Choose Your Own Adventure books where hugely popular with the children of my generation. I couldn’t wait to get to the school library to check out the next book in the series! Readers were able to alter the outcome of the main character by making decisions throughout the book. Oddly, these books are much like life. Every day, we are making decisions and choosing paths to head towards in hopes of increasing our value, improving our relationships, and having an enjoyable life. In order to grow in our professional worlds, we need to be intentional in our decision making.
In Culture Shift: Being a Change Agent I point out that we have the opportunity to drive change in our organizations; helping to push our companies into the next level of success. In some companies, this is easier said than done. Younger organizations are typically more agile and readily accepting new technologies, but larger, older organizations are hard to persuade that change is needed. In both of these organizational types, there is huge room for your own personal growth and development. Part of being a change agent is learning to leverage your role as a Salesforce Administrator to help move the organization forward while at the same time increasing your value to your company.
Expanding your role in the organization isn’t easy, but here are the basic steps to get you started.
- Identify the Need
The first step is to identify the need. What areas of the organization do you touch which could use improving? Identify the areas that have a lack of knowledge or resources which has a direct affect on the business. It should be an area that you can jump into quickly with minimal effort on your part; something that isn’t too far outside the scope of your current position. Here is an example. In my organization, we do not have a Sales Operations function to intercede between the business and sales, so this is where I am focusing my efforts this year. This is is a natural place for a Salesforce Administrator because you are already providing some of these services such as training and reporting. But if an official function doesn’t exist, why not take up the challenge and become the Sales Operations guru for your company? - Fill the Gap
Now that the need has been identified, it is time to get to work! Begin reading and learning about the new role you are building for yourself. Take intentional steps to make inroads with management in order to gain support. If you have a group of users or other people on your team, get them on-board and work together to solve the problem or fill the need. In my Sales Operations example, I have taken time to speak one-on-one with reps. I will be shadowing some reps on their sales calls to understand how they work and what is required of them. It is important that I understand what inefficiencies sales reps are experiencing and try to eliminate or reduce those inefficiencies. - Never Stop
Expanding your role doesn’t happen overnight. You will need to work constantly at it. You may be met with resistance or reluctance, but being persistent and having determination is what helped The Little Engine that Could get to the top of the hill! Over time, you will find that your persistence pays off and not only will you be helping the company become the best it can be, but you will become a hero in your company!
Don’t be afraid to make a name for yourself. Be intentional with your career growth! Take the necessary steps to push yourself and make success happen for you!
Sound off! Have you been expanding your role and taking intentional steps in your career growth? I would love to hear your experience! Leave a comment below!
Related posts in this series:
Becoming a Well Rounded Admin: Part 1 – Volunteering
Becoming a Well Rounded Admin: Part 2 – Certification
Admin Hero 