Supporting Employee Aspirations with Career Resources

It's surprising how many people have never had meaningful career conversations with their managers (or their direct reports). I don't mean conversations that are solely backward-looking about recent performance or forward-looking about the next promotion. I mean holistically taking stock of the journey: where you've come from, where you are now, where you're headed, where you'd like to go, the tools you need in your toolbox to get there, and the people you need in your support crew. Several years ago, I created a framework to guide career conversations with my direct reports. It's a somewhat cheesy framework, but it leads to rich conversations and strategic, as well as tactical, action plans. It's not meant to be prescriptive, but rather a guide for meaningful reflection and action. I offer it in case it's helpful to anyone here. (I'd also love to know how others approach leading or engaging in career conversations. Do you have your own framework that you'd be comfortable sharing?) Here’s mine: GROWTH G is for Goals. Personal and professional aspirations: How do you think about these today, and how have they evolved over the past 2, 5 years? What matters to you when you reflect on your career adventure thus far? What do you want to build on and carry forward, or leave behind? R is for Reflection. Self-awareness and feedback: What significant milestones or achievements have you accomplished in your career so far? When have you felt strongest and most fulfilled? Least? Where are you currently stretching and reaching the most? Where do you feel most uncomfortable – both positively and negatively? O is for Opportunities. Skill development and growth path: Together, we’ll identify the skills needed to develop further on the current path, or to strike out on a new path. W is for Wellbeing. Personal and professional balance: How are you balancing your work and personal life? What strategies do you use to maintain your wellbeing? Are there any areas where you feel you need more support or resources to ensure a healthy balance? T is for Team: Collaboration and mentorship: Who are the key people in your professional network? How are you leveraging relationships for growth? How are you contributing to others' growth? Who can and should we expand your network to include? H is for Holistic Action Plan. Actionable steps and accountability: What specific actions will you take to move toward your goals? How will we track your progress? What milestones will we set to ensure accountability and continuous growth?

I was chatting with a fellow SDR leader this week about AE readiness/career progression from the SDR org and was reminded about a program we ran at Klue. 💌 If you're SDR org is typically entry level, career shifters or folks that might not know what path they want to take after SDR - try this at your org. 🤝 ✨ ✨ SDR Career Day ✨ ✨ Reach out to every department head/leader from other parts of the org and ask them if they'd be open to hiring SDRs into their team. If the answer is yes, ask which skillsets they think would be most transferrable, and then ask for a volunteer from their team. Block off 3 hours for your team - yes, 3 hours - it's worth it. 👏 Have a representative from all the teams/departments that are open to taking SDRs come and present for 20 mins: - A day in the life of that role - Most transferable skillset from SDR experience - Open Q&A If empowers SDRs to learn and understand, guided by you as their leader, what path they might want to take that they didn't even know was an option. Klue's leadership was so open minded and supportive, knowing the SDR org was the "farm team" to the rest of the business - Nick Ross and I took that very seriously and intentionally. We had presos [and later promotions] from: 💪 AE [make sure to include an AE in this day - often SDRs don't truly know what a day in the life of this role is 👀 ] 💪 CS 💪 Support 💪 Content Specialists 💪 SDR Manager 💪 Sales Enablement The list goes on, but you'll never know what options to put in front of your SDRs if you as the leader don't go find out! ☂️

One critical relationship I’ve been exploring is the connection between social capital and career development. Social capital is vital because much of our learning and growth depends on the support, guidance, and opportunities provided by others. The extent to which you have—and can leverage—social capital directly impacts your ability to gain the experiences, exposure, and expertise necessary for career progression. As a leader, how can you help your employees build social capital to excel in their roles and advance their careers? Here are a few actionable areas to focus on: ✅ Relationships: Ensure your employees build connections with key stakeholders or influential leaders essential to their success. ✅ Opportunities: Advocate for them to gain access to meaningful projects or roles where they can showcase their skills and grow. ✅ Exposure: Act as their "megaphone," amplifying their great work so it gets the recognition it deserves. ✅ Resources: Provide the tools, budget, or approvals they need to perform at their best. ✅ Credibility: Support new or less-experienced employees by vouching for them, helping them earn trust and acceptance from others. By focusing on these areas, you can help unlock opportunities and unleash your employees' full potential. What other strategies have you found effective in building social capital? #leadership #managers #socialcapital