Senior – Careerist

Update self-assessments
At this stage of your career, it is helpful to understand who you have become through your experiences and where you are now. Determining this will help evaluate the impact of your career so far and identify opportunities for growth. In addition, you should perfect your ability to manage and inspire change and help others achieve their true potential.

Tool:

Consider these assessment tools tailored for Senior Level Professionals:
The Benchmarks Plus Emotional Intelligence Workshop
Change Management Leadership Assessment
Power/Influence Assessment
$Note: fee required for some tools.
Identify your optimum career setting
Once you have completed updating your self-assessments, use the results to identify work environments where you can perform best.
Continue higher-level learning and professional development

Understand senior role’s complexities
Hone political astuteness
Sharpen inclusive leadership skills
Senior leaders who are, themselves, demographically diverse will benefit from sharpening their skills in inclusive leadership. This article from Healthcare Executive provides practical tips on being an inclusive leader.
Shift focus from tactical to strategic
At this point in your career, your professional moves should be at the strategic level. Anton J. Gunn summarizes his focus on strategic career moves.

The ACHE Healthcare Executive Competencies Assessment Tool is offered as an instrument to use in assessing your expertise and determining competency gaps in critical areas of healthcare management.

Establish close connection with select executive search firms
Focus on developing close relationships with a few executive search firms so they are optimally prepared to present you to each potential employer. Check out this study of executive search firms to understand what they are looking for and their approaches to filling senior healthcare management roles.
Mentor and sponsor others
As you have likely experienced already, by helping others in their career, you also boost your own career skills. For example, working with those in younger generations can help your skills stay current and relevant. Make time to sharpen your mentoring and sponsorship skills.

Tool: Mentor Guide
Focus more on motivating others
Your role as a senior leader can often be to motivate others or remove barriers for them so that they can accomplish their organizational and
professional objectives.

Expand your community impact
Evaluate your accomplishments beyond your direct career achievements. Assess and seek opportunities to influence your professional and
social communities. Besides the self-fulfillment you’ll gain, as your support various community efforts, you are also strengthening networks that may benefit you in your next career move.
Distinguish yourself from peers
Find creative ways to differentiate yourself from others at your level, both within and outside your organization. This will help to present
yourself as a well-rounded leader.
Enhance specialized personal brand