The Parable of the Blind Men and an Elephant
I don't know about your organization but I strongly suspect that you recently completed some form of "performance review" or feedback session as the calendar year came to a close. These discussions are often a good point to reflect on goals, achievements, future strategy as well as career development (or what's next).
This year in particular...having crossed the five year mark with HPE Financial Services...it is interesting to talk to colleagues within the business about my personal brand and who THEY think I am or what I am capable of. I think the five year mark is a tipping point where impressions have been cemented in your current role and whatever you have done in the past is now solidly in the review mirror.
So...with that as the backdrop...I had a conversation recently with a colleague...who I respect and admire... about my current role as well as where we are headed as a company. We are at an exciting inflection point where we are redesigning and aligning for future growth. One of the things he mentioned was that he feels I am really strong at building relationships and that coupled with my communication style and knowledge of our business has helped our business over my time with the company. When we talked about other roles within the organization that are opening up it's not that he didn't feel I could do them....it just didn't fit the picture of who he works with today even though I have done many different things over the course of my 25 year career.
This made me think of a parable I heard as a child and that I have reflected on from time to time over the years...
The Blind Men and an Elephant
"It is a story of a group of blind men who have never come across an elephant before and who learn and conceptualize what the elephant is like by touching it. Each blind man feels a different part of the elephant's body, but only one part, such as the side or the tusk. They then describe the elephant based on their limited experience and their descriptions of the elephant are different from each other. In some versions, they come to suspect that the other person is dishonest and they come to blows. The moral of the parable is that humans have a tendency to claim absolute truth based on their limited, subjective experience as they ignore other people's limited, subjective experiences which may be equally true." - From Wikipedia
Impact on OUR Leadership Journey
So...just like the blind men describing the elephant in different ways...we too are subjected to this limited analysis and cycle over the course of our career. Our personal brand...what we are capable of...how we are perceived...depends on what "piece" of you others are interacting with. It is an age old challenge in organizations that the longer you are there the more limited perspective of who you are and what you are capable of gets locked in. It's human nature I guess and as the parable describes...in rooms where promotions are discussed or who gets placed in what box...depending on the advocates you have in that room... or who the most influential or strongest voices are...it can come to "heated discussion" (maybe not blows) on if you are "the one" for the job. They don't see you as "the whole elephant" and all the diverse experience you bring to the table...they are stuck and focused on their limited view.
What Can We Do About It?
I don't believe I have all the answers on this one despite how hard I have tried to figure it out over the years. If I am being honest with myself...I've set myself up as a "Jack of All Trades" or a bit of a Chameleon. When I started my career doing mechanical engineering design...not one person would have said... "you should be in financial services doing relationship management". Same goes for when I was an IT Analyst for a start up airline coding their maintenance reliability program on a mainframe would anyone of said "you should be a VP of product marketing for a Fortune 500 channel reseller".
My point is... it's up to us to determine our path and make our peace with it. We can only control our actions or deliver to who we are (or want to be) so others can see the possibilities. They have to experience it for themselves...they aren't just going to take your word for it. Just like the blind man whose hand landed on the trunk, said, "This being is like a thick snake" and for another one whose hand reached its ear, it seemed like a kind of fan. The two views don't match up even if both perspectives are true!
Three Things to Consider
1. Poll the audience (people you trust and admire) to find out what THEY think your strengths are. From that baseline...is that the strengths YOU want them to see or walk away with? If it's not and YOU want them to see something different or you are aiming to head in a different direction find a mentor or a role model you can work with so others can see more of who YOU want to be...not who they think you are today. For example; if the feedback is "you need more executive presence" you need to find someone that the leadership views as already having "it" and find ways to adjust (not entirely change) your style so you can demonstrate YOU have the "stuff" they are looking for.
2. Take on some additional projects to showcase your versatility. I have to admit I have had a "love - hate" relationship with this suggestion over the years. On the one hand it is a great opportunity to do something new and exercise strengths that you have that may not be visible in your current role. On the other hand... it can be frustrating to imagine that YOU have to get your energy up to prove what you know you are already capable of. My best advice is to be open to take something else on and do it with an open heart and because YOU want to...with very little to no expectation of anything in return coming from it. It won't guarantee you a new role or a promotion but no one can take away from you the experience it gave YOU.
3. Find a role outside the company aligning with the strengths you want to grow. When all else fails and those around you and above you can only see "one part of the elephant" maybe it's time to reinvent yourself by starting over at a new company. Over the years I have called this my "Phoenix Moment" where:
“You Define You. Never forget where you came from as a person or as a company, but remember, you are not solely defined by your circumstances or your history. You can reinvent yourself many times over if needed. Nothing about my background would suggest I would have ended up where I did, and where our company is today is notably different that where we were headed just 3 years ago. Write your own narrative, or someone else (or the competition in business) will write it for you instead.”
In Closing...
While we are all the sum of our experience we need to understand that those around us and above us often only see what is right in front of them. Having said that, we shouldn't let others perception of us define us...nor should we be surprised by it. In my case... if I'm doing my job well people associate me with the strengths and capabilities of what the current role demands. I believe the same was true for every role I held in my past. It took time...dedication and a lot of support at each step of the way as well as making some bold moves to reinvent myself to have the diverse career and positions I have held over the years. I set myself up to be known for the strengths that make me successful in my current role not strengths that I have in my "tool kit" that made me successful at other times in my career. If I want to revisit any of those roles and continue down another path I either have to prove myself all over again or find a role somewhere else to get back on that track.
We all have choices like that in our career...how about YOU?
Leadership Questions of the Week for YOU:
Given that this time of year opens us up to reflection and goals for the future...have YOU given consideration to adjustments YOU want to make in your current role or what you want to do next?
What do you think of the parable and how do you think it applies to YOU?
What lessons learned and "things to consider" would YOU share with others on how more people around you (and above you) can see more of "the whole elephant" not just the piece in front of them?
Have YOU found yourself in the "trap" of playing your current position SO well that others can't see you doing anything else other than what you currently do? What advice would you give others to mitigate that or can you or should you?
As the saying goes in hockey "skate to where the puck will be...not where it is". How can you anticipate or set yourself up to move your career where the organization is headed and not where it is today...all the while admitting that you have NO idea what those roles may be?
What skills or capabilities have YOU built up in previous roles that you are no longer using today? How can you showcase them or dust them off to be more successful in your current role and company?
Thanks for reading….and remember…YOU make a difference!
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