Are you a mid-career professional wondering what legacy you’re leaving behind at work?
In today’s competitive job market, career clarity and leadership presence matter more than ever. This episode of The Mid-Career GPS Podcast offers a powerful reflection on how to take ownership of your professional development and grow into the impactful leader you’re meant to be.
Fresh off coaching at the NextUp Rising Stars Conference, John Neral shares key takeaways that will help you lead with intention and purpose—no matter your current title. From setting healthy boundaries to making bold “edge moves” outside your comfort zone, these insights will challenge how you think about your career trajectory and legacy.
Whether you’re feeling stuck in your job, unsure of your next move, or ready to lead with greater confidence, this episode gives you practical strategies to grow, influence, and lead more authentically.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
- Why your leadership legacy starts now—not at retirement
- The crucial difference between boundaries and requests (and why it matters)
- How to make "edge moves" that promote growth and stretch your leadership capacity
- What it takes to shift from being a tactical worker to a strategic leader
- Why professional development is your responsibility, not your employer’s
- How to maintain momentum and accountability after a conference or learning event
- The #1 reason how you show up matters more than what you accomplish
Free Resource to Accelerate Your Growth:
👉 Download John’s free guide: “Why Your Mid-Career Job Search Isn’t Working (and What to Do About It)”
Start building a smarter, faster, and more confident job search strategy today:
johnneral.com/resources
Listen Now If You’re:
- A mid-career professional stuck in a role with no growth
- Ready to step into a more strategic leadership identity
- Tired of waiting for your employer to invest in your development
- Curious about how to make a lasting impact at work
Thank you for listening to The Mid-Career GPS Podcast.
Please leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts here.
Visit https://johnneral.com/resources for free and low-ticket resources, including how to join The Mid-Career GPS Membership Community.
Visit https://johnneral.com to join The Mid-Career GPS Newsletter, a free, twice-weekly career and leadership resource for mid-career professionals.
Connect with John on LinkedIn here.
Get John's New Mid-Career Journal on Amazon here.
Follow John on Instagram @johnneralcoaching.
Subscribe to John's YouTube Channel here.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Earlier this month, I had the honor of attending
NextUp's Rising Stars Conference.
For the sixth year, I haveserved as one of their coaches,
and for the second year I hadthe honor of speaking on a
networking panel.
Every year, I walk away fromthis event with a ton of great
information and that's why, inthis episode, I'm taking some
(00:21):
time to share with you some ofmy biggest takeaways from this
year's event.
So if you're a mid-level leaderand professional who cares
deeply about your team and yourwork, my friends, this episode
is for you.
Let's get started.
Hello, my friends, this is theMid-Career GPS Podcast and I'm
(00:51):
your host, john Nehrl.
I help mid-career professionalslike you find a career they love
, or love the one they have,using my proven four-step
formula.
Are you frustrated with whereyour job search is right now?
Are you confused as to why youhaven't been able to advance
your career?
If you feel like something isoff, I want to help you fix it
(01:13):
Now.
The way I can help you fix itis that I've created a free
guide along with a 20-minutevideo for you entitled why your
Mid-Career Job Search Isn'tWorking and what to Do About it
the four-step framework to builda smarter, faster and more
confident career move.
If you're ready to startbuilding your mid-career GPS and
(01:35):
you want some quick, actionabletips to stop being frustrated
and start gaining traction andmomentum in your career, this is
the first step to building it,and that's why I created this
guided video for you.
Now to get it, all you have todo is go over to my website,
johnnarrellcom, forward slashresources and download the guide
(01:57):
.
Today I'm a couple weeks outfrom attending this year's
NextUp Rising Stars Conferenceand I am still riding an
emotional high and a ton ofenergy from this event.
And if you are not familiarwith NextUp, I want to invite
you to follow them on LinkedInor check out their website,
(02:18):
nextupisnoworg.
But here is NextUp's mission.
Quote.
Our mission is to build thenext generation of leaders and
foster inclusive workplacecultures that advance all women
in business.
Open to all genders, nextupprovides leadership development
(02:47):
resources and programmingdesigned to create equitable
opportunities for everyone,while addressing the unique
barriers women continue to face.
Unquote.
I am beyond proud to be a partof NextUp's Rising Stars program
and to work with the amazingcohorts that I get to work with
each and every year.
So the way Rising Stars worksis that when you join the
program.
Essentially it is for threemonths.
(03:07):
You go through a 360 assessmentthat is with the Center for
Creative Leadership, and I amcertified in delivering and
debriefing clients on that 360assessment and then we have a
group call at the kickoff of theprogram.
We do the three-day event.
We do a group call at thekickoff of the program, we do
the three-day event, we do agroup call after, and then I
(03:29):
have a one-on-one coachingsession with every person within
my cohort as a follow-up to theevent and it is amazing to see
their insights and theirtransformation and how they want
to emerge, evolve and developas leaders.
It is why I believe so stronglyin this program that it is this
(03:51):
collective support about caringfor what you do and caring for
where you do it and the impactyou get to have.
So some of the things that wetalked about in this event hit
me a little differently thisyear.
So our vice president oflearning and partner solutions
at NextUp is Karen Jones.
(04:12):
She kicked off the event bytalking about our legacy and, as
I tend to get a little bitolder and start thinking about
retirement which, by the way, isno time soon unless I hit the
Powerball in some way, which, bythe way, if you ever want to
know, if I hit the Powerball,this podcast stops.
If I'm not putting out anyepisodes anymore, the likelihood
(04:36):
may be God forbid I'm sick or Ihit the lottery in some way.
All joking aside, I probablywould still keep doing this just
for the fun of it.
But you start thinking aboutwhere's your career going?
What do you want to beremembered for?
Who are you impacting?
How are you making thatdifference?
(04:57):
And I've talked on the podcastbefore about how to get clear
about your professional brand onthe podcast before about how to
get clear about yourprofessional brand, and so,
while that's important, I wantto offer that.
Karen really inspired me in thesense of thinking about.
It is never too early for us tostart thinking about where is
our legacy, what is the mark wewant to leave in terms of our
(05:20):
work and in this world, aboutwho we are as leaders and how we
get to impact people on a dailyand continual basis.
Now, next up was I'm so honoredto call her friend, kate Donovan
.
Now you may remember Katebecause I've had her on the
podcast before.
You can go back and check outepisode 127, where Kate talked
(05:43):
about avoiding career burnout,and Kate took the stage and
commanded it, like Kate only canto talk about burnout and why
resentment is our superpower,and one of the most powerful
things that she talked about wasabout boundaries versus
requests and how boundaries areso important and non-negotiable
(06:07):
in our career to protect ourhealth and well-being and
preserve our leadership in termsof what is most important for
us but also what'snon-negotiable.
Kate hosts an amazing podcastcalled Fried, the Burnout
Podcast.
Definitely go ahead and givethat a listen and if your
(06:29):
organization needs a speaker,kate's wonderful.
She truly is.
She talks about things in waysmost people can't and I think
that's what makes her just anhonest-to-God gift on the stage.
But what I want to offer youhere is to really think about
what is a boundary versus arequest.
(06:49):
A request is something we askfor.
A boundary is something we needand we have to hold with
fidelity.
So more to come on that, butsuch a great takeaway.
Finka Yurkovic spoke to us aswell, and one of the things that
Finka talked to us about sheuses an assessment called the
(07:11):
fascination advantage.
But what was so powerful inFinka's conversation this year
was this idea about edge movesso many times we hear in our
career about stepping out ofyour comfort zone, being bolder,
being unapologetic for what youdo, and Finca phrased this as
(07:32):
an edge move, and it was thosetwo words to think about.
Okay, where do I want to makean edge move?
Where is the thing that I getto do a little bit differently
or step out of my comfort zone?
So there are some things thatI'm currently working on in my
practice and in my business thatI can absolutely combine what
(07:54):
Kate and Finca shared aboutcreating boundaries.
But also, where am I going tomake that edge move?
And what I want to offer youhere is where do you get to be
bold?
Let me say that again when doyou get to be bold?
So, if you're currentlyemployed and inside of an
(08:15):
organization, where do you getto be bold?
Where do you get to approachyour leadership maybe a little
differently or exercise yourinfluence a little more
strategically?
And if you are not employed andyou are currently seeking a new
job, I wanna offer you where isyour edge move?
(08:37):
Where do you get to be bolderin your job search, to do
something you've not done before?
Because if you're not gettingresults, you wanna go ahead and
do something different.
That's why I created that freeguide I shared for you at the
top of the episode.
And again, you can just go tomy website, johnnerrellcom.
(08:57):
Forward slash resources, butthink about where your edge move
is, think about where you canslightly step out of your
comfort zone and think aboutwhat that edge move might get
you.
So we go to wrap up day threeand I will share with you a
(09:18):
little personal story, in thatthe fire alarm went off in the
hotel and it went off at 3.30 inthe morning and after having a
really rough night, I didn't getto sleep till about 2.30.
So I was asleep for about anhour and woke it up and scared
the living daylights out of me.
So, just as an aside and thiswas my mistake, because I got
too wrapped up in the conferenceand the excitement of
everything I actually couldn'tfind the stairwell to get out of
(09:41):
the hotel.
Now, obviously everything wasfine and stuff like that, but do
yourself a favor check theemergency card in the hotel room
, check the sign on the back ofthe door and when you leave your
room and you're going out andabout wherever, take a moment to
know where the stairwell is.
Just might save your life, okay.
(10:04):
So what better way to powerthrough just a few hours of
sleep than to hear theincredible Joe Miller talk about
her shift list?
Now, if you've been listeningto the podcast just a few hours
of sleep than to hear theincredible Joe Miller talk about
her shift list?
Now, if you've been listeningto the podcast for a while, you
know I had Joe on the show wayback in episode 184, called the
Shift List Unearthing LeadershipPotentials at Mid-Career.
(10:26):
And where Joe really gets toresonate with everybody in the
room is talking about theseleadership shifts and especially
from going to be this tacticianthe person that's stuck in the
weeds and doing all the tacticalthings every day to being a
strategist.
Where do you get to demonstrateyour expertise, your vision,
(10:50):
your strategy, your leadershipin ways that can have an even
broader or greater impact inyour leadership right?
So if you haven't listened toepisode 184, do me a favor, go
back and listen to that one,because Joe truly shares some
amazing things in that episodeas well.
(11:11):
And then we got a real treat.
So my coach, colleague andfriend, katie Rasul, took the
stage to essentially help wrapeverything up for us in this
conference, and what I reallyappreciated about Katie's
presentation was addressing thisidea about okay, so we've
(11:33):
learned all this information.
Now what?
So, when you leave theconference, what happens?
How do you take the inspirationand the motivation and the
conversations you've had at thisconference and bring them with
you back into your organization?
So, specifically for my workwith my cohort, that's one of
the things we may end upcoaching on is me helping them
(11:57):
figure out where do they get tokeep that momentum going as they
progress after this conferenceand this experience?
And so one of the things I wantyou to consider here is why.
Why should an organization, letalone yourself, invest in
(12:20):
professional development?
Think about when was the lasttime you attended a conference,
a workshop, a seminar, attendeda conference, a workshop, a
seminar, something that wasspecifically for you to grow
within your industry and learn,to take the time to focus on you
(12:40):
.
And in this current climatewhere we are seeing budgets get
cut and programs being severed,take a look at where your
company's professionaldevelopment dollars are.
Are you losing a professionaldevelopment benefit because of
cutbacks?
Or maybe you haven't tappedinto your professional
(13:03):
development budget becauseyou've been quote unquote too
busy?
How do you want to invest inyour learning.
And if a conference, workshop,seminar isn't something your
company can support you in doingand key point here being
financially support you to do,and you're not able to do that
(13:25):
yourself, well then the questionbecomes self.
Well then the question becomeswhere can you gain that
experience or that kind ofprofessional development?
Because what would it mean foryou to be in the room where it
happens?
What would it mean for you tobe in the room where there are
conversations you've not heardbefore, that you can then, in
(13:49):
turn, take back and leveragethat within your own work.
So have you ever asked yourboss or supervisor if you could
attend a conference?
First of all, find theconference, find the thing that
you want to attend and ask right, maybe they say yes, maybe they
(14:12):
say no, but there are someother ways you can gain more
professional development.
Do you have something withinyour organization, be it
formally or informally, whereyou and several of your
colleagues get together to talkabout current trends, current
issues?
Years ago we called these PLCsprofessional learning
(14:34):
communities.
I know some organizations todaycall them huddles, right or
cohorts, whatever it might be.
Is there a way for you to gainsome professional development
inside of your organization youhaven't explored yet.
Maybe you're the one to startthe group.
Maybe you recommend a book oran article and you share it and
(14:56):
you come to discuss it.
Maybe that group is anotheroutlet simply for accountability
purposes.
Maybe you set up structures tohelp each other be held
accountable for things, maybearound your boundaries or where
you're asking or advocating forthings in your career and your
leadership development.
(15:17):
Maybe you have an opportunity tohave a mentor within your
organization.
Typically, a mentor is someonewho is senior to you that is
willing to spend time with youand support you in your growth
and development within theorganization with an intent that
you'll get promoted.
Or maybe you hire a coach andmaybe that's an investment your
(15:40):
company can provide for you and,if not, maybe that's an
investment you're willing tomake yourself.
Oftentimes, when I work withpeople and we talk about
discussing promotions, one ofthe ways essentially they pay
for their coaching is within thepromotion they get within the
(16:01):
first year and then they get toreap the lifetime dollars of
them making that bold careermove in terms of getting
promoted.
Or maybe you want to hire acoach to simply hone in on your
leadership and executivepresence because there's a gap
or a skill set you need to beworking on, or you've been told
(16:22):
you should be working on, andyou find a coach to help you do
that.
You always hear me say you are100% responsible for your career
.
Well, part of thatresponsibility is taking
ownership of your professionaldevelopment as well.
What do you want to ownregarding your growth and
(16:44):
development?
Please, please, please, don'tdepend or rely on your
organization to take care ofeverything for you, because they
may not be able to or they mayjust not period, but you are
responsible for your development.
(17:04):
You are responsible for yourgrowth.
What would happen if you askedfor an opportunity?
What could happen simply byasking a question?
If there was one big takeawayfrom this year's conference that
I personally had by being inthe room and hearing these
(17:26):
amazing speakers and listeningto the conversations that were
had across this three-day event,it just goes back to what I end
this episode with every singletime how we show up matters More
than ever.
How we show up, how we lead,work, function, advocate,
(17:48):
support, challenge.
How we show up matters, andwhen you think about yourself as
a leader, how are you known forshowing up?
Are you the person who sitsquietly in the room, or are you
the one who speaks up?
Are you the person who sits inthe room very quietly, but when
(18:09):
you speak up, everyone listens?
What do you want to be knownfor as a leader?
What's the legacy in KarenJones's words?
What's the legacy you want toleave behind?
So, when it comes time for youto retire and it comes time for
you to get your flowers, what doyou want to be known for?
What do you want people to sayabout you when it's time for you
(18:32):
to move on?
How you show up matters?
It's that wonderful Maya Angelouquote about people, and I'm not
going to recite this correctly,but the whole intent of that
quote is people won't rememberwhat you did.
People will remember how youmade them feel, how you show up
(19:05):
matters, and so I encourage youto check out NextUp on LinkedIn,
check out NextUp's website atnextupisnoworg, and if you want
some help in your job search andneed a quick little boost, go
to my website, johnnarocom.
Forward slash resources to getthat new free guide called why
your Mid-Career Job Search Isn'tWorking and what to Do About it
.
Big, big breath, right, but?
(19:34):
But yeah, it's.
It's always a it's always agreat time going to this
conference.
I'm I'm blessed and honored tobe a part of it, and I hope
you're doing something for yourprofessional development this
summer.
Even if it's just listening tothis podcast, that can be a huge
thing as well, and I thank youfor being a listener, and a
loyal listener, and if you likethis episode, share it with
somebody.
That always helps.
But in the meantime, rememberthis you will build your
(19:57):
mid-career GPS one mile or onestep at a time, and how you show
up matters.
Make it a great rest of yourday.
Thank you for listening to theMid-Career GPS Podcast.
Make sure to follow on yourfavorite listening platform and,
if you have a moment, I'd loveto hear your comments on Apple
(20:18):
Podcasts.
Visit johnnerrellcom for moreinformation about how I can help
you build your mid-career GPSor how I can help you and your
organization with your nextworkshop or public speaking
event.
Don't forget to connect with meon LinkedIn and follow me on
social at John Darrell Coaching.
I look forward to being backwith you next week.
(20:39):
Until then, take care andremember how we show up matters.
Thank you.
Earlier this month, I had the honor of attending
NextUp's Rising Stars Conference.
For the sixth year, I haveserved as one of their coaches,
and for the second year I hadthe honor of speaking on a
networking panel.
Every year, I walk away fromthis event with a ton of great
information and that's why, inthis episode, I'm taking some
(00:21):
time to share with you some ofmy biggest takeaways from this
year's event.
So if you're a mid-level leaderand professional who cares
deeply about your team and yourwork, my friends, this episode
is for you.
Let's get started.
Hello, my friends, this is theMid-Career GPS Podcast and I'm
(00:51):
your host, john Nehrl.
I help mid-career professionalslike you find a career they love
, or love the one they have,using my proven four-step
formula.
Are you frustrated with whereyour job search is right now?
Are you confused as to why youhaven't been able to advance
your career?
If you feel like something isoff, I want to help you fix it
(01:13):
Now.
The way I can help you fix itis that I've created a free
guide along with a 20-minutevideo for you entitled why your
Mid-Career Job Search Isn'tWorking and what to Do About it
the four-step framework to builda smarter, faster and more
confident career move.
If you're ready to startbuilding your mid-career GPS and
(01:35):
you want some quick, actionabletips to stop being frustrated
and start gaining traction andmomentum in your career, this is
the first step to building it,and that's why I created this
guided video for you.
Now to get it, all you have todo is go over to my website,
johnnarrellcom, forward slashresources and download the guide
(01:57):
.
Today I'm a couple weeks outfrom attending this year's
NextUp Rising Stars Conferenceand I am still riding an
emotional high and a ton ofenergy from this event.
And if you are not familiarwith NextUp, I want to invite
you to follow them on LinkedInor check out their website,
(02:18):
nextupisnoworg.
But here is NextUp's mission.
Quote.
Our mission is to build thenext generation of leaders and
foster inclusive workplacecultures that advance all women
in business.
Open to all genders, nextupprovides leadership development
(02:47):
resources and programmingdesigned to create equitable
opportunities for everyone,while addressing the unique
barriers women continue to face.
Unquote.
I am beyond proud to be a partof NextUp's Rising Stars program
and to work with the amazingcohorts that I get to work with
each and every year.
So the way Rising Stars worksis that when you join the
program.
Essentially it is for threemonths.
(03:07):
You go through a 360 assessmentthat is with the Center for
Creative Leadership, and I amcertified in delivering and
debriefing clients on that 360assessment and then we have a
group call at the kickoff of theprogram.
We do the three-day event.
We do a group call at thekickoff of the program, we do
the three-day event, we do agroup call after, and then I
(03:29):
have a one-on-one coachingsession with every person within
my cohort as a follow-up to theevent and it is amazing to see
their insights and theirtransformation and how they want
to emerge, evolve and developas leaders.
It is why I believe so stronglyin this program that it is this
(03:51):
collective support about caringfor what you do and caring for
where you do it and the impactyou get to have.
So some of the things that wetalked about in this event hit
me a little differently thisyear.
So our vice president oflearning and partner solutions
at NextUp is Karen Jones.
(04:12):
She kicked off the event bytalking about our legacy and, as
I tend to get a little bitolder and start thinking about
retirement which, by the way, isno time soon unless I hit the
Powerball in some way, which, bythe way, if you ever want to
know, if I hit the Powerball,this podcast stops.
If I'm not putting out anyepisodes anymore, the likelihood
(04:36):
may be God forbid I'm sick or Ihit the lottery in some way.
All joking aside, I probablywould still keep doing this just
for the fun of it.
But you start thinking aboutwhere's your career going?
What do you want to beremembered for?
Who are you impacting?
How are you making thatdifference?
(04:57):
And I've talked on the podcastbefore about how to get clear
about your professional brand onthe podcast before about how to
get clear about yourprofessional brand, and so,
while that's important, I wantto offer that.
Karen really inspired me in thesense of thinking about.
It is never too early for us tostart thinking about where is
our legacy, what is the mark wewant to leave in terms of our
(05:20):
work and in this world, aboutwho we are as leaders and how we
get to impact people on a dailyand continual basis.
Now, next up was I'm so honoredto call her friend, kate Donovan
.
Now you may remember Katebecause I've had her on the
podcast before.
You can go back and check outepisode 127, where Kate talked
(05:43):
about avoiding career burnout,and Kate took the stage and
commanded it, like Kate only canto talk about burnout and why
resentment is our superpower,and one of the most powerful
things that she talked about wasabout boundaries versus
requests and how boundaries areso important and non-negotiable
(06:07):
in our career to protect ourhealth and well-being and
preserve our leadership in termsof what is most important for
us but also what'snon-negotiable.
Kate hosts an amazing podcastcalled Fried, the Burnout
Podcast.
Definitely go ahead and givethat a listen and if your
(06:29):
organization needs a speaker,kate's wonderful.
She truly is.
She talks about things in waysmost people can't and I think
that's what makes her just anhonest-to-God gift on the stage.
But what I want to offer youhere is to really think about
what is a boundary versus arequest.
(06:49):
A request is something we askfor.
A boundary is something we needand we have to hold with
fidelity.
So more to come on that, butsuch a great takeaway.
Finka Yurkovic spoke to us aswell, and one of the things that
Finka talked to us about sheuses an assessment called the
(07:11):
fascination advantage.
But what was so powerful inFinka's conversation this year
was this idea about edge movesso many times we hear in our
career about stepping out ofyour comfort zone, being bolder,
being unapologetic for what youdo, and Finca phrased this as
(07:32):
an edge move, and it was thosetwo words to think about.
Okay, where do I want to makean edge move?
Where is the thing that I getto do a little bit differently
or step out of my comfort zone?
So there are some things thatI'm currently working on in my
practice and in my business thatI can absolutely combine what
(07:54):
Kate and Finca shared aboutcreating boundaries.
But also, where am I going tomake that edge move?
And what I want to offer youhere is where do you get to be
bold?
Let me say that again when doyou get to be bold?
So, if you're currentlyemployed and inside of an
(08:15):
organization, where do you getto be bold?
Where do you get to approachyour leadership maybe a little
differently or exercise yourinfluence a little more
strategically?
And if you are not employed andyou are currently seeking a new
job, I wanna offer you where isyour edge move?
(08:37):
Where do you get to be bolderin your job search, to do
something you've not done before?
Because if you're not gettingresults, you wanna go ahead and
do something different.
That's why I created that freeguide I shared for you at the
top of the episode.
And again, you can just go tomy website, johnnerrellcom.
(08:57):
Forward slash resources, butthink about where your edge move
is, think about where you canslightly step out of your
comfort zone and think aboutwhat that edge move might get
you.
So we go to wrap up day threeand I will share with you a
(09:18):
little personal story, in thatthe fire alarm went off in the
hotel and it went off at 3.30 inthe morning and after having a
really rough night, I didn't getto sleep till about 2.30.
So I was asleep for about anhour and woke it up and scared
the living daylights out of me.
So, just as an aside and thiswas my mistake, because I got
too wrapped up in the conferenceand the excitement of
everything I actually couldn'tfind the stairwell to get out of
(09:41):
the hotel.
Now, obviously everything wasfine and stuff like that, but do
yourself a favor check theemergency card in the hotel room
, check the sign on the back ofthe door and when you leave your
room and you're going out andabout wherever, take a moment to
know where the stairwell is.
Just might save your life, okay.
(10:04):
So what better way to powerthrough just a few hours of
sleep than to hear theincredible Joe Miller talk about
her shift list?
Now, if you've been listeningto the podcast just a few hours
of sleep than to hear theincredible Joe Miller talk about
her shift list?
Now, if you've been listeningto the podcast for a while, you
know I had Joe on the show wayback in episode 184, called the
Shift List Unearthing LeadershipPotentials at Mid-Career.
(10:26):
And where Joe really gets toresonate with everybody in the
room is talking about theseleadership shifts and especially
from going to be this tacticianthe person that's stuck in the
weeds and doing all the tacticalthings every day to being a
strategist.
Where do you get to demonstrateyour expertise, your vision,
(10:50):
your strategy, your leadershipin ways that can have an even
broader or greater impact inyour leadership right?
So if you haven't listened toepisode 184, do me a favor, go
back and listen to that one,because Joe truly shares some
amazing things in that episodeas well.
(11:11):
And then we got a real treat.
So my coach, colleague andfriend, katie Rasul, took the
stage to essentially help wrapeverything up for us in this
conference, and what I reallyappreciated about Katie's
presentation was addressing thisidea about okay, so we've
(11:33):
learned all this information.
Now what?
So, when you leave theconference, what happens?
How do you take the inspirationand the motivation and the
conversations you've had at thisconference and bring them with
you back into your organization?
So, specifically for my workwith my cohort, that's one of
the things we may end upcoaching on is me helping them
(11:57):
figure out where do they get tokeep that momentum going as they
progress after this conferenceand this experience?
And so one of the things I wantyou to consider here is why.
Why should an organization, letalone yourself, invest in
(12:20):
professional development?
Think about when was the lasttime you attended a conference,
a workshop, a seminar, attendeda conference, a workshop, a
seminar, something that wasspecifically for you to grow
within your industry and learn,to take the time to focus on you
(12:40):
.
And in this current climatewhere we are seeing budgets get
cut and programs being severed,take a look at where your
company's professionaldevelopment dollars are.
Are you losing a professionaldevelopment benefit because of
cutbacks?
Or maybe you haven't tappedinto your professional
(13:03):
development budget becauseyou've been quote unquote too
busy?
How do you want to invest inyour learning.
And if a conference, workshop,seminar isn't something your
company can support you in doingand key point here being
financially support you to do,and you're not able to do that
(13:25):
yourself, well then the questionbecomes self.
Well then the question becomeswhere can you gain that
experience or that kind ofprofessional development?
Because what would it mean foryou to be in the room where it
happens?
What would it mean for you tobe in the room where there are
conversations you've not heardbefore, that you can then, in
(13:49):
turn, take back and leveragethat within your own work.
So have you ever asked yourboss or supervisor if you could
attend a conference?
First of all, find theconference, find the thing that
you want to attend and ask right, maybe they say yes, maybe they
(14:12):
say no, but there are someother ways you can gain more
professional development.
Do you have something withinyour organization, be it
formally or informally, whereyou and several of your
colleagues get together to talkabout current trends, current
issues?
Years ago we called these PLCsprofessional learning
(14:34):
communities.
I know some organizations todaycall them huddles, right or
cohorts, whatever it might be.
Is there a way for you to gainsome professional development
inside of your organization youhaven't explored yet.
Maybe you're the one to startthe group.
Maybe you recommend a book oran article and you share it and
(14:56):
you come to discuss it.
Maybe that group is anotheroutlet simply for accountability
purposes.
Maybe you set up structures tohelp each other be held
accountable for things, maybearound your boundaries or where
you're asking or advocating forthings in your career and your
leadership development.
(15:17):
Maybe you have an opportunity tohave a mentor within your
organization.
Typically, a mentor is someonewho is senior to you that is
willing to spend time with youand support you in your growth
and development within theorganization with an intent that
you'll get promoted.
Or maybe you hire a coach andmaybe that's an investment your
(15:40):
company can provide for you and,if not, maybe that's an
investment you're willing tomake yourself.
Oftentimes, when I work withpeople and we talk about
discussing promotions, one ofthe ways essentially they pay
for their coaching is within thepromotion they get within the
(16:01):
first year and then they get toreap the lifetime dollars of
them making that bold careermove in terms of getting
promoted.
Or maybe you want to hire acoach to simply hone in on your
leadership and executivepresence because there's a gap
or a skill set you need to beworking on, or you've been told
(16:22):
you should be working on, andyou find a coach to help you do
that.
You always hear me say you are100% responsible for your career
.
Well, part of thatresponsibility is taking
ownership of your professionaldevelopment as well.
What do you want to ownregarding your growth and
(16:44):
development?
Please, please, please, don'tdepend or rely on your
organization to take care ofeverything for you, because they
may not be able to or they mayjust not period, but you are
responsible for your development.
(17:04):
You are responsible for yourgrowth.
What would happen if you askedfor an opportunity?
What could happen simply byasking a question?
If there was one big takeawayfrom this year's conference that
I personally had by being inthe room and hearing these
(17:26):
amazing speakers and listeningto the conversations that were
had across this three-day event,it just goes back to what I end
this episode with every singletime how we show up matters More
than ever.
How we show up, how we lead,work, function, advocate,
(17:48):
support, challenge.
How we show up matters, andwhen you think about yourself as
a leader, how are you known forshowing up?
Are you the person who sitsquietly in the room, or are you
the one who speaks up?
Are you the person who sits inthe room very quietly, but when
(18:09):
you speak up, everyone listens?
What do you want to be knownfor as a leader?
What's the legacy in KarenJones's words?
What's the legacy you want toleave behind?
So, when it comes time for youto retire and it comes time for
you to get your flowers, what doyou want to be known for?
What do you want people to sayabout you when it's time for you
(18:32):
to move on?
How you show up matters?
It's that wonderful Maya Angelouquote about people, and I'm not
going to recite this correctly,but the whole intent of that
quote is people won't rememberwhat you did.
People will remember how youmade them feel, how you show up
(19:05):
matters, and so I encourage youto check out NextUp on LinkedIn,
check out NextUp's website atnextupisnoworg, and if you want
some help in your job search andneed a quick little boost, go
to my website, johnnarocom.
Forward slash resources to getthat new free guide called why
your Mid-Career Job Search Isn'tWorking and what to Do About it
.
Big, big breath, right, but?
(19:34):
But yeah, it's.
It's always a it's always agreat time going to this
conference.
I'm I'm blessed and honored tobe a part of it, and I hope
you're doing something for yourprofessional development this
summer.
Even if it's just listening tothis podcast, that can be a huge
thing as well, and I thank youfor being a listener, and a
loyal listener, and if you likethis episode, share it with
somebody.
That always helps.
But in the meantime, rememberthis you will build your
(19:57):
mid-career GPS one mile or onestep at a time, and how you show
up matters.
Make it a great rest of yourday.
Thank you for listening to theMid-Career GPS Podcast.
Make sure to follow on yourfavorite listening platform and,
if you have a moment, I'd loveto hear your comments on Apple
(20:18):
Podcasts.
Visit johnnerrellcom for moreinformation about how I can help
you build your mid-career GPSor how I can help you and your
organization with your nextworkshop or public speaking
event.
Don't forget to connect with meon LinkedIn and follow me on
social at John Darrell Coaching.
I look forward to being backwith you next week.
(20:39):
Until then, take care andremember how we show up matters.
Thank you.
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