stay away from talk of career development because then everybody below them – every one of their employees – becomes this threat. And it's like, why do I want to groom a person who's going to take my job? So people in Tara’s position often have to sort of soft-shoe this and say I want to talk about how I can grow into my job.
There's a difference, you know. You're not saying, “go to the next level” you're saying, “grow into my job” and you're getting your manager comfortable with that language and you're doing job enrichment things that are then documentable. And then as things get more comfortable and your boss hopefully feels less threatened, that can turn into a “how do I get to the next position or over to this work group or promotable” or whatever.
But you always have to be focusing on feeling like you're on a path. It's critical for you to ultimately feel good about where you're working.
So really assess, honestly, the effectiveness of your manager and find ways to work around things that aren't working so well.
Caanan
So I would say it's very unusual for someone to love their job but have serious issues with their manager, right?
And I'm guessing, like in Tara’s situation, she probably likes her manager personally but as she's pointing out, her manager is not a good leader.
Anyway, as you always say, a job is only as good as the manager. So let me ask you this. What do you think makes a good manager?
Kent
Yeah, I just need to touch on this again.
So you're in a culture you're in a company for a while – for a few years – you start to learn that – from your manager – that the way this guy is managing is the culture that works. So even if some part of your brain that existed pre this company you know what might work because of your schooling or a manager who was really good or something.
You can just start to get so in this culture that you buy into it, which is why, as I previously said, many people become managers. And they're not good managers. And they then follow the behavior of their manager who's not a good manager and they just continue the pattern, not because it works, but because it works for the culture of the company.
So, to answer your question, I don't think it's intentional that people are bad managers.
I think we know a lot of people just really aren't cut out for it, but I don't think people are intentionally often bad managers. I think it happens often as part of the culture of the company. The company is not cultivating management skills to be a good manager. Manager is a critical part of your title for a reason. We all know you've got your plate full with the things you have to do that don't have anything to do with managing in this day and age. But to be an effective manager, you've got to be sure that every single person feels like they're making a contribution. And for your own benefit that they are making a contribution, and that every person feels like they are on a path.
If you can do those two things, you've overcome probably the most major hurdle.
Caanan
As somebody who was a superstar manager in their previous life, Kent, let me ask you this. Can a strong individual contributor be an effective manager?
I think this is an important career development question – let me just add – because many people aspire to the career path. Or they believe it's the career path they aspire to because it's the only one that the organization is presenting, yes?
Kent
Yes, back to this culture thing.
It's what you're supposed to do.
Caanan
Yes, but the question remains.
Can strong individual contributors be strong managers?
Kent
They can be.
We work a lot on type…Knowing yourself. We've got an outstanding vehicle that we use for individuals and workgroups to help figure out what you're wired to be doing.
So, I really believe that many people aren't the type capital T to manage period.
Having said that, I'm not wired to be a piano player.
I could be trained to be a great piano. Or a good piano player.
People can definitely be trained, and – I know Apple is a leader in this – training people to be good managers who were once strong individual contributors. But without that natural talent for management, as defined by type, it's a bit tougher.
