Did you catch the episode of “Succession” where the patriarch has a sudden heart attack? His three kids have been scheming and planning for years to take over the business. But what happens next? Enough running and shouting to rival 5-year-olds chasing a ball on a soccer field.
So much for having a sophisticated, well-developed success mindset!
The object lesson is simple: Trying to fit into someone else’s mold can feel like a straitjacket. Instead, you can rely on the skills you use every day in the workplace to bust out of dysfunctional frameworks and take charge of your self-image.
Let’s meet someone who turned a personal definition of success into a new role.
As the National Managing Principal of Talent Strategy and Operations at Deloitte US, David Rizzo has his hands full. His team receives more than 2 million job applications a year.
Surprisingly, he bypasses academic achievement as the first cut. Instead of weighing someone’s GPA or counting the number of degrees or certifications someone has, he gets the whole person view by testing for behavioral skills. He remarked, “I’m keenly interested in what you do and how you work.”
Recently he asked a candidate about delivering results in a changing environment and solving complex challenges. They described their lived experience with an unusual example: A marathon they completed.
He remembered their conversation saying, “They selected a charity to run for in honor of a close family member who died a few years earlier. They developed a “business plan” that had a lot of detail on their approach, including how they overcame setbacks during training. This one response touched on the variety of questions we often ask campus candidates, like ones about goal setting, navigating unanticipated situations, recognition for service excellence, and selling ideas or concepts.”
The story left a lasting impression about the candidate’s skills as well as their character. Mission accomplished.
In the April series, Spring Clean Your Soft Skills, we’re giving three everyday work skills the once-over so you can leave with practical ways to expand, improve, and upgrade those skills.
The case study works on two levels: The candidate addressed how they delivered results and solved problems. However, the story also shows how they underscored their skills with the How tactic of creativity. The candidate took a creative approach, describing an unusual accomplishment that made them feel happy and self-confident.
You might think, I’m not special or imaginative. However, what you accomplish after hours can help your career advance. Like the case study, that’s what former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright did. When she decided to return to the workforce, she wasn’t sure how to solve the puzzle of describing her “years of doing good” supporting her small children in school. Her creative approach was to emphasize coordinating teams to put on school events, smoothing the way when personality conflicts happened, and being an ally for diverse ideas. Those examples showed how problem-solving, conflict resolution, and meeting strict deadlines added up to marketable leadership skills.
Likewise, you can flip the old version of bossing up by showcasing achievements that bring you authentic success. Here are three ideas to spark your thinking:
Put your natural creativity to work and spring clean your success mindset.