Getting Started

Last year all our company's First-Level leaders were required to attend the First Level Leadership Training course.   First Level Leaders are Specialist 2 (Individual Contributor 3) and Supervisors.  All of you will be working toward becoming First Level leaders. 

Attached you will find a .pdf document with the information that was covered in the above mentioned class for First Level Leaders.  <this message was formerly an inter-office email sent out and the referenced documents are considered company confidential and cannot be shared on my blog>  This and other related material can also be found on our employee portal site.  Eventually we will need to see about getting you all or a subset of you in to the formal training when it is offered.  We’ll worry about this next year.  For now, I’d like you all to become familiar with the material and the Leadership Development section of employee portal. 

While this is not required reading for you I’d highly encourage you to read it at your leisure.  It is expected that Front Line leaders know this information and act in accordance with it.  We’ll talk more about this when we meet.  For now I’d just like to make sure you are aware that there are some formal company leadership requirements that you all can knock out early.

As a reminder and a theme of what we’re doing here, you have to be ready when the opportunity presents itself.  We’re going to take the best candidate for the role and if that’s not you or you weren't ready, it may be some time before another opportunity comes about.  When that next opportunity comes there may be even more qualified people to compete with or even more requirements the position is looking for.  You have to be ready when the time comes!  Our goal with this unsanctioned program is to make sure that when an opportunity presents itself you all are:  

1. Ready for the role 

2. The best candidate for the role 

3.  You hit the ground running in the new role

I can NOT stress this enough, you have to be ready when an opportunity presents itself! 

Lastly, if you have not done so, please make sure you have done your IDP (Individual Development Plan.)  You should also make sure the career aspirations section says Supervisor if that is your next step!  Your IDP should also include some things you’re going to do to get you there.  People do look at these but more importantly, by writing down your aspirations, plans, strengths, and weaknesses you are committing to yourself (even if it’s brief) that you are doing this.   It also makes a strong statement to your leader and your leader’s leaders. 

This is your future!  -don