The career paths of people like Mark Walters unfold based on their deep-seeded beliefs and interests. It’s not just what they believe and how they think that make them unique. It’s what they do and how they do it. Ladderburners develop five discrete skill sets, first to build their awareness and heighten their attention, and then, with intent, they create impact and pursue an endless path toward meaning. Individual skills like communication and persuasion are commonly used and understood, but it’s the combination of how, when, and with whom Ladderburners apply known skills and practices that makes them powerful.
The Ladderburner Skill Set
1. Build a base of competence and credibility.
Building this base is the Learning Lab experience we’ll discuss shortly. Get this one right, and you’re moving forward. Blow by it, and you’re likely to head down the Road to Not Good Enough.
2. Build context.
Context is broader than your job. It is the combination of people, relationships, and activities that surround what you do. Context heightens your awareness of the bigger picture and provides insight into how things work. Don’t get discouraged when people say you’re just getting distracted and need to get back to work.
3. Build relationships.
Building relationships is your job. The tasks you perform are only what you do. This change in priority could turn your to-do list upside down.
Communication skills make you whole. Persuading others and selling your ideas make you influential. Creating impact makes you a force.
5. Create meaning.
This is what you’re pursuing—getting closer to the heart of what is critical and important to you. Creating meaning will transform you, and it will transform those around you.
“Organized Chaos at Its Finest”
Kelly Norton
Senior Director, Enterprise Culture and Communication
Kelly Norton works for a Wisconsin-based cheese manufacturer.1 Like Mark Walters, Kelly exemplifies the Ladderburner mindset and career path: “I never really thought much about where I was going. I just knew it when I got there.” What some would describe as confidence, she describes as a mix of “having no fear, a little crazy and a bit naïve.”
Kelly hasn’t let “proper credentials” stop her from applying and landing positions. That happened early on in her career when she was asked to join a nonprofit organization, was made executive director, and was asked to raise $3.5 million, something she had never done before. “It was an opportunity to learn a lot.” Later, she moved on to fund-raising positions, working as the Director of Development for a k-12 private school system, where she raised $26.5 million. When the position of president for the system opened, she applied. She got it. As she describes it, “This was an opportunity to build it, make it what I wanted. There was no roadmap. Here are the keys. Figure it out.”
Kelly is a bridge builder across people and organizations. She likes a lot going on and rarely says no to trying something new. She describes herself as a “dabbler,” a connector of all types of knowledge and people. This, in part, explains her ability to build relationships and her natural curiosity about people and what’s important to them.
I asked Kelly how she sees her latest transition from education into the business world. The common thread is a sense of mission. She explains that the types of jobs she gravitates to are with mission-related organizations, and her current role in the business sector is no different. “What’s your job?” I asked. Kelly’s reply, “I’ve found out after all these years, it’s about helping people.”
Food for Thought
1. It’s time to Burn.
2. It’s time to Build.
