In the coming weeks, I will be posting a series of job search tips that I developed for a speech I gave recently at a local church. Your feedback on how these can be improved would be greatly appreciated -- as I may be asked to give this talk again in the future.
#6: Develop a Teachable Point of View in Your Area of Specialization. Being good at your work is one thing. Giving your colleagues the best “how” and “why” to make use of your work is another. Motivation and education go hand-in-hand.
If you don’t appreciate how important this is, simply ask your mentor to describe the best boss they ever had. Chances are your mentor will say something like “I learned more from so-and-so than anyone …”
Then ask yourself the question I ask every candidate: “What if tomorrow you were forced to make a living as a professional business trainer? In what field would you specialize – and why? Be specific. [Wait for complete response before asking]: How would that expertise help you succeed in the job for which you are currently applying?”
~70% of the time, there is a disconnect between what the candidate knows well enough to train and its relationship to the job for which they are applying. For supervisory positions especially, this is a serious problem.
If you want to get ahead in your career, you must learn to lead. And that means learning to teach those people who report to you. This is just a natural part of building bench strength. For more information on developing a teachable point of view, click here.
