You are just like a Share Stock !!

It takes a Sunday to get me off writing about Media or Technology; but I am glad I picked up a topic that is as important to me as it will be to you - YOUR CAREER.

I often get pulled into conversations and opinions about Career advice and a recent change in my own role from Product to Sales, got me motivated me to share my opinion based upon what I realised over the years, so here it goes.

With your career choice & industry not in question, even the level you may be at, there always seems to be a sense of ambiguity & resentment about what one has accomplished & if the path they are on, will unlock their real value or not.

While there is no perfect answer to this, an analogy I shared to guide a friend may put you on a path in the right direction.

I hope its helpful as it is applicable to you, irrespective of whatever stage of your career you may be at or which industry you may belong to, for you to get to the next level.

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THE ANALOGY

Consider yourself to be like a Stock in a Stock Market, with potential employers/investors as the people who are ready to bet and trade on you. These could be your managers / your employers or your investors or a target set of individuals you wish to work with in the future.

Irrespective of the stage you are at in your career, you either are a SMALL CAP individual (Highly volatile to be bet upon), a MID CAP (Dependable but with some risks) or a LARGE CAP /BLUE CHIP stock (Largely Dependable & Stable giving consistent returns) contributing across the organisation.

What determines your Stock status ( SMALL / MID / LARGE) is mainly influenced by 2 variables that drive both perception & opportunities for you that in turn is directly proportional to the $$$ you make; these variables are.

Variable 1 - How important are your skills for the business you work in.

Variable 2 - How much experience you have building/applying or sharpening or demonstrating those skills.

It does not matter how much time you have spent working or the experience you may have, if your 2 variables don’t compliment each other, you will loose out on unlocking your true $$$ potential. These 2 variables greatly influences the kind of stock you are (SMALL / MID / LARGE) and your potential when it comes to people investing on you.

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HOW YOU RELATE TO IT : SIGNS OF WHICH STOCK YOU MAY BE

YOU are a SMALL CAP  If :you have not yet built the core skills your business or industry needs, you probably feel that everyone in the industry gets better paid. Companies may bet on you and switching jobs may give you a good $ boost, but eventually you won’t sustain it as when it gets tough, this lot is the first one to get hit giving rise to disproportionate periods of unemployment unless you reduce your fee.

SMALL CAP shares are are like volleys, they may give you huge returns if luck has it, but largely they are not sustainable and are an extremely risky investment.

YOU are a MID CAP If : you have the core skills your business/ industry needs, but you don’t have enough experience demonstrating success from it. Demonstrating these skills are critical as thats what will really incrementally build & strengthen your experience. Just spending time in a role without growing into it wont take you far enough.

MID CAP shares will have some fundamentals going well for their business and that is why they have scaled in size, but they potentially are not going to change the industry or transform it in any big way, they are generally followers and capitalise in on some niches.

YOU are a LARGE CAP if : you are contributing towards / are able to relate with how you industry should/would shape up, you have reasonable knowledge about your domain and the industry trends that will follow. You also have years of experience behind you where you have been part of winning teams that have come up to the top in the past. You feel comfortable within the industry and wondering about what could be the next big thing!!

As a LARGE CAP, businesses will consider you a safe bet, as industry leaders you will be expected to be well connected and also have a proven record of business performance and delivery. You may be expensive but will keep the ship stable in deep and stormy waters.

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HOW TO UNLOCK YOUR VALUE

If you identify as SMALL CAP

• Learn & build skills and trends that are relevant for your function & industry.
• Talk to your seniors on what you should learn and what sources you can leverage.
• Spend disproportionate time learning the skills & get your hands dirty with the work.
• Sail with stormy companies but with a good manager, don’t look for a comfort zone just yet.
• Find a mentor.

If you identify as MID CAP

• Sustain and grow into the role that you have as you need to demonstrate growth and test yourself out. This, my friend, will boost your confidence too to a great deal.
• Don’t move from your jobs frequently as you wont be able to get deep knowledge of your role.
• Look up on whats shaping the industry and what skills are in demand; skill up.
• Build an industry network for yourself.
• Leverage cross functional leadership opportunities to get different perspectives.

If You Identify as a LARGE CAP

• Choose your ship wisely, as this may be the one you will sail home with.
• Build a strong industry network and actively participate within it.
• Set up tests and build best practices based on your experiences for others to follow.
• Voice out your opinions and defend them in an unbiased manner. Modify & adapt where necessary.
• Strive for excellence, you are the best at what you do, you are the gold standard.
• Grow your team, not just in size, but capability too. This elevates you further.
• Consciously balance between Mental health, Physical health & Personal Space on one side -  Work & Stress on the other. The heavy lifting you do requires this.
• Stay humble, nobody likes an arrogant industry leader; be easy to work with.

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CONCLUSION

In summary change is going to be the only constant. Consistent learning, your ability to adapt and communicating clearly will be your constant drivers to success. Pivot from a SMALL to a LARGE Cap, be on the journey, the $$$ will follow.

Hope this read was worth your time. May you be the BEST stock in any market you participate in !!!