{"id":3499,"date":"2020-07-30T03:24:08","date_gmt":"2020-07-30T01:24:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.prasadgupte.com\/blog\/?p=3499"},"modified":"2021-10-24T18:32:35","modified_gmt":"2021-10-24T16:32:35","slug":"your-career-growth-story-in-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prasadgupte.com\/blog\/your-career-growth-story-in-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Will your career growth survive COVID-19? 5 prompts to set personal goals today!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I hope you are safe and doing well through the ongoing health and humanitarian crises. The Coronavirus pandemic caught us by surprise, and has left us between repealed norms and an uncertain future. The end isn\u2019t imminent but we\u2019re optimistic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you work on the front lines or in an essential category serving this pandemic, my sincere appreciation. Thanks & God bless you. \ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\udffb<\/em> <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

If not, you probably have a story for your career-from-home in 2020. And that\u2019s going to be my favorite conversation starter for learning, coaching, networking, interviewing and small-talk in 2021. How did you prevent your personal development from stalling? If you don’t an answer ready, this post might give you some ideas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In May, Janus<\/a> offered me to host a session at his Product Management peer group<\/a>. I took the opportunity to dive into this question with fellow Product leaders and get inspired by their stories from these troubled times. I want to share the leading questions I used (#5 added later) to help frame that story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prompts to set personal development goals \ud83e\udd14<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
  1. What is the 1 thing you had\/knew pre-COVID<\/strong>, but didn’t use it much, and are now using\/applying it more than before.<\/li>
  2. What Skill(s) or Technique(s) you learned pre-COVID<\/strong> are you applying right now?<\/li>
  3. What book kept you inspired<\/strong> during COVID?<\/li>
  4. What’s a Skill or Technique you want to sharpen<\/strong> in 2020?<\/li>
  5. How did you give back to the community<\/strong> during these times?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

    I was delighted to hear that this formula was used in several group meetings to exchange ideas and opportunities – some adding their own questions on top. You might also use these for an internal workshop. Either way, I\u2019m also happy to share my answers here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Honest stories are powerful \u2764\ufe0f<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Before diving in to my answers, let’s acknowledge that not all stories are a straight forward quest. There\u2019s one part where life threw lemons<\/em>: ranging from looking after kids to feeling isolated, and taking a pay cut, to losing your job. And there\u2019s another where you made lemonade<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Remember that any recipe for lemonade is incomplete with the lemons. \ud83c\udf4b So don’t hesitate to tell that as part of your story, even if that means showing vulnerability. \ud83d\udcaa\ud83c\udffc<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    Here’s what makes my story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. I’m using a bluetooth earpiece, from 10 years back<\/strong>, more than ever now. The majority of my work involves collaboration, and this $20 unit surprises me at how easy it makes those calls, with a single daily recharge.
      <\/li>
    2. I’m applying Product Discovery, OKRs and Leadership<\/strong>. Last year, we re-org\u2019d into 3 tribes, I trained to be an OKR trainer and I had the great pleasure of attending the INSPIRED<\/a> workshop<\/a> with Marty Cagan. This year was focus on applying those 3 in tandem to drive impact and engagement in our “Impressions” tribe.
      <\/li>
    3. \"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>I read a few books, but was most inspired by The Team that managed itself<\/a> by Christina Wodtke. I\u2019m not into fiction, but I couldn\u2019t ignore Petra Wille\u2019s<\/a> advice – a coach I greatly admire for her product & leadership skills. And fiction couldn\u2019t be used any better to bring real-life product and cross-functional leadership challenges to life and explain key concepts. I highly recommend it anyone aspiring or doing a GM-type role in Tech.
      <\/li>
    4. I want to get better at human-centered design<\/strong>. Coming from an engineering background, I want to get better at gathering insights to design innovate, human-centric solutions. Having collaborated with Ideo in the past, their creative approach to innovation and advice from my dear colleague John Quintana inspired me to learn with the Ideo academy<\/a>.
      <\/li>
    5. Keen to give back, I joined the Mentoring Club<\/a> to offer a free, weekly coaching sessions<\/a> to product practitioners, aspirants or anyone who might benefit from what I know, learned or experienced.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      \n

      Prasad Gupte on X (formerly Twitter): “Several behaviours that consumers found unconventional, unnecessary or uncomfortable before #COVID19, are going to have their status upgraded. unlocks an uncharted opportunity pool that never made it through desirability checks in the past. https:\/\/t.co\/oGU4d927lN \/ X”<\/a><\/h4>

      Several behaviours that consumers found unconventional, unnecessary or uncomfortable before #COVID19, are going to have their status upgraded. unlocks an uncharted opportunity pool that never made it through desirability checks in the past. https:\/\/t.co\/oGU4d927lN<\/p><\/blockquote>