How to Align Career Progression with Team Goals

I have two questions for you: ☝️Have you grown in the past year at your current job? ✌️Has that growth moved you closer to your big-picture career goals? Do you like your answers? As a manager, I take a lot of personal responsibility for making sure everyone on my team can answer “yes” to those two questions. Every single year someone chooses to stay at Gorilla, I want it to be because they know they’ll grow in the ways they need to meet their unique career goals. Here’s exactly how I go about it … 1️⃣Discovery Around the 1-year mark, I schedule a deep-dive career mapping discussion. And ask questions like: 👉 [Name strengths and growth trajectory I’ve observed to date]. Anything I missed? 👉 What’s in store for you over the course of your career — at least as you’re able to envision it today? 👉 What does career success look like for YOU? 👉 Do you see yourself managing folks in the future? Why? 👉 Are you gunning for a promotion? Why? 👉 How much money would you like to be making 1 year from now? 5? 10? 👉 What do you enjoy doing the most in your current role? What feels like a drag? 👉 Any obstacles or challenges you see in reaching your goals? What scares you when you think about what it’s going to take to get there? This obviously isn’t an exhaustive list. But basically, I facilitate an open-ended discussion. Not everyone wants to manage. Not everyone wants to grow into a CMO. I don’t assume. I ask. 2️⃣ Map out a stretch project for them I sit on the company leadership team. I know what we’re mapping toward over the next 1, 2, 10 years as a company. And now I know what each team member wants to achieve. Often, there’s a nice overlap on the “what’s good for the company vs. employee” Venn diagram. So I map out a project, where they can — like any leader would — operate within a given scope of authority to achieve a high-level result. With no micro-managing on the details. I try to give just enough shape to point them in the right direction: 👉 A *very clear* description of the result they’re aiming for 👉 A quick write-up of the career journey they’ll be able to tell after the project is completed 👉 A cadence of when they should update me on progress The details are up to them.   3️⃣ I clear the project with the leadership team So when I say "go" — they have the full backing to make judgment calls as needed.   4️⃣ Present my thinking 1:1   I remind them that my goal is to find a project that *actually excites them* — not getting them to say “yes” to this exact project.   And that they won’t be penalized for saying “no” to the opportunity altogether.   (Yes, even after I’ve done all this work).   After all, it’s about THEM. And their growth journey.   -- Throwing a few examples of what the Gorilla Strategy has accomplished over this year in the comments 😎 #peoplemanagement #marketingleadership

Find your sweet spot and help your team find theirs. Each person on your team is on their own career journey. As a leader of the team, it’s your responsibility to nurture and support career development AND to keep a pulse of the overall health of the team. Here’s an approach I’ve used in the past that I hope you'll find helpful. The key to high performance is to find the sweet spot where each person on the team is really motivated by their work and also has a high degree of skill to actually do the work well. A great starting point is to have a conversation with each person on your team to get a sense of where they are in their journey. Using this framework can give you a sense of where they are in these four quadrants, and help you prioritize how you spend your time supporting the team. It can also be a useful tool for you to think about where you are personally on this arc. 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐀 (𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠) People usually start here. Eager to learn and seek out opportunities to stretch, but haven’t yet developed a high degree of competence in the work. * Action: connect them to experts to learn from and shadow. Expose them to stretch assignments to learn by doing. 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐁 (𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭) This is someone that’s really motivated by the work and is recognized as an expert. * Action: find out where they want to continue to grow to build upon their expertise. This could be expanding the scope of their role to anchor on areas of strength while exposing them to new opportunities. Find opportunities for them to mentor and coach others. 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐂 (𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐙𝐨𝐧𝐞) Someone that’s been doing the same thing for too long may become less interested in the work over time. It’s a natural progression. This is when people may be at risk of leaving or under performing. If they stay in this headspace for too long, they may become less effective in their role because they’re not motivated to learn new skills as the role evolves.  * Action: these are often people on the team that have been around longer or have more experience in a certain area. Look for opportunities to reboot and spark interest. These are great opportunities to leverage their expertise to apply to other types of adjacent work. For example, an experienced sourcer may be getting burned out from high volume engineering and could be energized by getting exposure to executive or leadership level searches. 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐃 (𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐎𝐮𝐭) When someone is here they’re not engaged with the work and don’t have a high degree of competence in the work either. This is a place that isn’t healthy for the team or the individual. * Action: find a role that plays to their strengths either on your team or elsewhere in the company. If there isn’t an opportunity internally, it may be time to help support them in finding something externally so that you can bring on someone that’s more motivated and qualified to do the work.

Most managers are bad at a critical part of their job... b/c most probably don't think it's their job. 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭! It's something I frequently think about. And I hope anyone who has ever worked for me feels this. Here are some of the things I do to help develop my team. 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐲 When someone joins the team, I send a Welcome Survey that covers work styles, professional development & personal interests. Questions include:  – What impact do you want to have at Crosschq? – What are you most excited to learn in your new role? – What are your career goals in the next 5 to 10 years? – List 3-5 professional skills that you'd like to develop in the next year. – What would make this job especially meaningful and enjoyable? DM me for my full survey. 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤-𝐈𝐧𝐬 Different than a weekly 1:1, in this meeting, we take a step back to assess how things are going. I'll often pull up the welcome survey to guide the conversation, but it's a chance to ensure:  – They are getting what they need out of the job – The company is getting what it needs from them I'm asking questions like:  – Do you know what is expected of you? – Do you have what you need to be successful?  – Do you feel like your work is having an impact?  – Are you enjoying your work and the people you work with?  – Do you feel like you have the opportunity to do your best work? Then, we spend a chunk of time on career pathing so they know what’s needed to move to the next level. 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 Any good manager knows they must give frequent feedback, but there's still value in more formal performance reviews. Feedback is something I try to weave into the culture by training my team on how to give & receive feedback. Personally, it's something I'm still working on. 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 One of the most important things a leader must do is intentionally create their team culture. I believe this is separate (but strongly aligned with) the company culture. The best way to do that: values & operating principles. One of the core principles I always set is continuous learning and a growth mindset. Other things I think about for good career development: 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Open comm ensures everyone feels comfortable discussing their aspirations, concerns & feedback. 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Involve other stakeholders/depts to ensure that development plans are holistic and integrated into the broader org strategy. 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 Eveyrone is unique. Personalize the plan to suit their specific needs & aspirations. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 Be open about the business's needs and how they align with individual growth paths, so expectations are clear on both sides. 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 Allow everyone the autonomy to make decisions regarding their career path, providing guidance and support as needed. What would you add? 

Here’s a simple but powerful idea that’s made all the difference in my journey. It’s about communicating - specifically, telling people about your plans and the path you want to take. I’ve learned never to be afraid or ashamed to express my ambitions openly. When you talk about your career goals to your employer, you invite them to join you on your professional journey, and in turn, they can become active participants in helping you get to where you want to be. Remember that this should always be a collaborative effort, keeping teamwork at the forefront instead of just making demands. Consider doing the following: Share Your Future Goals: Let them know where you want to be. Be transparent and set the bar. This will get you going on your way with a clear direction. Seek Guidance And Feedback: Ask what needs to happen and what milestones must be reached to achieve your goal. This shows that you’re eager and excited to grow and helps align your plan with the company’s vision. Pursue Continuous Improvement: If you ever find that you’re not yet ready for your goal, ask how to improve. Expressing this demonstrates your commitment and opens the door to honest feedback that challenges you to grow. It's about creating a roadmap together, so don't hesitate to communicate your aspirations openly. After all, growth is a collaborative effort, and by working together, you can easily bring your dreams to life. 

Career development discussions with direct reports on your Marketing Team shouldn't happen just once a year. Many companies have annual evaluation processes that incorporate both a look back at each employee's accomplishments in the preceding fiscal year and a look ahead to career goals in the coming year. But I would argue that a once-a-year look at your employees' career challenges and aspirations isn't often enough. When I worked at Northwestern Mutual, Patrick Stone had a best practice of setting a monthly meeting with each of his direct reports that focused around career development. I saw the wisdom of that and have since adopted it with my team members as well. Those team members I've had since I adopted this practice have universally appreciated having the conversation with me each month. Here are some tips on making these conversations successful that I gleaned from Patrick as well as some that I have compiled based on my own experience: -- Frame your Career Development discussions around annual Goals and Objectives: If your company's culture encourages the development of company, department, team, and individual Goals and Objectives (Gs & Os) each year, then be sure that you have created a set of Gs and Os for your team as a whole and yourself that support your department's and company's annual Gs and Os. Then, work with each individual direct report in having them create their annual Gs & Os. These will provide a backdrop for your monthly Career Development discussions with each team member. -- Schedule these Career Development discussions with each direct report every month: At the beginning of each calendar year, make sure you schedule a Career Development discussion with each direct report each month. These meetings typically can be 30 minutes. If you find that you need a longer amount of time any given month, you can either lengthen it for that month or schedule an additional discussion for that month. -- Make sure the conversation is focused on the employee and listen carefully: Begin the conversation by asking how the employee is doing and how they feel their role is going. Listen closely to how they answer. You also may have heard them say things or seen them do things since your last monthly Career Development conversation that may have tipped you off to how they're feeling or doing. Evaluate their response to your questions and ask deeper questions if needed. Make sure that your employee knows that they can share openly their feelings, frustrations, or excitement with their role but help them understand that you care about them and their development. -- Discuss progress on annual Gs & Os as needed: While you may already get a sense of your employee's progress on their annual Gs & Os through other, more tactical discussions with them, ask them how they are progressing. What other ideas do you have for regular career development discussions with your direct reports?