For a big amount of people is important to continuously level up and progress in their careers. This means taking on new challenges, learning new skills, expanding your knowledge and take new roles. Leveling up can be daunting, but it’s also an exciting opportunity to grow and develop your self.
This framework in a direct or indirect way is what I’ve been using to improve my self.

Is it only significant to you?

This is important not only for you, but also for the company where you work (or the company you run), because the happier you are doing things you enjoy, the greater your impact.
Remember that, companies hires you because of the potential impact you may have in the future.

Reflect

Before we start with this simple framework, it’s important that you honestly think about:

• What person inspires you?
• Who would you like to be?
• What do you like doing in your day to day?
• Do you like the company you are at?
• Do you think there is space for this new role you would like to have in your current company?

Let’s start analyzing:

How do you get there?

In order to move to the next level, we need to surround ourselves with people who fulfill 3 types of roles.
All of them are equally important and sometimes one person can have more than one role. Let’s review one by one.

Mentor

The mentor is currently working in the position you would like to be in.
This person is your role model and will share their experiences with you, which will help you apply them to your situation.
Typically, they have already dealt with the issues you are facing and have gone through almost everything you will face.
It’s critical that you can reach them directly and that you have weekly meetings, so you don’t get lost.

Sponsor

The sponsor is someone who will help you find opportunities to advance.
It is critical to specify what you are looking for and at what “level” you are aiming.
Since they already know you’re looking for a chance to advance, when they find one, they’ll give you the opportunity.

Coach

The coach plays an important role because they will ask you questions to help you reflect on how you are feeling and what do you think about your performance.
They can also assist you in developing a strategy and staying on track.
A coach can be e.g: your manager. It is critical to meet with this person on a weekly basis.

A bit of my personal experience

When I started at one of my previous companies, I was fortunate to work with brilliant people. And it made me realise, among other things, that:

• Be aware of the unknown unknowns (the things we don’t know we don’t know)
• Tips and shortcuts in learning
• The courage to learn skills that you thought were far from or impossible, to have the confidence to develop them
• Learn to have my own criteria and to open my mind.
• Everything “it always depends”

As a backend engineer, I joined a growing company with a lot of projects ahead of us but only a few people.
The engineering team, which was divided into several teams, had a lot of talent. And I was fortunate to be a part of a team full of brilliant individuals (this is a great feeling because every day I learned something new).
As a result of this, I was able to learn and work as:

• Backend engineer
• Lead engineer
• Product owner
• Help and mentor people in other teams
• Assist the company with engineering strategy.

The rapid growth was only possible because of the people I was able to surround myself with, imitate, and learn from, as well as the opportunities they provided.

In short, it made it possible to grow in one (1) year, what would have taken five (5) years in another company.

Summary

It is, in my opinion, a matter of having a clear strategy and objective, observing those around you who you believe are good at what they do, and surrounding yourself with them.
When the latter occurs, you will find mentors and sponsors among those individuals. Always be humble, listen, and communicate your goals.
Don’t forget to always have a coach, because that person will help you to reflect and will assist you in developing a strategy that is appropriate for your situation.

There is nothing in this life that you cannot become or learn.
Learning how to grow is a skill that is similar to learning how to learn, and it takes time and effort to do it.
You can use self-development in any field once you learn how to do it.