Feeling Stuck?

Let's say you're sitting in your office late one evening, reviewing development plans for your team members. You've masterfully crafted growth trajectories for each person, identified stretch assignments, and mapped out their next career moves. Suddenly, your reflection on the computer screen catches your eye, and a haunting question emerges: In your relentless pursuit of developing others, have you become the architect of everyone's career but your own? How many opportunities have slipped through your fingers while you were busy building others' dreams?

For talent development leaders, that moment cuts deep. We stand at the helm of organizational growth, wielding tools and strategies to transform careers. We're experts at spotting untapped potential, yet somehow, we've created a professional disconnect in ourselves. The very skills we use to catapult others to success have become the chains keeping us tethered to our comfort zone, masking our own career stagnation behind the achievements of individuals we develop.

When we dare to ask ourselves the same probing questions we use to grow others' careers, we unlock a profound level of professional authenticity. Career catalyst questions serve as mirrors, reflecting our most profound professional truths, aspirations, and fears with unflinching clarity.

The value proposition paradox

It's easy to lose sight of your unique value proposition. Understanding your distinct contribution entails more than listing skills or achievements. You also must recognize how your particular blend of experiences, insights, and capabilities creates unprecedented value for your organization. Such self-awareness becomes the foundation for authentic leadership and strategic career growth.

Every career tells a story. But, too often, we let circumstances write our narrative instead of intentionally crafting it. Consider the TD professional who accepts every instructional design project—because that's what they're known for—while watching strategic leadership opportunities pass by. Or the facilitator who stays in the classroom because it's comfortable, even as their company shifts toward digital transformation and artificial-intelligence-enabled learning.

Those are stories written by circumstance rather than choice. What story is your career telling? Are you the author of your narrative, or are you letting your expertise become the entire plot?

The hidden cost of professional tunneling

Dierdre had always been the go-to person for instructional design. For 15 years, she crafted learning experiences that turned complex technical concepts into engaging modules. Her expertise was undeniable—she could recite adult learning principles in her sleep and design a scenario-based learning experience faster than anyone in the department.

But as Dierdre sat in yet another leadership meeting, watching discussions about AI integration, performance consulting, and strategic workforce planning swirl around her, a familiar knot formed in her stomach. While her colleagues debated talent analytics and organization development strategies, she only spoke when the conversation turned to course design. Dierdre's expertise, once her greatest asset, had become a comfortable corner she couldn't seem to leave.

New opportunities were emerging across the TD landscape. Dierdre's peers were stepping into roles that bridged multiple disciplines, combining learning design with performance consulting and merging leadership development with change management. But Dierdre's deep, narrow focus had unknowingly created walls around her career. Her reputation as a learning design expert had become both a badge of honor and a career ceiling.

Dierdre's story represents countless TD practitioners who find themselves stalled not by lack of expertise but by its narrow focus. It's a familiar tale where mastery of one domain inadvertently limits our ability to grow beyond it. Are we creating ceilings in our career or springboards to grow?

Signs of career stagnation

Five questions can help you diagnose stagnation and illuminate your path forward.

When was the last time you intentionally stepped outside your core expertise to lead a strategic initiative? Your answer reveals whether you're using your expertise as a foundation for growth or a fallback for comfort.

How has your role evolved in response to emerging industry trends such as AI, analytics, and performance consulting? If your role hasn't substantially changed in the past two years, you may be anchored in outdated practices while the profession evolves around you.

Do organizational leaders seek your perspective on talent strategy, or do they only engage you for tactical execution? The answer informs whether leaders view you as a strategic advisor or a technical expert who implements others' visions.

In what ways have you integrated multiple TD disciplines into your work in the past six months? Your response indicates whether you're expanding your professional repertoire or becoming increasingly specialized in a narrowing field.

How often do you defend traditional approaches rather than champion innovation in L&D? Your answer reveals whether you're positioning yourself as a change agent or becoming resistant to necessary evolution in the industry.

A career framework for TD staff

The beginning of Dierdre's journey was not to abandon her expertise but to use it as a foundation rather than a fortress. Instead of diving into learning new skills or chasing the next certification, she began with the courage to ask herself the same catalytic questions she used to improve others' careers. She picked up her notebook and wrote a single question: What do I want next, and why don't I have it now?

The journey from stalled to stellar transforms TD practitioners from technical experts into strategic visionaries. Each revolution brings new perspectives, deeper insights, and broader impact.

The TD Career Catalyst Framework emerged from a convergence of my research into leading with possibilities as well as conversations I had with hundreds of TD professionals during a recent industry conference. Adapted from my book, Leadership Self-Transformation: 52 Career-Defining Questions Every High-Achieving Woman Must Answer, the framework addresses a critical challenge: brilliant TD practitioners, regardless of gender, who cultivated deep expertise yet felt stuck in their careers. They grappled with staying relevant, the advent of AI-driven L&D, avoiding career stagnation, and breaking free from the limitations of being just a subject matter expert.

The TD Career Catalyst Framework empowers industry professionals to remember that you can craft a career that fulfills your highest potential. Your growth extends beyond organizational needs—it's your journey of professional evolution.

The framework operates as a transformational engine, driven by intentional self-reflection and strategic action. At its core, the approach recognizes that career growth isn't about accumulating more expertise—it's about expanding your perspective, influence, and impact. Through eight interconnected phases (see figure), each of which I've built upon focused catalyst questions, the framework guides TD practitioners through a journey of professional metamorphosis.

Think of the phases as a spiral shape; start at the top and work down and then back to the top. Each revolution builds upon familiar ground from an elevated perspective. Each cycle through the framework deepens your understanding, refines your questions, and elevates your impact. What begins as a journey from stalled to stellar becomes an ongoing process of professional reinvention.

Catalyst questions

The power of the framework lies in its catalyst questions—carefully crafted inquiries that prompt deep reflection and bold action. The questions aren't mere checkboxes to tick; they're keys that unlock new perspectives and possibilities. They challenge you to think beyond your current role, comfort zone, and traditional career trajectories.

Engaging with the framework will advance your career, moving from being an expert in a single domain to becoming an architect of comprehensive TD strategies, capable of driving organizational change at the highest levels.

Like Dierdre, your journey begins with a single question: What do you want next, and why don't you have it now? That question helps you understand what truly drives you and what's been holding you back.

Phase 1. Awakening: Recognizing the need for change. Key question: When you envision your most impact-making professional future, what possibilities excite you?

That question ignites your journey, pushing you to explore your deepest aspirations and untapped potential. Identify the gap between where you are and where you could be. Let the question energize you—your answer reveals what truly inspires you and what remarkable future awaits.

Reflection exercise: Take five minutes to write down three possibilities that make you feel alive professionally.

Phase 2. Self-assessment: Discovering your professional truth. Key question: What are the moments in your career when your unique talents created extraordinary impact?

The question will guide you in uncovering the patterns of your excellence. Take stock of your current reality with unflinching honesty. Examine how often your unique combination of experiences and insights revamped situations and created unprecedented value.

Reflection exercise: Create a map of your peak moments—when have you felt most energized and created your most significant impact?

Phase 3. Vision crafting: Shaping your professional future. Key question: When you imagine yourself at your most influential and energized, what are you doing to revolutionize TD?

Move past current constraints to envision your highest potential impact. Beyond your title or role, imagine how you could reshape the profession's future.

Reflection exercise: Write your future professional biography highlighting your effect on TD.

Phase 4. Gap analysis: Bridging current and future states. Key question: What new capabilities would amplify your natural talents and expand your impact?

The question invites you to build upon your strengths, focusing on the capabilities that will magnify your unique contributions.

Reflection exercise: Create two columns and then list your envisioned future impact in one and your current strengths in the other. Where are the exciting growth opportunities?

Phase 5. Strategy development: Creating your growth road map. Key question: Who needs to experience your unique gifts, and how can you best share them?

The question helps you build bridges between your current reality and future aspirations. Focus on what you need to learn and who would benefit most from your capabilities.

Reflection exercise: Map out your sphere of influence and identify three key relationships where your unique gifts could create the most value.

Phase 6. Action implementation: Stepping beyond comfort. Key question: What bold moves would align with your highest vision of yourself?

This phase moves you from planning to inspired action. Identify the courageous steps that align with your vision, purpose, and commitment to your next steps.

Reflection exercise: List three bold moves that excite and frighten you. What's the first step for each?

Phase 7. Reflection and refinement: Adapting your journey. Key question: What inspiring story are you creating through your career choices?

Examine your progress and celebrate what you've learned. Your career narrative should inspire both yourself and others.

Reflection exercise: Journal about your key career decisions. What inspiring patterns emerge? What new chapters are you ready to write?

Phase 8. Continuous growth loop: Evolving your impact. Key question: How will your transformation motivate others to reach for their highest potential?

Convert your personal growth into organizational impact. Your journey becomes a beacon for others, creating a powerful development cycle.

Reflection exercise: Document three ways your growth journey could light the path for others' development.

Staying stellar

Dierdre's first passage through the framework focused on moving from technical expert to strategic leader. The next one challenged her to leverage her strategic position to influence organizational direction and industry trends. Such continuous evolution ensures that stellar wasn't her final destination—she used the framework as a launchpad for ever-expanding impact and influence.

Two years later, Dierdre's evolution had rippled beyond her own career. While maintaining her instructional design foundation, she now leads a cross-functional team integrating AI into learning experiences. Her deep expertise, once a limitation, became the springboard for innovative solutions that bridged multiple disciplines. Her journey from specialist to strategic leader became a case study in using expertise as a foundation for broader impact.

As you complete your journey through the eight phases, one crucial task remains: Declaring who you are becoming. While questions illuminate the path and reflection deepens understanding, your "I Am" statements cement your evolution.

"I Am" statements are declarations of your professional power that bridge your current expertise with your expanding impact. The most profound step in moving from stalled to stellar lies in reclaiming your identity as a transformative leader. Your "I Am" statements serve as both anchor and catalyst, grounding you in your strengths while propelling you toward your highest potential. They turn abstract possibilities into concrete reality, creating a foundation for deeper introspection and bolder action.

Complete the self-reflection exercise by writing five "I Am" statements that capture your professional power and potential. Let each statement resonate with your most profound truth.

Here are five statements to inspire your reflection:

• I am a catalyst for transformation.

• I am a visionary leader.

• I am an innovative force.

• I am a trusted advisor.

• I am fearless in the pursuit of growth.

Now, dare to ask: What's your possible? There's a profound difference between asking "What's possible?" and "What's your possible?" The first is a generic exploration of opportunities; the second is a deeply personal challenge to envision and embrace your highest potential.

Your possible isn't limited by your current expertise, role, or circumstances. Rather, it's defined by your willingness to change from a creator of others' possibilities into an architect of your own. When you intentionally develop yourself, you demonstrate what's possible to every professional watching your journey. Your struggles become teaching moments, your successes create new pathways, and your transformations show others how to navigate their own evolution.

Your career journey serves as a living case study in professional development. Each step you take blazes a trail for others to follow, converting personal victories into organizational wisdom. Your questions become their catalysts, your strategies their blueprints, and your courage to move beyond expertise gives others permission to dream bigger.