“When you think about the future of your career, maybe ten years from now, where do you see yourself?” This is the question I ask every woman I work with. I want to learn how they’re mapping to success, and what that success actually looks like. Sometimes they have a clear picture, and sometimes they don’t. But most of my clients know that they want to rise above where they are right now.
This is completely natural, and you don’t have to feel ashamed or self-conscious about your ambition! Having more autonomy and agency in your career feels fantastic. But let’s not ignore the other thing: making more money. When you look into the future of your career, along with savoring all the great projects you get to work on, and the credit you’ll get for them, you also want to be earning, saving and investing as much as you possibly can.
Here’s what I want you to know: there is no simple, clear-cut way to get there. But there is a powerful action you can take that just might help. In order to jump forward in your career, my advice is to seek out “heat experiences” whenever you can.
A heat experience is something that actively pushes through your comfort zone, making you feel the heat of that exposure. Inside a heat experience are valuable lessons, professional (and often personal) growth, and expansion beyond your limitations. That’s how you’ll impress Senior leadership, who can promote you to a big role that brings in the big bucks.
Here are some common examples of heat experiences:
Making a big, complex presentation to Senior leaders. Have you noticed that people who do this often get ahead much faster?
Pushing back against bad ideas in work meetings, and countering with better ones. When’s the last time you did this?
Advocating for your hard work during performance reviews. Are you standing up for yourself, or accepting whatever is handed down to you?
Taking on a people-managing role, and setting expectations with your team. Are you having a strong impact with your team, or do they need more from you?
Building a powerful coalition around your favorite project with various influential stakeholders. Do you know how to get people onboard with your ideas, or are you stuck in the same old lane?
Seeking out new clients in untapped markets, and turning them into evangelists for your work. Do you know how to make a positive, confident impression with strangers, and quickly build trust with them?
These are all things I work on with my clients using my Power Voice methods. This year I’ve worked with leaders at companies including Cisco, Starbucks, Microsoft, Merrill Lynch, Amazon, Skandi construction, and Moody’s, as well as non-profits, law firms and start-ups. It’s been amazing to see them leap forward in all kinds of ways, simply by sizzling in the heat! Reach out to me for info about my rates and availability.