Boldly Go! Exploring Your Development Options

In my previous article, I described how job enrichment can provide a higher degree of autonomy for the YES! Leader’s team members – which in turn can help them realize a greater level of engagement, commitment, and satisfaction.

But what if you happen to be one of those team members, and what if you have the bad luck not to work for a YES! Leader? If your leader isn’t open to job enrichment ideas, are you consigned to doing the same thing day in and day out until you change jobs?

Hardly! Keep in mind one of the themes of this blog: Anyone can be a YES! Leader, regardless of position. All you need is awareness of the need for change, the application of the ExploreFlexSupport model, and a strong dose of passion.  In this situation, you need to be the YES! Leader.  If you’re not motivated to take steps to advance your career and your development, don’t expect anyone else to be motivated for you.

If you were to be performing on the improv stage, you couldn’t just stand around and wait for your scene partner to initiate an action. If your partner isn’t doing anything to advance the scene, you have to do it. Similarly, if your manager isn’t coming up and offering opportunities to advance your development, then you need to find ways to move ahead – either on your own or by enlisting allies to help.

Fittingly enough, in this situation there’s an actual option for you – what Dr. Beverly Kaye calls the exploratory option - that directly relates to the ExploreFlexSupport model. The exploratory option involves taking your own career reins and striking out into different directions that can give you what you need. 

Here are some exploratory measures that you can take on your own:

·         Enroll in a course or seminar to sharpen your skills or look into a new field of expertise;

·         Pursue a professional certification in your discipline;

·         Conduct reading and research in an area of interest to you.

Here are some examples of the exploratory option that involve marshalling allies to assist you:

·         Become active in a professional or community group – a particularly good way to get practical experience in leading and influencing others;

·         Have lunch with someone who’s doing something of interest to you, just to pick that person’s brain about what he does;

·         If you read a book or article that makes a particular impact on you, find a way to contact the author – no matter how famous – to thank her and to learn more about the topic directly from the expert source.