Keep Expanding Your Skillset

Many people who reach middle management levels in an organization tend to stagnate. They don’t get the growth breaks they think they deserve. One reason why plateauing occurs is that these individuals operate with a limited skillset. They grow as long as that narrow skillset serves them. But at some point, the same skillset turns into a limitation for their growth.

I remember a friend of mine who was a conscientious, high-energy sales guy who grew through the ranks due to his can-do sales approach. He started as a sales guy, then became a team leader, a sales manager, a zonal manager, and then he got stuck. He had good skills as a sales manager and a taskmaster, but delivering good results only served him so far. Sadly, he was exposed once he was promoted to a senior manager position, as the competencies required went far beyond achieving sales targets. He was expected to demonstrate leadership competencies like business planning, social and emotional intelligence, conflict management, interpersonal skills, coaching skills, operating with a strategic vision, etc. However, he was found lacking because he had not invested in developing those skills.

And this is the core issue I want to highlight. Some people tend to think that they are at work to do a job, deliver results, and take home a paycheck. But unfortunately, they overlook another important reason for why they are at work- to learn and grow.

Besides the obvious, work provides one a chance to learn and grow to prepare for bigger and better roles.

One of my mentors taught me a simple way to figure out whether you are adding value to yourself or not- Check if you have anything new and worth adding about yourself on your resume. If you find yourself struggling to add anything new, you should be concerned. It suggests you aren’t learning and growing.

When you invest yourself in your job and strive to improve your skills – you have a much greater chance of climbing through the ranks of an organization over the long run.