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behaviors that are more tied to performance at the individual contributor level. Not enough
development is happening over time. Few managers are good at developing talent at first. Few
executives are good at driving vision and purpose. But did they ever have a real chance to develop in
these areas? The key is to find out the core demands of performance in a role, then develop the skills
before they are necessary. Get involved in small versions of your untested areas. Write a strategic
plan for your unit, then show it to people. Negotiate the purchase of office furniture. Onboard
someone new. Write down what you did well and what you didn’t do well. Then try a second, bigger
task. Again, assess the experience. At this point, you may want to read a book or attend a course in
this area. Keep upping the size and stakes until you have the skill at the level you need it to be.

8. Signing up for class after class? Learn on the job. Learning does not only happen in a classroom
or through a book. The best learning happens when you are on the job. Use real-life challenges as
learning experiences. Volunteer for a special project. Help a person learn something within your
expertise. Take on a project. Volunteer to sit on a task force. Task forces are an effective way to learn
from your peers and expand your business knowledge. They require learning other functions and
businesses. Work with different cultures or nationalities. Work with others in a collaborative manner to
rapidly address an issue. Diversity of experience is the single best way to develop new skills. Try
something new every day to force yourself outside of your comfort zone. These opportunities stretch
your skills in a real-life way. They push you to work with different people. They broaden your horizon.
Venture beyond your normal experience and look at things from a different light.

9. Not leveraging development resources available to you? Find a coach or a mentor. Pick a
person in the organization who is known for their strength in the area that you’d like to develop.
Observe what they do and how they do it. If possible, ask for a meeting/lunch to discuss their success
and the things they have learned. See if the person has any interest in teaching you something and
being a temporary coach. Get to know other potential advocates on- and off-work. Go for maximum
variety in the towering strengths they possess. Working with a mentor is a great way to develop. But,
vary your mentors and coaches. Try not to get stuck in a rut relying on the same people for much of
your career. You don’t want to become a “mini me” of your mentor. Utilize a variety of people to help
you develop the skills you are looking to grow.

Want to learn more? Take a deep dive…

Burns, K. (2010, January 13). 13 Tips on finding a mentor. U.S. News & World Report.
Garnett, L. (2013, August 16). How to leverage your true talent. Inc.
Herbert, W. (2012, July 2). Learning on the job: Myth vs science. Association for Psychological
Science.
Zenger, J. (2013, July 16). Throw your old plan away: 6 New ways to build leadership development
into your job. Forbes.

10. Don’t learn from experience? Become reflective. People who are good at self-development build
time into their schedule to develop from experiences. They seek to achieve results but also look to
learn and grow from a situation. After each experience—whether a project, task force, new
challenge—reflect. What went well? What didn’t? What could you have done differently to achieve a

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