It didn’t bother me that I was 10-15 years younger than the predominantly, male directors who would be my peers.
I was an ambitious 26 year old who had worked her way up the corporate ladder and had her eyes set on the next goal.
Armed with a Career Development plan - I had been utilising my network to communicate my promotion goals, share my achievements and skills and seek feedback on my development areas and what more I needed to be doing to be in the best position possible.
So what is a career development plan?
If you google it, you will find a whole host of templates and layouts (you’ll have to work with me to access the one I’ve created and use with my clients!).
The ones that are simplest, are the most impactful
It summarizes who you are - think elevator speech!
Your goal - this could be anything: a promotion, new skill, lateral move, extra responsibilities
Core skills e.g your super strengths and what sets you apart from others
Achievements
Development areas - what you are working on to help meet your goal
A detailed plan on what you are doing to improve on these areas
My goal was clear - I wanted a new challenge and a promotion to a director position. I’d done 3 manager positions across different areas, leading global teams and taking on stretch opportunities so I felt that this was the step up I needed (I just had to convince a whole host of other people that this was true)
A career development plan alone won’t help you reach your goal (if only life was that easy). However it can help you to:
Get really clear on your goal - what it is you really want to achieve? Make sure it is a SMART goal (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound)
Showcase your skills and achievements
Showcase your tenacity and drive (something that as women is not seen as a core strength)
Measure your progress
Be in control of your career direction
Once you have your plan the next step is to socialise it share your aspirations and to seek feedback.
Your network = Your networth
Make a list of everyone in your network to create a network map - highlighting contacts and senior leaders who can help support with your goals. Perhaps they are in areas you are interested in, could link you in with ideal people to speak to, or could be potential sponsors and advocates as you’ve worked with them previously.
In your conversations it’s key to set the stage on what the ideal outcome is based on your goals and to be open and honest to feedback on your development areas (not all feedback needs to be actioned - but it should all be taken on board). Don't be disillusioned by people that tell you that what you want is unachievable, this is also as much about mindset.
In a society that benefits men over women, it is now more important then ever to be in the driving seats of our careers in order to get to where we want to be. It’s a sad but true, that women have to work harder then men to achieve the same. It is set to take 300 years to reach gender equality (United Nations, 2022) and there is a ‘broken rung’ into management positions for women with 82 women for every 100 men promoted (Mckinsey, 2022)
This is why I am so passionate about coaching and supporting women to thrive in their careers and lives. The Career Development Planning process is something I cover in detail in my signature program ‘Elevate’. Elevate, is an intimate 10-person program for companies, designed to unlock their female talent’s power and unleash their potential. Including 121s and 7 transformational modules, ‘Elevate’ aims to empower female talent and watch companies level up.
If you’d like to discuss how this could support your company then please email me emily@emilybuttoncreative.com and we can book in a quick discovery call.