When you step into any organization on your first day, it feels a little like becoming the new character of a tv show. Everyone else knows the storyline, but you are picking up where the last season left off - with a lot of history and internal culture to be learned. The good news is that you play a vital role in this new season. You are a fresh perspective in a space looking to build a community that fulfills the organization’s mission. It certainly doesn’t come without its challenges.
Entering into a new role, whether you are switching to a new company or you were promoted to an elevated position, is never easy. The learning curve can leave you feeling completely out of depth and overwhelmed. Something I’ve learned in my work, and what I’ve experienced firsthand, is to focus less on what you don’t know and more on what you do know. Let’s focus on what you do well - you were hired because you possessed a particular set of skills (like Liam Neeson), both tangible and transferable. It may be hard to bring these transferable skills into your role when you sit in one function. A very helpful tool that you can use to map all your skills and strengths into one place is an “Expertise Ecosystem”.
An ecosystem is a complex network or interconnected system. Each section makes up a vital part of the whole. Think of the different skills and experiences you have in the same way. Your expertise ecosystem allows you to see all the different parts of your strengths and, most importantly, tie them all together.
First, start with what you do
Quite literally, write down what you do and how you do it. This can be actions like teaching, writing, analyzing, accounting, etc. It can be tied to any of the positions you’ve held in organizations, or skill sets you’ve built over time. In my ecosystem, you can see that I’ve identified:
- Systems & Efficiency
- Intersectional Management Training
- Personal & Professional Coaching
- Life and Personal Wellness
- Equity, Social Justice, Anti-Racism & Oppression
- College & Career Success
- Some honorable mentions are: budget management, curriculum development, and leadership development
Identity your values
Being able to center your values in your work keeps you grounded. When you started your professional journey, I’m sure you were driven by your passions and interest that grew into personal and professional values that you refer back to in your work. Think about how you want to represent those values, and yourself, when you walk into any work environment. You can ask yourself these key questions to get started:
- What keeps me grounded regardless of what I am doing in my professional life?
- What aspects of my personal experience shine through in my work?
- When people work with me, what can they expect to experience?
- What values do I share both personally and professionally?
I asked myself similar questions, and realized that my personal and professional values are Authenticity, Vulnerability, Accountability and Joy.
Move to grouping your skills and experiences into buckets
It is important to drill down your skill sets to a few larger buckets that are easily digestible and easy to communicate. Out of those skills I identified, I create three large buckets of functions: Coaching, Consulting, and Teaching & Facilitating. Those three categories encompass what I am able to offer in my professional life.
Connect your skills
You don’t work in a silo. All of the skills you have can be deployed across different functions, roles, and professional spaces. You can also bring a unique spin on your work by using skills that might not traditionally fit that industry or sector. Most importantly, you are able to show up as your full authentic self, where all parts of you can be celebrated and included. Here are some examples of how I connected my skills:
In my coaching area of expertise, I have personal & professional journey as the most immediate skill connected to that area of expertise. However, I also take the connection further to include intersectional management and systems & efficiency. The latter two skills may not be the most immediate in a coaching capacity, but I can use those in one-on-one coaching sessions to enhance the experience of my client.
I also have connected my values with each of the areas of expertise. This reminds me to keep those in the center of my work, no matter what area of work I’m engaging in.
Using your expertise ecosystem
Now that you’ve created your expertise ecosystem, let's explore a few ways you might be able to use it.
During an interview: This might be the most crucial space to use your expertise ecosystem. Interviews are basically an opportunity to discuss all relevant skills and experiences you will bring to the role. What you brainstorm and create in your expertise ecosystem will allow you to speak to your most relevant experiences for the role you are applying for, as well as bring a fresh perspective to the work. You might be great in a nonprofit space as far as management, but you also have public speaking skills from previous theater experience that would be great for facilitating (a personal plug!).
Building your personal brand: We all see that an online presence is one of the ways to get your name out there. Not only that, but you want to build a full brand around your name that gives people a concrete sense of who you are, what you do, and what you bring to the table. Using an expertise ecosystem can assist with that. Imagine being able to jot down each of your big buckets of focus, connect your skills across your many functions, then create a pitch that shows that you not only have the technical skills but also the more soft, transferable skills as well. I have used my ecosystem when defining what I want my coaching & consulting work to embody, as well as the clients that I am most interested in working with.
Just to remind people (including yourself) how DOPE you are!: It truly is that simple! Sometimes we all need a reminder of the great things we offer. What I love about this exercise is that you can add to it at any time. As you continue to grow, your expertise ecosystem will too.