Like it or not, there’s usually a way to get ahead at the place where we work. Thinking over past conversations, I wish I had drawn a picture for the women I was mentoring. The type of picture that helped to anchor our discussions of how to navigate success.
By asking a couple of questions and going with a gut response, I could have helped to map out four likely situations.
My first question- Do you know how your company's success model works? The terrain is always changing. What worked at one point in your career may not work today. So checking in with yourself regularly is important.
My second question - Do you buy into your company’s success model? Keep it simple with a yes or no. Go with your first answer and listen to your gut.
Then I would map out this diagram:
In our mentoring conversations, we spoke about projects, their managers and even life goals. For the women who felt like their careers were a Destination Occupation, in Choppy Waters, or even Lost at Sea, I wonder if breaking down their perceptions and reactions to their company’s success model might have had more impact.
A handful of women were in Clear Sailing mode. Wanting to Stay and Bloom, these women had become grounded in their understanding of their company's success model and bought into how it worked.
As for me, at one point of my career, I’ve been in each one of these situations. A visual would have helped me to communicate how I was feeling and also may have helped to navigate how I communicated what was working and what I wanted to change.
Interested in finding out more about what defines you and your career. Follow me on Twitter @deliagrenville or join us at the @sabbaticalstateofmind Facebook Community.
