In my last episode, I had a great conversation with Tammy Daniels about stepping outside an established firm and setting up her own practice. At first, she moved into a partnership, and then ultimately she went solo. These changes reflected aspects of her personal life at that same period. It was definitely a distinct season of change for Tammy. Career development can seem like the extra work that we do for others instead of an integral part of leadership. Many of us even put it on the back burner for our own careers. Tammy kept herself from following in the direction that she had been led and learned to chart her own course. Hi, I'm Becky. Welcome to Short Story Long. In this podcast, we discuss ways you can integrate who you are into how you lead. Today, I'm offering strategies for building your skills as a leader. Let's break down what's important as you embrace your agency and step off autopilot. Create your own path with your rules. Tammy's story makes it clear that agency doesn't just fall in your lap. You've got to grab hold of it. Early in her career, she followed the work without really steering her own course, and that left her drifting a bit. Stepping out on her own taught her resilience, decisiveness, and the value of taking risks that stretch you instead of settling for safe but, well, stagnant. She also learned the hard way that partnerships, whether at work or at home, only thrive when there's a shared commitment to the mission. And because she knows what it feels like to lack agency, she's intentional now about creating space for her team to step up, get visible, and own their own growth. That's the shift into being a development-minded leader. So let's take those lessons and break them down into the skills that matter most for how you lead others and how you lead yourself. Being a development-minded leader is more than putting together a plan or sending someone to training. It's about intentional support, really seeing where someone is today, where they want to go, and then walking alongside them as they grow. From an employee perspective, that same mindset means using the early stages of your career to experiment, to notice what you enjoy and what you don't. Later in your career, it's about recognizing the depth of what you've already learned and choosing where you want to stretch next. Tammy shared, I don't want anyone to operate in the space that I operated in, where I was not taking control and agency over my career, but to help empower people to do all the things that they want to do. Based on her experience, she likes to invite employees to name their aspirations and essentially pitch the idea for growth. This indicates an expectation that each person is tuning into what they want and ready to talk about it. From wherever they are, she supports them by asking questions about how they want to get there. Strong leaders remain open to the aspirations and goals of their team members. You can talk through the idea, even if it's not part of your plans for the team. Importantly, that discussion is not a promise of all of the resources that they need to get from where they are to where they want to be. It's not a promise of success. What you're offering is the support to think through it. It is also fair and reasonable to say, I see what you want, I'm not sure I see a path to it here. What can we do while you are working here to keep you engaged and build the skills you will need before you take that next step on this plan that you have for yourself? It's really important to remember you aren't necessarily someone's forever employer. In fact, you probably aren't. Engaging in the discussion, even when you can't deliver on all of it, helps employees feel engaged and valued in what they can do working for you. Avoiding the conversation is likely to have them drift or pick up their things and go where someone will have the conversation. Worst case scenario is that they are disengaged and frustrated, and they stay your employee. I often talk about being conscious in decision making. Defaulting to autopilot doesn't help the employee, and it doesn't help you as the leader. You cannot possibly know the next steps for each team member, and it can be so tempting to assume. You can ask them and develop their thinking about what that path means for their current and next step work activities. Encouraging career ownership interrupts that autopilot that they might be on and puts them into a driver's seat. Another benefit of having the team member drive the agenda and the conversation is that it teaches them more than they are asking to receive. They are strengthening critical thinking skills, effective communication, and also identifying paths forward beyond that first blush effort. You don't need to hand them the answers, though I'd imagine a couple things to think about are absolutely warranted. You asking questions and helping them navigate roadblocks, well, that's a big part of leading them to be a stronger team member, no matter the future path. Tammy had talked about the opportunities that come to people are not just naturally flowing in your direction. They're not necessarily tapping you on the shoulder. She said they come when they see you excel, they being the leaders, excel and they see you going above and beyond. Sometimes, as a leader, others expect you to have all the answers. That doesn't mean they are right about that. In the case of development, I said it before and I will say it again, you cannot know. Development is not a straight line. It is also not 100% predictable. When I needed a change, an international assignment showed up. I did get help getting into the selection process, but I had never dreamed that that would be available right then. When you're having development conversations with your team, you prepare them for the unexpected opportunities. You have a role in positioning them. Some of that is sponsoring them by speaking of them when they aren't in the room to speak for themselves. Another way to do that is to coach them to showcase their strengths and proactively seek opportunities. Recognition is more than a pat on the back. Or money. It's about alignment with impact. Tammy had made a point that leaders can coach employees to connect their quote above and beyond efforts with strategic outcomes. Self-advocacy is not an easy thing, and many employees shy away from it. You are an important part of them understanding that recognition isn't accidental. It's cultivated through intentional action and visibility. Tammy had also talked about leveling up skills and experience so employees are ready for the next steps. We discussed how her launch into being an entrepreneur was a partnership, which prepared her in some ways for what she needed to do in the next phase, which was solo. When someone has big ambitions, they can get discouraged when progress comes slowly. As a leader, you need to create a balance of encouragement and also realistic preparation. I remember when I started my coaching practice, and I was introduced to someone who had been operating his for several years. He grounded me by saying that it was normal to feel the swings from high to low for three to four years before things started to really even out. That is a perspective I share with others regularly. There is no such thing as overnight success. If it comes overnight with no warning, you won't be ready for what it brings, and success isn't going to describe that experience. If you have been laying the foundations, um, it wasn't overnight. You prepared. You created those foundations, and that grew out of that foundation. The practice of breaking down big ambitions into steps of growth gives space to preparation and establishing those strong foundations. You develop confidence when you see a clear path forward. Coaching your employees or team members or colleagues in that direction helps them see their own path forward. Sure, sometimes we need to rise to absorb the intensity of a sweeping change, but that's not sustainable long term. Preparing your team members over time helps them absorb the impact of some of those intense periods. You're not just leading your team and supporting your colleagues in their career development. Like I said earlier, it is very easy to put our own career development on the back burner while we're busy doing the work or busy trying to help develop other people's careers because it's so much easier to help other people than it is to look at that reflection in the mirror and help ourselves. What I would remind you is you have the agency to choose. It is likely that you have more agency to choose than you are leveraging today. Tammy had never thought about shifting from the path she was on. She said, I realized I didn't have to let other people make decisions for me, that this was my life, my career, my choice. I often remind you that no one will chart your leadership story for you. Taking ownership and moving into action, those are the moments when you move from being a passenger in your job to being the driver of your career. Look, I've been a passenger a few times. There are times when it is the right choice. Having someone else at the wheel can be helpful when you are focused on other things, trying to get a handle on what you have, or let's just admit it, just tired. My encouragement to you is to choose which seat you are in. No one else will design your career closer to what you want than you. Many want to help. They ask great questions, they identify opportunities for you to stretch, and they talk about your potential. And that is tied to their vision of you. And it's important that you, who knows you best, makes conscious choices in those moments. Agency starts with self-awareness, choosing roles, projects, or opportunities that align with personal values and strengths. Tammy talked about opportunities that were offered, and she recognized that they were out of alignment with her. Maybe you could hear the joy in knowing that she was right to say no, and importantly, willing to say no to something that wasn't a match. Naturally, there's the opportunity to say no, and it won't surprise you that I'm going to talk also about how you propose to take action. I'm a fan of being clear about what you want, though I'll also own up to being quite opportunistic in my own career journey. The thing is, you need to be ready when the door or window opens up. No one hands it to you unless you are present and prepared. Tammy Shear, talk to me about how you've operated and pitched ideas to expand what you're doing beyond your job description. She says to the employee, tell me how you are exceeding and going above and beyond. I'm not talking here about burning candle at both ends, and neither is she. It's more about going beyond saying what you want and showing it through performance and initiative. Stepping up is great, and recognizing the value you bring is critical. I used to laugh when people asked me to take notes. Look, I'm easily distracted, my handwriting is appalling, and my brain starts connecting things in ways others don't. You want my notes? That's like sending you on a scavenger hunt of information and perspective. I'm better as a facilitator and the one pulling the threads into a weave. Nothing against the avid note taker, but there's tech for that these days. But think about the value you bring to a discussion, a group, and a project. It may not be obvious where that can get used at the start, so it's important to keep your eyes open and recognize when to offer it up. If you're not thinking about that in advance, you're likely to miss the opportunity to offer the high value things that you can do. Think of high value as visible and important to the stakeholders. It's the kind of work that not only gets done well, but gets noticed because it connects directly to what the organization cares about most. I'm sorry to say, high value isn't hidden effort late at night when no one can see you. I get that that may be part of getting it done, but that work needs to see the light of day when your stakeholders are looking. I will often talk about skepticism as a strength. You are asking questions, trying to solve for the gaps, and wanting to create the perfect thing, whatever that is for you. So let's turn that around. If you believe the quality of your work speaks for itself, would you believe that about others? Wouldn't you be asking the questions? If you aren't visible, there's no way to expect that others will, quote, see the work and believe you are ready for the next level. You need to provide them with evidence. No, I'm not asking for a document of achievement here. They need to believe in you, not in a document. You don't need to have the next 10 years figured out. Some have the ability to plan that far ahead, and frankly, most I've met, yes, I know that's anecdotal, not data. But most people I've met do not. It's okay not to know what you want and where your career will take you. There are a couple of things that can keep you from drifting. So, well, you probably knew it was coming. Here's your skill builder challenge if you choose to accept it. Whether it's part of your next one-on-one with a team member or having a conversation with yourself, ask what part of your work gives you energy and what part drains it. Use the answers to explore how to maximize learning and engagement. If the work is draining, it's not a superpower, zone of genius, core strength, or whatever you want to call it. The opportunity is to lean into what does create energy, engagement, and enthusiasm. Sure, that other work needs to be done. Maybe it's about reassigning it, reevaluating the relevance, or chunking it out in some way to balance the energy effectively. I must say mitigating the drains is actually a development opportunity on its own, but that's just me going down another path. Being development-minded is about walking with intention, whether you're a leader guiding others or an employee charting your own course. Opportunity comes knocking every now and then, and you will want to be ready when it does. Ready to see it, ready to raise your hand. Opportunity comes when you step into your agency, when leaders provide real support, and when there is a commitment to growth. The win-win is clear. Employees get fulfillment and momentum, and organizations benefit from engaged and capable talent, ready to assume more. Thanks for listening. If you found this episode helpful, share it with someone who could benefit from it. Until next time, I'm Becky Fraser, reminding you to integrate who you are with how you lead. Okay, bye.