Managing Your Training & Development Career Like a Pro

Learning and development professionals are often the quintessential case of “the cobbler’s children have no shoes.” They spend all their time training and developing others, but they neglect their own career development. However, it’s vital that you build relationships, work on yourself and self promote a little -- especially if you want to be considered a “HiPo” yourself.In a keynote I delivered recently at the Association for Talent Development’s Gulf Coast Talent Development Conference in New Orleans, I shared my advice on how training and development pros can manage their own careers more effectively.

Start with Self-Reflection

Are you a “HiPo” at your organization?Statistically, you’re probably not. A full 71% of high performers are not high-potential employees. They may be great individual contributors, but they aren’t comfortable with change. They lack the aspiration, motivation or engagement to move to the next level.In contrast, true high potentials are comfortable with new and challenging situations. They don’t need all the answers before they try a new task. They are willing to learn in the thick of it and develop experiences.Is this how others in your organization would describe you? If not, it’s time to put in some work.

Develop Career Agility and Strength

Career agility and strength mean you can easily adapt to new career circumstances, voluntarily or not. If you were laid off tomorrow, could you find a new job quickly? If your skills are in demand and your network is strong, probably so. That means you have career strength. If you were asked to transition to a new department at your current organization, could you adapt? That’s career agility.To develop agility and strength, you need three key elements:

• Develop expertise in the right things. It’s not enough to know your department or your role very well. You need to know the things that concern your boss. You need to know emerging trends in your industry and field. You need to be preparing for how your role will look in the future. You should also consider learning a niche of your field that others don’t enjoy or won’t approach. If you can find a way to specialize, you’ll further distinguish yourself.
• Cultivate a robust network. The most successful high potentials have a network of around 200 people they could call for information or advice and who would also feel comfortable calling on them. You need to be building and nurturing your connections.
• Speak up when you achieve success. It’s not bragging, per se, but you need to be more vocal about your accomplishments. This comes into play on your resume, in interviews and performance reviews, and externally with clients. People want to work with experts. It’s in your best interest and your organization’s to convince people you know your stuff. This adds value to your reputation and your employer’s brand.

Build Up and Capitalize on Your Influence

Influence is a key component of being a high potential. Influence is what persuades stakeholders, gets things done and achieves objectives. To increase your career influence, you need to:

• Display character. Be honest and respectful, and follow through on your commitments.
• Build up your knowledge and expertise. Never stop learning.
• Network. Build relationships and collaborate.
• Develop your political smarts. Learn how to manage yourself in many situations with many levels of peers and co-workers.
• Leverage your resources. Do you have access to budgets, information or other things people need to get their jobs done? This gives you influence.
• Deliver results. People who achieve goals are always influential.

Training and development professionals often have more business acumen than they give themselves credit for. They have relationships with multiple departments and are often considered trusted advisers by others across the organization. Use this knowledge to position yourself as a high-potential employee within your organization and take hold of your own career path.Success Labs is a leadership-development and management consulting firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For more than 25 years, our expert team of consultants has worked with hundreds of companies to explore their business potential and improve their company and cultural performance. Contact us to get proactive about your people strategy.