Unleashing Your Inner Leader: An Executive Coach Tells All

CHAPTER 9

Career Evolution: Where Are You Going?

People need to hone their career evolution skills just like they hone the rest of the skills in their toolbox. The truth is that no one else is as vested in your career as you are and it is your responsibility to evolve your career to let your Inner Leader shine.

The single most important tool for evolving your career is networking. Strategic networking is a powerful career-maximizing tool, especially when done correctly and appropriately. In this chapter we will learn that telling your CAR stories while networking or interviewing is the best way for others to know who you are and what you do. You will learn that there are differentiating factors that will help you stand out and show your Inner Leader to the world.

CASE STUDY

Meet Rachel, a senior director in a global information technology company. I worked with Rachel years ago when she was in a painful career transition, and when I look at her today, I marvel. Once Rachel's arduous career transition ended on a positive note with her current employer, she decided to give back. Her idea was to network with senior-level executives to get permission to tell her story under the auspices of the company's women's networking group. It took her two years and when she finally found an executive who would sponsor her, she contacted all the experts who helped her through that last big career move and put together a program called The Women's Reinvent Yourself Series. As a project manager ...