Skills Development: By Proxy or By Design?

When stepping into a new position, it’s completely understandable to focus on learning the functions and processes of your new responsibilities.  Whether it’s a new organization, a shift to a different division within your current company, or a promotion of some type, there’s the obvious need to embrace your new role and what comes with it.  You earned this new spot. You’re feeling proud.  You want to nail it.  Keep the momentum going with your employer and in your career.

In the most ideal circumstances, you’re gaining more respect from colleagues, more perspective on how business is done, building confidence in yourself — and your income is higher. In spooling up for the new challenges, it may be wise to slow down a tiny, tiny bit (as my daughter likes to say) and think for a moment. 

Is what you now need to learn to do this new position truly contributing to your own career goals?

In my working life, at all stages, I’ve found there’s much more training for the position that you’re in to make sure you can meet its requirements.  Obviously, those requirements are the reason there’s a job for you to fill! However, there’s a continual need to balance that type of operational learning with your own skills development. 

Ask questions of yourself to challenge your personal status quo.  I believe it’s important to ask yourself how your professional development meshes with your personal, professional-related goals and desires.  There are certainly more organizations than ever who give employees time to explore what they want to work on, but not every organization has that luxury.  I, for one, have been asked many times by supervisors if the time and effort for a training program, applying for a committee membership, or joining a work group would “get in the way of” or “interfere with” my job responsibilities.

For your personal growth and to build the skills you want, take the time to evaluate where you are in your life and career.  Slow down, look around, and take personal inventory with questions like these: 

• What does your blueprint look like with where you want your skills development to go?
• How are you organizing your personal vision so that you know which skill areas you need to improve?
• Are you getting trusted feedback that provides insights into where your skills need improvement?

I see this balance between being reactive to what the position needs you to do — learning from the tasks and assignments of the job — and positioning yourself proactively to build the skills you want to develop.  Handling things being thrust upon you, as opposed to deliberately building your skills to shape your future.  By doing only the prior, aren’t you leaving the latter to chance?

Matt Wallat serves as a District Ranger with the National Park Service (NPS) in Colorado. His 20-year career spans eight different NPS units in six different states with assignments in patrol, investigations, program development, court liaison, training officer, and supervisor for 11+ years.

With a strong background in employee development as an agency instructor, Matt continues to evolve with his coaching practice, creating leadership training programs, engaging in curriculum design work, and leading a recent international training program in Tanzania.

He enjoys family time and many other interests including fly fishing, creative DIY projects, music, craft beer and Boston sports.

Photo: congerdesign via pixabay.com