How New Experiences Help You Lead Boldly

In my blog series on skills for career success, I share tips on the critical components of building a successful career: Experiencing Doing, Risking Linking, Exhibiting Mastery, Showing Belonging and Using Catapulting. The sixth and final skill in the series is Magnify Accomplishing. When you do this, you aren’t just sharing your expertise–you are adding value and building your strengths–accomplishing more through the varied roles you play, the risks you take, and how you give back! 

You magnify accomplishing by actions such as: taking on an officer role in a trade, non-profit, or other organization, writing/publishing, making presentations, teaching/coaching; letting the broader society know what you’ve done, the value you contribute, and becoming a thought leader, role model, mentor, and/or sponsor to others.

I remember the incredible rush of excitement and satisfaction I felt when I started to share my passions, strengths, and know-how through my first board position in a non-profit for mental health services. While I contributed what I knew in the areas of leadership development, strategic planning and team development, I also got way out of my comfort zone in fundraising – leading a benefit golf outing and raising the bar. We earned more money than ever before. Since then, I’ve joined the board of Dress for Success in Mercer County, NJ and am giving back to the community in another of my areas of passion–women’s success in securing jobs and building careers.

The benefits to blogging, speaking publicly, and joining organizations where you can give back to the community are numerous! Among them, strengthening your network, taking risks to stretch your leadership skills, being known for your contributions outside of the workplace, the satisfaction of making a difference, and building thought-leadership are just a few of the payoffs.

How to go about it? Here are three ways:

Join a non-profit board. This can broaden your resume skills and may help you find your next job, among other payoffs. To do this: 1) Canvas a few people who are on a board and find out how they went about it. You may find an opening on their board. 2) Choose a non-profit whose mission you have some passion for. Determine what’s meaningful to you and try volunteering for that non-profit to see if it is well run. Then: 3) Determine what you have to offer the board – fundraising, financial, planning events, marketing – and what the board can do for you. 4) Apply!

Start blogging. This can benefit you as much as your readers. Besides helping you meet new people through comments and emails, inspiring others through what you share, and having a platform to make recommendations and share your passions, you will become a better writer, hone your focus on what you can contribute, and build your confidence in living an important life. Overall, it helps you get better known by your community and build your reputation as a thought leader.

Become a mentor. There are a few ways to do this: 1) Your employer may have a formal program where you can participate. This builds your leadership within your business. 2) You can create an informal mentoring relationship with a person at work you admire and wish to assist by being a sounding board, offering advice and sponsorship, and challenging them to grow. 3) Join WomenLEAD, a new on-line service for mentoring and sponsoring other women. By signing up, you become part of someone’s “personal advisory board.”

The six career skills I’ve covered in this blog series are research-based. If you follow these tips, you can’t help but achieve your career goals. Please let me know how you are doing – share your successes and challenges. I’m looking forward to being of assistance!

–Andrea Zintz, PhD
Career Coach
President, Strategic Leadership Resources LLC
www.strategicleadershipresources.com