I must admit the highway code was quite an over whelming read. Lots of information, not only to remember, but also apply in every driving situation. Finally, taking full control of the vehicle, so you had the independence and mobility to zoom off where you wanted, was the ultimate goal. If only they could have created a one-page overview that you could refer to!
During the last few years, I have had the pleasure of meeting lots of people in different sectors and professions. I have coached and mentored quite a number of them, and others have talked to me about the highlights and lowlights of their careers.
Last year when I launched my pilot, A Continuous Approach to Developing Career Changing Capabilities, I decided to create a visual to help people determine if they still had good mobility so they could achieve their career goals. Most people I spoke to have been on the mobility matrix at some stage, even CFOs and MDs landed in one of the quadrants at some point.
Are you currently in one of these quadrants or manoeuvring around the circuit?
Stop and Start – The annual appraisal or development conversation is the catalyst that sparks you into action. The workload and lack of time reduces your focus on developing your abilities. Your personal development and ambitions take a back seat. There is too much reliance on the internal process.
Over Cautious – a fear of failure (environmental culture is a factor) or comparisons to others, generally keep you in this zone. Staying in your comfort zone while trying to build incremental skills, in a risk averse way, will not develop you through experiences and build up self-belief.
Stuck and Frustrated – At some point most end up stopping here, even on a temporary basis. Even though you’re performing well, there could be some invisible barriers that are now stopping your progress. A change in dynamics might cause this, or a change of manager or in the senior leadership team. Lack of opportunities or complacency can keep you static.
Needing to Find More Gears – You can be in this zone for 2 reasons. You proactively see the need to develop capabilities that are essential for a new role. You see the challenge and plan to enhance your skillsets to deliver new expectations. The other reason is that you took on new challenges. At first you performed to a good standard in the first few months. However, the expectations become more tougher and now you’re expected to give a wider contribution to the organisation. Stakeholders are less concerned about your historic delivery and judge you on significant business improvements that you can make now.
The good news is that you can get moving again and depart the matrix.
You just need to be honest and have clarity on where you are. This might involve taking more control of your career, so you’re not as vulnerable to changes in management or leadership teams.
The one big step that is essential is objectively baselining your skills and capabilities.
During the next weeks I will officially launch the, A Continuous Approach to Developing Career Changing Capabilities Program. I designed this over an 18-month period to help all those on the grid. The official pilot went extremely well and while the program is now being evaluated by a couple of large CPD institutions, I’m going to go ahead and launch the program.
In 2021, I was asked by CIMA to talk on a podcast about capability building. Thanks to all the responses, I created the framework, model and program. I’m attaching the link to the original show where I explain about skills and capability modelling.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/financial-management-fm-magazine/id1434064928?i=1000544317575
If you want to know more before the launch, feel free to drop me a message.
April 2023