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No one is coming to help you. It’s harsh. But true. No one cares as much about your personal and career growth as you do, so you need to take ownership of it.
For new managers, leaders, feeling stuck and underprepared, this is the most important lesson you will ever learn. And I want you to learn it here before having to learn it the hard way.
I’ve devoted my life to upskilling leaders who want to grow. I’ve heard countless stories of people waiting for their company to invest in them, feeling frustrated, or just plain miserable in their roles.
The people I see who break through are the ones who stop waiting and take control.
I want to share three truths and the stories behind them to show you what taking ownership really looks like.
Your leader wants you to perform well. But they might not always know how to support your growth.
That is on you to figure out.
About nine months ago, a mentee of mine came to me with a common problem. She had just been promoted to her first management position and was super excited. She told me she was promised training and coaching and felt she would be super supported in her new role.
But a few months later, she was frustrated. She was still waiting on that coaching and hadn’t received any classes. She admitted she was struggling and didn’t feel supported.
We sat down and designed a proactive learning plan just for her. We identified five specific classes at Learnit that would help her become a better manager:
She presented the plan to her leader and she got her yes. Not only did she get to take those classes, but they also hired a coach for her. In just a couple of months, she came back to me, telling me that creating her own plan had been a game-changer. She felt more confident, and her team was happier.
What did she do?
She went to her busy manager with a solution, not just a problem.
Now, here’s a critical point: Even if her leader had said no, she still had to take ownership of her growth. That means investing in your own classes, buying books, and finding a mentor. If you sit back and wait for it to happen, you’ll miss out. Your leadership team cares that you perform in your role, and you can't wait for someone else to build your learning plan for you.
It’s on you. Always.
Your leader cares about you, but they also care about business outcomes. Make it as easy for them to say yes to an investment in your growth.
This means going to bat for yourself and making a business case for your growth.
I recently worked with a sales leader who was frustrated because his Sales Development Representative team wasn’t setting very many meetings, which meant their pipeline was low, and the team was struggling.
He was concerned he might lose his job over it.
I asked him if he had talked to his leader about it. He said he had, but only in passing.
I asked him a blue-sky question: "If you could wave a magic wand, what would you do?"
He said he'd love to send his team to a few key industry conferences. He had a whole game plan for how they would target existing clients and prospects and set meetings ahead of time. He just hadn't done anything about it.
So, we put together a simple business case.
He created a concise plan that he could explain to his boss in 15 minutes.
His leader was blown away. He immediately approved the budget.
They went to the first conference and they booked nine new discovery calls— that’s more than the current SDR workflow would get in almost two months.
The conversation on the ROI drove this success.
Your leaders want you and your team to be successful, but they may not have the time or a plan to make it happen. You have to help them help you.
This last story is about something even more personal: happiness.
If you find yourself unhappy in a current role, say something and do something about it.
I had a student who was an incredibly talented individual contributor. He was a high performer, one of those people who consistently over-delivered and everyone loved.
He was so good that he’d earned a promotion into a leadership position. Then about two years later, he came to me and said he was absolutely miserable.
He wasn’t thriving in his new role, and he felt a lot of pressure. He knew what he loved to do, which was to sell and connect with people. He wanted to get back to that but was afraid to talk to his CEO. His plan was to just quit the company to find a new role.
I challenged him to bring this up with his CEO. I knew that the CEO would rather have a high performer on the team, happy and doing what they do best, than lose them entirely.
He had that conversation, and guess what? The CEO was grateful he spoke up. He agreed that the guy was a phenomenal individual contributor and moved him back to a sales role.
What a relief.
You have to take ownership of your job satisfaction. Don't be afraid to change direction to find a role you’re truly passionate about. Staying silent and miserable is not an option.
No one is coming to save you. You have to take ownership of your career, your team's success, and your own happiness.
So, let me ask you:
If you answered yes to any of the above, the solution is to take action today.
Your potential is too valuable to not take action.
After you act, please reach out to me on LinkedIn and let me know how it went. And if you’ve also taken on some of my other leadership challenges like trying out the five simple leadership habits, or picking one person on your team and telling them what potential you see in them, I’d love to hear how those actions are shaping your growth and your team. Let’s keep the conversation going.
I believe in you. You got this.
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