How to Learn From Others for Career Growth

Early in my career, I landed my dream job… and immediately felt like an imposter. On day 3, my new colleague, Rina, spotted an error in my strategic plan. My first instinct? → Defend myself. → Prove I belonged. → Protect my ego. Instead, I swallowed my pride and said: “Walk me through how you’d approach it differently.” That single conversation unlocked solutions I’d never have seen alone. Six months later, we co-led a project that saved the company $1.4M. Not because I knew more than her. But because I realized: ✅ Working with people smarter than you is a blessing, not a threat. Here’s what most leaders get wrong: • They think leadership is about being the authority in the room. • They worry that smarter colleagues will overshadow them. • They fear being seen as “less than” if they ask for help. But the highest-impact leaders I’ve coached share one trait: They’re fiercely coachable. → They seek out people who know more. → They treat differences as assets, not threats. → They let go of needing to be the hero. That’s how careers grow, not in certainty, but in curiosity. The C.H.O.I.C.E.™ Framework makes this real: • Courage: Ask, even when your ego screams “don’t.” • Humility: Recognize brilliance in others. • Openness: Let new ideas replace old assumptions. • Integration: Apply what you learn fast. • Curiosity: Keep asking “What else could be true?” • Empathy: Celebrate others’ strengths instead of competing. 🛠 3 Ways to Turn “Smarter People” into Your Career Advantage: ✅ Flip the script. → Instead of thinking “They’ll make me look bad,” ask: → “What could I learn from them that would take me years to figure out alone?” ✅ Invite co-creation. → Pull in the experts. → Say: “Can I get your eyes on this?” → Collaboration is rocket fuel for your influence. ✅ Say the magic words. → “I didn’t see that. Thanks for helping me get better.” → That’s leadership, not weakness. Here’s the truth no one wants to admit: If you’re always the smartest person in the room… you’re in the wrong room. 💭 Who’s the “smartest person” who made you better at your craft? ♻️ Tag someone who turns intelligence into collective wins. ➕ Follow Loren Rosario - Maldonado, PCC for human leadership.

Have you ever felt both excited and uncertain about a career change? I certainly did when I transitioned from recruiting to career coaching. When I made this leap, I reached out to several coaches to learn about their journeys and seek advice. These conversations were game-changers, providing invaluable insights and confidence for my transition. Now, as a career coach myself, I always encourage my clients to leverage informational interviews during career transitions. Here's why they're so powerful: *Gain insider industry knowledge *Expand your professional network *Discover hidden opportunities *Get personalized career advice Quick tips for success: *Research thoroughly before reaching out *Be clear about what you hope to learn *Prepare thoughtful questions *Respect their time (stick to 20-30 minutes) *Listen actively and take notes *Follow up with a meaningful thank-you Remember, the goal is to learn and build relationships, not to ask for a job. Approach with curiosity and respect, and you'll gain invaluable insights for your career journey. 🌟 📣 Challenge: Set up at least one informational interview in the next two weeks. Share in the comments: 1️⃣ Who you plan to reach out to (industry/role) 2️⃣ One question you're excited to ask 3️⃣ Any tips or experiences from past informational interviews Let's learn from each other and grow together! 💪 #CareerDevelopment #CareerChange #Networking #ProfessionalGrowth

Peers, Not Just Managers, Shape Your Career: Here’s Why That Matters When considering your next career move, most of us focus on the company, the industry, and the leader we’ll report to. Those are important. But one factor often overlooked can be just as critical: the peers you’ll be working with every day. I’ve had the privilege of working with colleagues who thought about compensation in very different ways. ·       Some approached pay grades with a strict focus on market alignment. Others leaned into flexibility with a balance between employee pay practices, internal equity, and market alignment. ·       Some saw market pricing as the “anchor,” while others emphasized internal job evaluation as the driver. ·       One colleague focused on simplicity and transparency when designing incentives, while another pushed for nuanced performance differentiation and complex calculations. Yet, through debate, data, and discussion, we often landed at the same destination: clear, actionable recommendations that business leaders could trust. That’s where the true value lies. The peers you surround yourself with can accelerate your growth in ways no textbook ever could. Here are a few examples of what you can learn from colleagues sitting across the table: 1 - From an HRBP peer, you might learn how to frame a compensation decision in terms of talent strategy, not just pay mechanics. 2 - From a finance partner, you might sharpen your ability to connect incentive costs to P&L impact. 3 - From a rewards teammate, you might pick up a new way to weight survey data or calibrate ranges when the market data varies from one survey source to another. 4 - From a mentor, you might learn how to walk into the boardroom and confidently explain why your recommendation balances competitiveness, equity, and cost. 5 - From a peer in another country, you might discover the nuances of cultural expectations around pay transparency or incentive design. Yes, formal learning matters. But the real accelerators of knowledge and judgment come from the people you collaborate with and the people willing to teach you what they know. And if you happen to join a fast-paced company in transition, the lessons multiply even faster. Change creates opportunities for innovation and learning at a speed you can’t replicate in a slow-moving environment. So, when evaluating your next opportunity, don’t just ask: What’s the job? Who’s the boss? Ask also: Who will I be learning from? Who will challenge my thinking? Who will invest in my growth as much as I invest in theirs? Because in the long run, the peers you choose to learn with may shape your career even more than the company name on your résumé. Surround yourself with people who make you better and be that person for someone else. What have you learned from your peers that has most shaped your career in rewards or HR? #Compensation #Rewards #CareerGrowth #WorldatWork #Pay #FutureOfWork #SHRM #CompensationConsultant #HR