Last Friday, January 17, 2025, Rome Business School students were honored to attend the workshop “Strategizing Your Vertical Growth From Middle to Top Management” a training event led by Diego Chavez Pebe, a Senior HR Global executive and Senior Lecturer and Global Entrepreneur.
With a track record of more than 11 years in global HR transformation, Chavez Pebe has worked with industries in Latin America, Europe, North America and Asia, improving HR functions, strategies and organizational development processes. He is Senior Human Capital Consultant for Deloitte, Founder and Global Product Manager of Growtop, as well as lecturer at prestigious universities such as UPC, USMP, ESAN in Peru and Guest Lecturer for Rome Business School.
In a rapidly evolving job market, the need to stand out and build a solid career path has never been more pressing. The workshop focused on providing participants with practical guidance for preparing their own development plans, identifying career options, and cultivating essential leadership skills. During the workshop, participants were engaged in a dynamic and interactive environment designed to foster self-reflection and actionable planning.
5 Steps to create your career development plan
A well-structured career development plan is essential for progressing in your professional journey.
- The first step, Self-Assessment, involves evaluating your strengths and interests. Reflect on activities you enjoy, your personality traits—what energizes or drains you—and your current skills or specialized knowledge. Understanding these aspects will give you clarity about your career direction.
- Next, in Step 2, you need to identify your strenghts and weaknesses. Consider which skills you need to develop in order to progress within your current company or pursue opportunities elsewhere. Once you’ve identified them, create an Individual Skills-Development Plan, in which you must propose which activities will help you to improve those skills and set the starting date to continue with the further follow-ups.
- In Step 3 and 4, focus on identifying and evaluating your career options, both inside and outside your company. Explore opportunities for advancement, roles that align with your strengths, and potential paths that offer growth and fulfillment.
- Step 5: Set SMART Goals and Take Action. This is where you solidify your direction by setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals. For example, instead of a vague goal like ““Get better at email marketing,” you can set a SMART goal such as “Improve our company’s click-through rate by 10% by August 31st.”. Break your goals into short-term and long-term steps, assign deadlines, and ensure consistent follow-up to keep you on track. By following this process, you will create a clear and actionable roadmap for your career growth.
Leadership skills development
Developing core leadership skills is crucial for guiding teams and achieving organizational objectives, as highlighted by Diego Chavez Pebe during the workshop. Drawing on insights from DDI (2024), he outlined the seven essential skills every leader must master:
- Emotional Intelligence: Builds trust and fosters positive team dynamics by helping leaders manage emotions and understand others.
- Coaching and Developing Others: Empowers team members to grow, boosting engagement, adaptability, and overall performance.
- Compelling Communication: Ensures clarity, trust, and collaboration while aligning teams toward common goals.
- Decision Making: Enables leaders to analyze options, take timely actions, and drive organizational progress.
- Delegation and Empowerment: Distributes responsibilities effectively, promoting team growth, collaboration, and independent problem-solving.
- Execution: Translates strategies into measurable results through efficient resource management and accountability.
- Facilitating Change: Guides teams through transitions, turning uncertainty into opportunities for innovation and growth.
Explore career options (Inside and outside the company)
When exploring career options, there are two primary paths to consider: career options within the company and career options outside the company. For both, having a clear plan is essential, especially for skills development.
Career Options Inside the Company
- Job Positions Available: Identify potential roles and opportunities for growth within your organization.
- Requirements: Understand the qualifications, skills, and experience needed for these roles.
- Get Involved in More Projects: Actively participate in initiatives to expand your expertise and visibility.
- Ask for Feedback: Seek constructive input from managers and peers to improve your performance.
- Make Yourself Visible: Showcase your contributions and accomplishments to decision-makers.
Career Options Outside the Company
- Job Positions: Research roles that align with your skills and career aspirations.
- Requirements: Analyze job descriptions to identify necessary qualifications and skill gaps to address.
- Assess the Market: Study trends in the job market, including industries that are growing or emerging.
- Compensation Trends: Evaluate salary benchmarks to ensure your expectations align with market standards.
- Industries: Explore industries where your skills and experience are in demand, and align your career plan accordingly.
Key Takeaways for Career Growth
In conclusion, during the workshop, Diego Chavez Pebe emphasized several key strategies for advancing in your career. First, he encouraged participants to focus on all of their skills, both technical and soft, as these are crucial for long-term success. He also stressed the importance of knowing your worth and being confident in your value. The workshop highlighted the necessity to build (or rebuild) your network, as strong professional connections are vital for growth. Chavez Pebe reminded attendees not to pursue their career solely for financial reasons—don’t do it just for the money—but rather to align with their passions and values. Another key takeaway was the need to keep developing your technical and soft skills continuously, as they remain essential in an ever-changing market. Lastly, he urged everyone to be adaptable to change, emphasizing that flexibility and openness to new opportunities are key to staying ahead in today’s competitive landscape. By applying these insights, participants are better equipped to strategize their career development and achieve vertical growth in their professional journeys.
If you want to explore more about how our programs can support your career development and provide you with real-world insights, take a look at the Employment Report at Rome Business School. This report highlights the success stories of our graduates and showcases how the skills gained through our programs help them thrive in competitive job markets!
