Due to current economic and employment uncertainty, many professionals are choosing stability over change. In fact, a recent Monster study found that 75% of respondents plan to stay in their current role for at least two more years. While caution may drive that decision, we believe it can also present an opportunity to strengthen your skills, expand your leadership capacity and position yourself for promotion within your current organization.
Instead of simply waiting for the market to improve, consider using this period to focus on your own development. Start by assessing your leadership strengths and areas for growth, then create an intentional action plan for improvement. And if you’d like support along the way, Darden’s Alumni Career Services Executive Coaching can help you clarify goals, build accountability and position yourself for advancement when the next opportunity arises.
Using a Leadership Self-Assessment Tool to Prepare for Your Next Role
There are many ways for professionals to assess their leadership strengths and development needs. First, check whether your organization offers its own leadership assessments or development programs. If not, numerous online self-assessment tools are available. Here, we review one example — the Promotability Index®, developed by executive coach and leadership consultant Amii Barnard-Bahn. This type of self-assessment can serve as one helpful framework for reflecting on where you are today, identifying potential growth and considering next steps in your development.
The assessment measures five key elements of promotability — self-awareness, external awareness, strategic thinking, executive presence and thought leadership — and identifies your current stage of career development. After tallying your results, the tool’s creator suggests choosing two or three specific leadership qualities to work on over several months, which some users may find helpful as they build a development plan.
If you choose to explore the assessment, you might reflect on how these dimensions show up in your daily work and where you’d like to continue developing to increase your visibility and promotion readiness. For those wanting additional structure, the optional PI Guidebook offers exercises and reflection prompts designed to make the process more concrete.
Partnering with an Alumni Career Services Executive Coach to Accelerate Your Growth
While self-assessments may provide valuable insights, accountability and support can help accelerate growth. Now may be an ideal time to work with an ACS executive coach. Our executive coaching is not reserved for C-suite leaders; rather, it is for alumni at any career stage experiencing real-time work challenges and/or focusing on career advancement.
Our coaches understand that the client is the expert when it comes to their organization’s culture and inner workings. Therefore, the coach’s role is to ask the right questions and to provide perspective, helping you to think more strategically about your leadership goals and your action plan to achieve them. Our clients find that regular coaching sessions provide accountability and structure and help maintain momentum for career growth.
An uncertain job market doesn’t need to be unsettling. If you are committed to staying with your current employer for the foreseeable future, this could be the perfect time to explore opportunities for promotion and growth. Start with a reputable leadership self-assessment tool to develop an action plan and then work with one of our executive coaches to help move you towards achieving your goals.
Alumni Career Services is here to support you at any stage of your career. If you’d like to learn more about our complimentary career and executive coaching, please email us at AlumniCareerServices@darden.virginia.edu.
