Maximise what you learnt out there
In my last post I let off some steam about secondments. I got a heap of response from that – mostly from people telling me their similar story and the impact it had on them. In amongst the feedback was a note from my good mate Aaron. Now I reckon I’m pretty passionate about developing people – he’s next level. Aaron runs a software company, having come from a background that does not include running software companies. What he has done for most of his working life is focus on growing people and giving them opportunities. Which makes him a really good person to run a growing company.
I love it when someone grabs an idea and goes, “yeah…and what about…?”. So Aaron’s ,”yeah…and” went like this: “When that person goes back to what they were doing before it’s a great chance for them to grow that previous role into something else (leaders have to allow this though) then by osmosis others grow around them.” I know Aaron’s coming for me now because he finished with “let’s chew it over some time”!
It’s a great point and one worth, well, chewing over. I still think organisations in general have some work to do to better support people when secondments come to an end. What Aaron raises though, is the role the individual has in bringing what they’ve discovered to their old role if they find themselves back there. For argument’s sake, let’s say that person is you. You grabbed a leadership secondment opportunity and learnt heaps out of it. Now you’re at the end of it and going back to your old role. We’d love you to push on to a formal leadership role, but we haven’t sorted that out yet as an organisation, so we’ve got what we’ve got. Just because you’re not in a leadership role, doesn’t mean you give away the leadership attributes you developed. In fact, now there’s a bit of onus on you, right? It’s up to you to take ownership of the development you’ve gained; to step into your role with a broader perspective; to ask questions and challenge norms that you might not have seen previously; to keep pushing yourself to stretch your leadership capability through everyday BAU so that – when the time does come – you’re ready to roll in that more permanent, formal leadership role.
While it’s not all on you to make this work, Aaron’s point reminds me that it’s not all on our organisations either. Everyone’s got their part to play, and only you can own your own development. Here are some questions I reckon might serve you in keeping that development spark alight if you find yourself making that U-turn at the end of the secondment cul-de-sac:
What worked for me in my leadership secondment that will help me be more effective in this role?
What opportunities can I see to make the work I’m doing more lined up with what my (team / group / organisation) wants to achieve?
What was I doing before my secondment that I should stop doing now?
What didn’t I know before this secondment that – now that I know it – might help me make more impact?
How can I help my peers to amp up their impact, given what I’ve learnt?
What can I do differently back in this role that will help my leader get on with their role more effectively?
Have a great week!