At our pivot points, women I coach often are asking, “what’s next?”  I call this a pivotal journey.  While the answers are often inside ourselves, we may not have the confidence, risk appetite, or belief that we even know what we want.  In our next two blog posts, I wanted to share everyday stories of women doing remarkable things.  When these women shared these stories, it brought tears to my eyes.  They are great examples that illustrate that we do know what we want when we prioritize the time to reflect and give ourselves space to self-discover.  Also, it is our choice to believe in ourselves and fuel our confidence to take the risk and make the change.

In this story, Ashli took a risk and asked for what she wanted.  Through our discussions, she took time to reflect on key questions:

• What are the tasks/goals that get you most excited? (will)
• What are the tasks/goals that you are doing on your very best days? (will)
• What are the tasks/goals that people continuously praise you for? (skill)
• What are the tasks/goals that you seem to be most effective at? (skill)
• Who are the people that are most important to you in your life? (skill/will)

Once she knew what she wanted, she was more confident in asking for it.  Here’s Ashli’s story…

“Our conversations gave me the motivation to think about what I am really passionate about and I took a bit to think positively about my current company.  I realized that my role as defined is right in line with what I want to do but I am not aligned correctly in the organization.  I was unsure of the appetite that my current company had for my skills.  I decided to give it one more try!

Two weeks ago tomorrow, I met with our SVP of HR and Talent.  I had given a presentation on my role and had been approved for some new training, but I still felt that I was not aligned and did not see a future where my value would embraced.  She was open to the conversation and before I could get too far she suggested that it might be right for me propose a new organizational alignment for my team.  I was shocked as I didn’t even see this as being an idea my company would be open to.  She and I set a follow up conversation this past Wednesday and by Friday I was moved to a different supervisor.  Turns out our CEO was thinking about suggesting the move too and when our SVP of HR went to talk to her about our discussion, she actually brought this up before the SVP of HR could even suggest my proposal.

It was meant to be!  My new boss is newer to our organization and has several years of experience managing and teams of people who do what I do.  He has seen this role and its value outside of my industry and is excited to help promote it’s value here. This is not a compromise, it is a win-win.

So THANK YOU for being there.  You have inspired me to take charge of my future and own my passion!  This may not be the final stop along my career path, but it is a good one for now and I am excited for the weeks and months to come.”

What’s great about Ashli’s story is that upon reflection, she realized that she had the answers all along.  She was at a great organization, just not in the right position.  Often, women I coach realize that by shifting their job role or responsibilities, they can find their dream job in the safe place they already are.

So, ask yourself, what’s next for you?  If you could benefit from a plan to get there, channel Ashli’s story.  Ask yourself the key questions, build a plan, ask for it, and take the risk.  You deserve it.  You can only make others as happy as you are yourself.

If you liked this post, join our next free online workshop August 3.  We’ll be talking about generational leadership and how to engage across generations as a leader.

#careergameplan #whatsnext #communication #leadership #womeninleadership #womeninbusiness