On a recent work trip to a SHRM conference, members of my leadership team came up with a nick-name for me.
“Tim in Training”
At first, I was a little surprised. I have been in my role for some time and I am an innovator in my organization. I thought they were poking fun at me for all the mistakes I have made along the way. I thought it may be because I’m in my late 20s and still have a baby face. After a brief reflection I realized that this is not a negative at all! I want to continue to be in training for as long as I can be. I strive to be a subject matter expert in my field. When I reach that goal does that mean my training period should end?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!
I am fortunate to work at a company whose leadership doesn’t let my “In Training” status hold me back in my career. I am fortunate that I am able to learn on the job every day. I started my job here in an entry level position. One that had clear SOPs, training manuals and expectations from the start. After mastering those processes, I was expeditiously given a more challenging role. This new role didn’t come with SOPs or a clear process to be successful. It did include mentors like our CEO, President and Director of Operations. They showed me the WHAT and the WHY and allowed me to call on my past experiences to figure out the HOW all on my own.
The advice I would give to anyone in my network, regardless of the place in your career path is simple:
Continue to be a draft version of yourself. Continue in your education, and continue to be humble. Understand that you don’t have to know it all right now. All you have to do is keep moving forward no matter how big or small each step may seem.
Here’s to everyone that is “IN TRAINING”. Keep up the good work!
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