Encouraging Autonomy in Career Pathways

In my role as Head of Talent Acquisition, candidates often ask me in interviews, "What is the career path for this position?" or "What would my progression be in this role?" While these are important questions, I believe it’s time to rethink the traditional concept of career paths. The idea that progression is linear and entirely planned by the organization is becoming increasingly outdated in today’s fast-evolving work environment. Instead, I encourage candidates to take ownership of their own career development—especially women, who often face unique challenges in the workplace and may feel additional pressure to follow a prescribed path to prove themselves. Here’s how you can take charge of your career journey: 🤍 Structured Progression with Flexibility: It’s great to have clear long-term goals, but make sure you leave room for lateral moves and diverse experiences. By exploring different departments, roles, or even industries, you enrich your career and open up new possibilities while still maintaining overall direction. 🤍 Focus on Skill Building: While you may follow a stable career path within an organization or industry, focus on acquiring new, in-demand skills. This allows you to continuously learn and adapt, positioning yourself for new opportunities while still benefiting from the security of a traditional role. 🤍 You Don’t Have to Manage to Lead: Not everyone needs to move into management to progress in their career. As an individual contributor, you can still be a leader by demonstrating expertise, driving initiatives, and being a role model for others. This can be particularly empowering for women who want to make a strong impact without necessarily moving into management. 🤍 Portfolio Career with a Core: Instead of pursuing just one career trajectory, consider maintaining a primary role where you progress traditionally, while also engaging in side projects or roles that align with your other passions. This approach adds variety to your work life while keeping your core career intact. 🤍 Leadership Through Flexibility: For those aiming for leadership, following a defined path can help build credibility and experience. But by remaining open to new leadership styles and emerging trends, you can blend traditional progression with modern adaptability. What should companies keep in mind? Employees, especially women, increasingly seek flexible career paths. By offering lateral moves, skills development, and diverse projects, organizations can attract top talent, foster innovation, and create inclusive spaces where everyone can thrive. In today’s world, career paths are not just ladders; they’re journeys of growth, learning, and exploration. Taking control of this empowers both individuals and companies to design trajectories aligned with evolving goals. How are you shaping your own career path? 🤍 #careerpath #careerjourney #takecontrol

A recent conversation with a mentee trying to navigate the next steps in their career reminded me of an essential rule I always emphasize: You own your career, therefore you have to be in the driver's seat. They recently received some feedback from their manager that was confusing as it didn’t align with previous feedback. The conversation on next steps was very vague. Reality check: waiting for clear guidance or validation from others can leave you stuck in neutral. Instead, you must proactively manage your own career path. Here are a few things I suggested: 1. Do a Self-Assessment You need to understand your strengths, weaknesses, passions, and career aspirations. Identify what excites you and where you see yourself in the future. Remember they can all change due to new experiences and gaining new skillsets. 2. Seek Constructive Feedback While feedback from leadership is valuable, it’s important to triangulate. Reach out to mentors, peers, and others in your function that you admire for their insights. Feedback is just one piece of the puzzle. Use it as a tool for improvement, not as a definitive roadmap. You never know when you might run into an unconscious bias. 3. Continuous Learning and Development I’m ever curious and always looking for learning opportunities. Look for opportunities to learn from other functions. The business world is continusly changing, and staying on top of the game, requires investing time to learn. Stay informed about your current industry trends but also look for best practices in others. 4. Advocate for Yourself People can’t read your mind, so they don’t know what your career goals and aspirations are. Don’t be afraid to articulate them to your leadership. Express your interest in new projects, responsibilities, or roles that align with your goals. 5. Adaptability and Resilience Career paths are rarely linear. My own has been a lattice. Be adaptable. Embrace challenges and view setbacks as learning experiences. Being in the driver's seat of your career means taking an intentional role in your professional development. While others can give you guidance, the ultimate responsibility for your career lies with you. What else would you tell him?

Ever wondered what employees really want when it comes to growth? It’s not just about climbing the corporate ladder anymore—it’s about freedom and purpose. Here’s what I’ve learned after years in talent development: 1. Autonomy beats titles: Employees aren’t just chasing promotions. They want control over how they work and the freedom to make meaningful decisions. That autonomy drives job satisfaction more than any fancy title. 2. Purpose drives engagement: A junior employee with creative freedom can feel more fulfilled than a senior manager bogged down by constraints. When people align their work with personal values, engagement and productivity soar. 3. Growth isn’t just vertical: Sometimes, a lateral move—like working on a new project or exploring a different area—can be just as rewarding as a promotion. It’s about learning, growing, and finding purpose in unexpected ways. At Google, employees are encouraged to spend 20% of their time working on passion projects. This led to innovations like Gmail and Google Maps—products that changed the world. The lesson? Giving people autonomy and room to explore leads to incredible growth, for both the employee and the company. Actionable steps for leaders: 1. Create “ownership zones” where employees have full control over specific tasks. 2. Offer stretch assignments that align with their interests. 3. Recognize and celebrate lateral growth, not just promotions. The key? Stop thinking of growth as a ladder and start seeing it as a garden—help your people grow where they want to. What’s your take? Have you seen autonomy lead to extraordinary growth in your workplace? Share your story below! #Leadership #EmployeeEngagement #CareerDevelopment #GrowthMindset #WorkplaceCulture

When I first started at my company, I was eager to take on more responsibilities but hesitant to speak up. I worried that my request might be seen as overreaching. Then, a mentor gave me invaluable advice: "Opportunities are rarely given; they’re taken." This changed everything for me. Here’s a step-by-step guide based on my journey to help you leap: ➙ Self-Assessment 📝: Before asking for more, evaluate your current workload. Are you consistently meeting your deadlines and excelling in your tasks? This will show that you're ready for additional responsibilities. ➙ Identify Areas for Growth 🔍: Look for gaps in your team or company where you can add value. It could be a project that's been neglected or a new initiative that aligns with your skills. ➙ Prepare Your Case 📊: Approach your manager with a clear plan. Highlight your achievements, explain how you can contribute more, and detail the benefits to the team and company. ➙ Show Enthusiasm and Commitment 💪: Demonstrate your passion for growth. Enthusiasm is contagious and shows that you're genuinely invested in your role and the company's success. ➙Be Ready for Challenges 🚀: Taking on more means stepping out of your comfort zone. Be prepared to tackle new challenges and show resilience. After implementing these steps, I not only got the additional responsibilities I wanted but also gained the trust and respect of my colleagues and superiors. My career growth skyrocketed, and I felt more fulfilled in my role. Big Lesson: Don't wait for opportunities to come to you. Take charge of your career by proactively seeking out more responsibilities. You'll grow, learn, and stand out as a proactive, driven professional. How Do You Go About It? 📞Regularly communicate with your manager about your career aspirations. 📞Seek feedback and use it to improve continuously. 📞Network within your company to identify potential growth opportunities. Have you successfully asked for more responsibilities? Share your experiences and tips below! Let’s inspire each other to take control of our career paths. 🚀 ————————————————————————— Meeting me for the first time? I’m Rudy Malle, a clinical researcher dedicated to improving public health outcomes, and a career advisor helping ordinary professionals take their careers to the next level to enhance visibility for individuals and companies. #CareerAdvancement #ProfessionalGrowth #TakeTheLead #WorkplaceTips #CareerAdvice #LinkedInCommunity #personaldevelopment #20daylinkedinchallengewithhaoma #rudyhacks

I'd like to see agencies focus less on utilization as a measure of productivity and more on outcomes and accountability. Just because a timesheet says someone worked for hours doesn't mean they were productive or produced positive outcomes... One way you can foster a culture of accountability is by evolving the traditional job description. They're prescriptive and emphasize activities over outcomes. 𝗧𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱:   Define roles by outcomes rather than activities. Then, leave it to your people to decide how they'll achieve those outcomes (with your coaching and mentoring) You'll see greater ownership, which leads to accountability and results. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄:   1️⃣ Consider the different roles in your agency.    2️⃣ Define a unique objective for each.     3️⃣ Then define the outcomes each role is meant to produce -- for clients, their team, and/or the business.    Then, ask your people to take it from there. Ask them...    • How will they deliver on their unique objective and outcomes?    • What decision-making rights do they need?    • What tools and resources do they need?    • What performance indicators will they use to measure their progress and results?    • What skills and abilities do they need to learn or grow?    𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀: When employees design their roles this way, the experience can be transformational, and everyone will benefit.   💥 “Unique objectives” help you reduce redundant functions.    💥 “Outcomes” create clarity on the role's business value and connect to a shared purpose.    💥 “Decision-making rights” foster speed and a bias for action.    💥 “Autonomy” for staff to determine how they will achieve their outcomes produces ownership and accountability.    💥 “Performance indicators” help staff learn and adapt for better outcomes.    💥 “Skills and abilities” point the way to professional development pathways.    As an agency leader, your job in all this is to provide the initial direction, facilitate the discussion, and provide mentorship. Then get out of the way. 

Fostering Growth: Building a Future-Ready Team Nurturing the growth of team members involves creating an environment that supports their professional development and personal well-being.Sharing some of my thoughts below: Empowering Autonomy: Trusting your team members to take ownership of their projects fosters innovation and confidence. By providing the right resources and support, we empower them to make decisions and drive their own success. Mentorship and Coaching: Regular one-on-one sessions with personalized guidance and feedback. By mentoring and coaching, team members navigate challenges and seize growth opportunities. Clear Career Pathways: Understanding where they want to go and helping them map out a path to get there is key, working together to set clear, attainable goals that align with both their career aspirations and organizational objectives. Celebrating Achievements: Recognizing hard work and celebrating milestones keeps morale high and motivation strong. Every success, big or small, deserves to be acknowledged. Fostering Collaboration: Encouraging teamwork and cross-functional projects helps us learn from each other and build a more cohesive, supportive team environment. Continuous Learning: We should encourage a culture of lifelong learning, whether it is through training courses or on-the-job experiences, provide opportunities to expand current skill sets and stay ahead of industry trends. Together, we are not just building a team; we are cultivating a community of continuous growth, innovation, and mutual support. Here’s to developing a future-ready team, one step at a time! #TeamGrowth #CareerDevelopment #EmployeeEmpowerment #ContinuousLearning

Autonomy. Associates crave it. It can feel impossible to find or build. But: it is not. I know: our days do not feel like they belong to us. It feels like we are at the mercy of every client, partner, email, world events, you name it. But: you can build autonomy, over time, by looking for the smallest of ways to build that sense of self-government, of control over your day. Here are some ways I've found a sense of control in my career: 🎮 Use your calendar intentionally. You do not have to say, "I'm available whenever, wherever." You can offerup the times that work best for you. And you can block off the times you want to protect--for deep work, for the gym, for whatever else you have going on in your life. The goal is to be reasonably available and reasonably responsive--not always on, or so flexible that you lose your sense of self and your time. 🎮 Start and end the day with something that is only for you, by you, what you want. This can be as quick as reading for fun, playing a game, meditating, a cup of coffee in silence. Find what brings you joy and do it to start and end your day--just for you. 🎮 Return to the hobby you left behind when you let yourself go for your job. For me, that is tennis. I started playing again in July and now I play 1-3 times a week. It had an immediate impact on my mental health and sense of self. What did you leave behind as you rose through the ranks, as you let other things come before your wants and needs? There is time to do it. I promise. 🎮 Remember: you are an adult. I am constantly reminding myself: no one is looking for me. No one is wondering where I am and what I'm doing. This is my anxiety and imposter syndrome talking. And: if they are looking for me or wondering about me, they know how to find me (email, cell phone, etc.). Self talk is truly half the battle. Doing these types of things not only builds a sense of autonomy for me; it helps me lead by example, one of my key values. How do you build autonomy in your job? #lawyerwellbeing #biglaw #professionalwomen #bestadvice #gettingthingsdone

It's okay if you have no aspirations of becoming a people manager at your company. I've been there, and I know the question that follows: What now? The good news is there are plenty of options. Early in our careers, we say "yes" to almost every opportunity, which turns out to be something that helps us take a step forward. As we climb the ladder, we realize there's no rule book for career growth. At a certain level of seniority, you can choose your next steps. How did I navigate this crossroads? -Evaluate Your Ambition for Corporate Progression: Decide whether climbing further up the corporate ladder aligns with your personal goals. -Try Consulting or Freelancing: Experiment with roles and opportunities that offer more flexibility and autonomy. -Find community: Join communities/networks of individuals who share your interest (be social) These steps empower you to make career decisions independently without relying solely on the company's direction. As a former individual contributor at a company not inspired to climb the ladder, I discovered freedom in pursuing interests outside my job. I used my roles to provide a unique platform to meet creative and inspiring individuals, which led me to look beyond the conventional path and create my own. Have you faced a similar crossroads in your career? How did you choose your path forward? Let me know in the comments. #reframe #coaching #careers #personlbranding #innovation #growth #futureofwork