Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Dancing Around This Topic

One of the questions that I've had to ask myself lately is whether I would be willing to take a step back, professionally, in order to go forward.

When I try to think of this outside of a "failure" mindset, I immediately think of doing the Bunny Hop, which, of course, provides some interesting perspective...and definitions are all about perspective.

Life, like dance, is a progression, rather than a straight line. (Heck, even most line dances have you moving around in a square!) Going backward in a dance isn't bad; it gets you to where you need to be.


To change my thinking, I had to remember the other key aspect of dance: choreography. Everything is planned. You don't go backward just to go backward. Every move either coordinates with another person or moves you toward your end goal. Sometimes both.

The piece in my life that was missing to give me perspective on whether or not I would be willing to take a step back is my choreography. Where do I want to end up? Was I heading in the right direction initially? Should I include more jazz hands?

My answers were: I don't know, I don't know, and Of course!

So, I gave life evaluation the old college try; I approached my professional appraisal in a similar way to my college selection process. When I was in high school, I wasn't 100% sure what I wanted to do. I knew what my interests were and I knew what I could afford for tuition. I looked at schools that offered the majors that I thought I might want to pursue in the price range that I could afford to give me flexibility.

My professional equivalent was to look at:
  1. What I like to do (both as a broad professional field and the specific aspects of my various jobs that I enjoyed);
  2. What positions were being advertised by companies and if those positions sounded interesting (is my skill set still relevant? is there education/training I should pursue, or should I "step back" to get skills in a new area of my field? Do I need to re-evaluate my professional field because it's changing?);
  3. What my minimum standard of living is (this would truly define how much I could step back. Financially, I can't go completely to the mail room and work my way up to the corner office)

    and, last (because I didn't really consider it until after a discussion with a colleague)
  4. What am I good at (which could be different from what I like to do)

As it turned out, my professional field is changing in a way that suits my interests and my strengths, but not necessarily my current professional skill set. So, there was opportunity to be professionally challenged in a lower level position and become a stronger overall professional asset to an organization. Now with more jazz hands!

Phase 2 of my review was to target larger companies with openings in my field. These companies (assuming they were a cultural match with me) would give me flexibility to move around based on my interests and strengths as positions came up.

Interestingly, Phase 2 has been a bit more challenging than Phase 1. Knowing my choreography was important because I have answered almost unfailingly been asked by HR representatives why I want to take a step back. Interestingly, during one interview with a national company, I explained that I was looking for the right corporate fit and the opportunity for growth. The HR representative told me flatly, "There is no upward movement in this company."

Alrighty, then!

Admittedly, it has taken a while for me to be able to look at "a step back" in a way that doesn't connote failure. But, at the end of the day, I am not tied to a specific title or a specific office (both can be taken away -- I've had it happen to me!). I am fully vested in being a sought-after industry professional. So, a calculated "step back" isn't a demotion or a failure; it's education paid for by a corporation; it's placing myself in Opportunity's path.

After all, in the Bunny Hop, the backward hop is immediately followed by three jumps forward.

I'm grateful today for the wisdom to put myself in Opportunity's path and the confidence to take advantage of opportunities that are presented to me to land me at my end goal.

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