February 13, 2015

I recently attended a panel discussion at ASAE’s annual meeting about building your own brand as an association professional. One of the panelists was compelling in her description of how she evaluates whether to stay in a current position or take action to make a change. 

Panelist, Barbara Keenan, CEO of the Endocrine Society, referenced “3 A's” that are easy to remember and are applicable at all levels of career development.

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The first A is for Admiration and is a reminder to evaluate how much you enjoy who you are working with on a daily basis. Do I like these people? Do I admire them and am I learning from them? Staying in a position where we are faced with negativity coming directly from the people we are working with on a daily basis is an exercise in frustration and futility. 
 
The second A stands for Aptitude and asks us to focus on the fit of a specific position. Is this role a good match to my skills? Am I able to contribute and make a difference? Even if there are very strong skills in a specific area, if they are redundant or not needed in that specific position it may be time to evaluate a change. 
 
The third A is for Altitude and is my personal favorite because it applies to the entire length of our professional careers. This A is a reminder to ask if we can see beyond success in our current role in order to confirm that success will be supportive to reaching our ultimate goal! I know there have been several times in my own career progression where my choice of industry seemed strange because it did not seem to match a personal passion, however what I learned in each chapter of my career to date was directly relevant to continued success and growth in leadership roles — regardless of industry.

I will remember the "3 A's” because they are universal. Too often, we get caught up in seeking the next formal recognition, or in completing a specific project and we lose sight of these very important measurements. When faced with evaluating a change, whether it is internal or external, I think these reminders are a great way to think clearly about how we can each continue to make positive professional contributions each and every day!   

Do you agree with the 3 A's? Do you believe in something else as you develop your personal brand?