Non-Manager Career Paths

Welcome back!

This week we’ve got workplace romance (not HR-approved), a corporate phrase straight from a SHRM webinar, and a big conversation about what it really means to “opt out” of leadership.

• Intro Story: When Leigh needed Venn diagrams to figure out workplace romance drama.

• Corporate Cringe Speak: A phrase that especially made us cringe (and a Bestie sent it to us after hearing it on a recent Society for Human Resource Management webinar!)

• Hot Topic: Not everyone wants to climb the ladder, and that’s okay. We’re diving into what it means when employees choose not to pursue leadership roles, how career paths can reflect different aspirations and what organizations can do to support those choices - and make leadership more palatable.

• Questions & Comments: We take a question on how younger managers can lead those older to them (including a favorite phrase of Leigh’s that’s especially true here.)

Discussion Questions (for Your Team Meeting or Podcast Listening Club)

• How do we make space for team members who want to grow in their careers without moving into management?

• How can we make management be a career path people want to pursue?

• How can we balance personal relationships with a professional workplace - what are policies we have in place, and how can those reflect reality without favoritism?

ChatGPT Prompts of the Week

Professional:

• How can we design career paths that allow for growth and recognition without requiring people to move into leadership roles?

• Draft a manager talking point to explain to a team why opting out of leadership is a valid - and still valuable - career choice.

Personal(ish):

• If I could make a career of being an expert in something different from my job, what would it be?

See you next week - and may your career path feel like yours, not someone else’s blueprint.

XOXO,
Jamie, Leigh & Ashley

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