In this issue: Answers to last week’s Self-reflection. Why authenticity can help you add Value. Plus, how you can treat your Marketing Career exactly as you would a Marketing Campaign to make sure you Move Up Faster.

Recap of last week’s post:

As a marketer, there’s only one way to Move Up Faster. You must generate more Value for your team, the customer and the company that pays your salary. One of the keys to that is being more authentic with the people around you.

That’s one of the ways you can create more Value, and get to the things that you want. All you need to do is use this RoMC framework:

There are four steps to this process:

Step 1.  Get out of your Comfort Zone as much as possible, even if that scares you because it’s new.

Step 2. Doing new things will increase your professional skill-set. That’s the only way to learn.

Step 3. A broader or deeper skill-set will increase your Value to your colleagues, your team, your firm and your clients.

Step 4. The higher Value you deliver in your role – now that you have a bigger skill-set – the faster you should move up in your career.

Here are my personal five cents on last week’s post.

You do not need to read each section below.

Just scroll down to ‘Leader (managing Managers)’, ‘Manager (managing Talent on the Rise)’ or ‘Talent on the Rise’ depending on which perspective will be the most valuable to you today.

LEADER (managing Managers)

Step 1, Get out of your Comfort Zone: What if you shared a little more? I find that my team wants to hear my personal stories of growth and the challenges I encountered throughout my career. They want me to share the lessons I learned, the mistakes I made and how I recovered from them. We no longer expect our leaders to know everything. In fact, we’re all hungry for authenticity, especially our people. Now you’re at the apex of the organization, some people may be holding you to an unreasonable standard. So how much could you change about their mindset if you regularly showed your line reports that you don’t have it all figured out, but that you have much to get better at, too? 

Step 2, Develop a New Skill: Learn how to share your vulnerability and the fact that you don’t know the answer to every question or have the solution to every challenge at your fingertips. It’s no longer necessary for the leader to always be the smartest person in the room. You can become much more relatable and approachable. Share what is an area of weakness or a gap in your skill-set, explain why you’ve been afraid to tackle it, why you decided to get better at it, and what you’ve learned.

Step 3, Create More New Value in your Role: Create Value by making it clear to the Managers who report to you that everyone feels anxiety and suffers from some version of ‘impostor syndrome’ while they’re out of their Comfort Zone. Give your Managers permission to share with you what they are afraid of, or what skill they want to develop. All too often, especially in large corporations, admitting that you don’t have it all figured out, is seen as a weakness, when in reality, such reflections are a sign of self awareness and professional maturity.

Step 4, Set Yourself Up for a Bigger Future Role or a Promotion: Leaders who move up faster are authentic with their reports, and are prepared to share stories of their failures and what they’ve learned from them. Such authentic Leaders, in highly functioning organizations, are often liked by their peers because they are ‘real’ and respected by their managers (C-suite, the Board, etc) because they are seen as coachable and open to feedback.

MANAGER (managing Talent on the Rise)

Step 1, Get out of your Comfort Zone: What if you showed another side of yourself? When was the last time you worked on how you present yourself as authentically to your colleagues and – most importantly – to your reports? Let them see your vulnerability, show them that you don’t have all the answers, all the time. That is a very self confident way to behave. You’re not afraid to share your reality.

Step 2, Develop a New Skill: Learn how to be more present with your team. No, you don’t have much time, and you do have a lot of moving parts to manage. But you need to take time out of your daily routine to check in with the people you’re managing. Show them that you are authentic. Let them know that you value them and that you need their support.

 Step 3, Create More New Value in your Role: Create Value by building your team’s confidence. Tell them that you want them to develop skills in particular areas. Give them that responsibility to solve their own – and the team’s – problems. They’ll be better at their job. And so will you.

Step 4, Set Yourself Up for a Bigger Future Role or a Promotion: Managers who move up faster build stronger teams. As a manager, your Value depends on the work your team does. It’s not enough to be a ‘super doer’. You need to get multiple people working. When your team does better – because they’re more confident and they respond to your authenticity – then you’ll also benefit. Because you’ll be leading.

TALENT ON THE RISE

Step 1, Get out of your Comfort Zone: What if you offered to help your manager to make your team perform better? She can’t do everything on her own? So why not offer to help? Your manager needs your support to make your team perform better. So why not offer to help them? Ask what skills are missing in the team, and how that skills gap can be closed. It’s a genuine way to show that you are a true team player. But it will also make you stand out.

Step 2, Develop a New Skill: Learn how to become an expert at operating the necessary software that your team needs – become the ‘go to’ team member for a particular skill or program. Or ‘connect the dots’ between different departments to make it simpler for people to work together across teams. Your manager will thank you for it.

Step 3, Create More New Value in your Role: Create Value by leveraging your new skill. Put your hand up and volunteer for new challenges once you’ve finished your everyday tasks. It could be as simple as listening to – and reporting back on – industry podcasts, reading product releases, connecting with peers at or outside of your firm, or leaning on others with more experience for advice. You’ll quickly become indispensable. Joining teams together is a great way to create Value.

Step 4, Set Yourself Up for a Bigger Future Role or a Promotion:  Individual contributors who move up faster help the whole team work better together. They’re like gold dust. Because they’re helping their managers too. Their dedication and skill-set are valued and they are ideally placed to get that raise, promotion or even that interesting new project to work on. 

If you’d like to discuss your career journey with me one-to-one, please feel free to email me at Greg@moveupfaster.meor message me on LinkedIn.

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