Develop strength; deliver value

Good managers, and certainly every coach, asks you what you believe are your strengths. Following shortly after that will be a discussion of the area you want to work on. Marshall Goldsmith and David Ulrich carry this exercise one step further - they ask you to think about how you can build on your strengths in a way that will strengthen others.

Think about the implications of that for just a moment. The question then becomes "How can you build upon your strengths in a way that will deliver improved results through others?"

In an article in Workforce Management, David Ulrich, a leading thinker in Leadership and Human Resources, offers suggestions to HR professionals on how they can build their strengths with the goal of increased value to their organizations. He highlights the following:

• Focus on outcomes, not activities - Always be able to finish your work proposals with "so that ...."
• Help leaders define their results - What is all that development and building on strength going to bring about in terms of business results?
• Build a positive culture from the outside in - Start with what the company wants to be known for by the customers and investors.
• Be a contributor by working with business leaders on their issues - How do your HR programs help the business deliver its financial and customer objectives?
• Be curious - Learn about the business, the leaders, the customers, and focus your learning on how you can help them succeed.

When You are Looking at a New Company

Harvard Business School Professor Joseph Bower, author of The CEO Within: Why Inside Outsiders Are the Key to Succession Planning writes about how leaders can, at the start of their careers, join companies that will enable them to reach the CEO position they aspire to. In interviewing him for Harvard Business Review Online, Paul Michelman uncovers the following questions you might consider asking a company before you join them.

• Why am I being hired?
  
• What kinds of career paths will be open to me?
  
• How is this company going to help me grow?
  
• What pattern of assignments am I likely to get?
  
• Will I have time to learn or will I be so rushed in my work or bouncing between assignments that I won't develop well?
  
• What kind of mentoring will I be provided?
  
• What kind of training does the company provide?
  
• How early can I gain the opportunity to run a small business?

The more specific and detailed the answers, the clearer the picture you will have of the opportunities you will have for career development. With the company behind you, it then becomes your challenge to consistently deliver against expectations and actively manage your career.