Use this Dot Game to help find your next role - it's so simple, it works!
"Hey, what job do you want next?" is a question many of us are asked, yet have a hard time answering. Years ago (and I do mean a lot of years ago!), I was trying to help an employee answer that question, and this silly, yet simple, dot game was born. Here's how it all happened, and I share it with hope that it helps you find your next career step or help someone you are mentoring.
One of my employees, let's just call her Maria, was sitting at a table in my office wondering what role to consider for her next career move. She loved what she was doing, but knew she needed a change. She wanted to get into a people leadership role someday, but thought she might need to do something else first. The company was growing like wildfire, and she was a known, high performer. So, of course, she was often asked, "Hey, what do you want to do next?" When new roles were posted, she didn't know whether or not to apply. She was stuck, and her career was stalling. She asked me for help.
Randomly, I had an org chart printed on my desk and a cup full of markers. After 30 minutes, Maria left my office full of new energy and ideas on potential next roles and lots actionable to dos. She was unstuck! Since that day, I've used this silly dot game - now for over 15 years - with my own career and countless others. Every time the reaction is the same - O.M.G. this is so easy and it helped me think about opportunities I had not thought of before.
Here's how it works:
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3. Your picture might look something like this with some red, green, and yellow dots and some boxes that are blank. Hmmm....
4. Now, here's the fun part. Reflect and ask yourself some questions about what you see:
That's it! Ridiculously simple. 3 colors and an org chart can really help you see what jobs you are interested in, challenge some of the ones you might be ruling out, and also expand your awareness of roles that you might not know about. This world is full of amazing opportunities, and finding them is half the fun! Good luck!
I help Boards, C-Suites, and Innovators use Al to solve business problems | Interpreting business need into AI solution | Creating quick business value w Agentive AI & MVEs | Doctorate in AI 2023 | Gartner & Microsoft
2yGreat advice, Lori Garcia! I shared this with our Splunk #womenintech group. Thanks for sharing!
General Manager, Data & AI, West / Midwest
2yThis is a great approach! Thank you for sharing!
Enterprise Account Executive at Microsoft | Architecture, Engineering, and Construction | Enabling Enterprise organizations to achieve more through AI and cloud innovation through modern and secure technology solutions
2yThis is great Lori Garcia. Thank you for the share.
Portfolio Executive for Resources (Oil and Gas, power and Utilities, Chemicals, and Resources)
2yHey I recognize that tool. An awesome mentor just recently shared it with me and it helped me decide on what I want to do next with my career path. Thank you for sharing.
Corporate and Business Development Manager
2yWow, this is really amazing. Thank you for sharing Lori Garcia !