Mastering Your Level

As I think about career and leadership development and what is involved in getting to the next level, I wonder how many of us take the time to master the level we are currently on before setting our sights on the next big thing. Where is our energy focused? Is it on getting to the next rung of the corporate ladder or being a master on the rung you find yourself standing? Instead of inspiring to be that great leader you want to become, why not become that great leader you are inspiring to be – thereby, mastering your current level. Are you an assistant, a supervisor or a line manager who is working hard to get recognized for the next promotion? Why not bring that energy into your current position? If you are striving, for example, for a VP role, why not embody that VP position as a director? What types of decisions would a VP make, who would she interact with, how would she dress for work, what would you hear her saying to her direct reports, what other things would she be doing? If take the energy to master your current level, you might find that achieving the next level is easier than you think because you have already learned a lot of the strategies you will need to face the new challenges ahead and, you can help others master the level from which you have already risen.