How to Use The Skills Brochure
Defining your Climbing Wall Career Path
At LCP, careers don’t have to follow the route of a traditional ladder. We believe your career is more like a climbing wall, full of options, opportunities and directions to explore. There’s no “one size fits all” path to success, and that’s what makes careers here so interesting. Success for everyone looks different. It might mean leading a team, feeling you’re making a difference, becoming a specialist in a niche and in-demand field, working with a great team, or broadening your scope to bring new perspectives. Whatever your aspirations, your career journey is yours to shape – and we’re here to provide you with the support you need to do that.
In today’s fast-changing world, the workplace, our clients and the industries we work in are constantly evolving. Building and expanding your skill set is how you remain ready to adapt and thrive. Stepping outside of your comfort zone may feel daunting at times but is often where the greatest sense of satisfaction and growth lies. By challenging yourself to try new things and embrace opportunities you will develop valuable skills, positioning yourself best to steer your career in the direction you want, whatever your aspirations may be.
How to Use This Brochure
The purpose of this brochure is to inspire and guide you as you think about your own skills and career journey. It provides a high-level overview of the types of skill areas that underpin success across LCP to help you understand what to focus on to move along your chosen path. We’ve also included spotlights on colleagues throughout, to bring different skill sets to life and share real-world examples of how they’ve been applied.
The skills required in a professional services business like ours are wide and varied. There are some skills that most of us will use day-to-day no matter what department we work in. Others, given the nature of services we provide, may be required across a number of LCP departments, and some skills are very specialised and specific to job roles or expertise. To reflect this the brochure is divided into three main areas: Core Skills, Transferable Skills and Expert Skills.
Core Skills
Core Skills are essential for many professional roles, and not just at LCP. They represent the core abilities, behaviours and qualities that often underpin success. Core skills are generalist skills that typically develop and evolve as your career progresses, often overlapping across departments, regardless of your area of specialisation.
Understanding how these skills develop over time can help you identify where you are now, and what opportunities will help you further hone your skills to the next level.
For instance, developing your people management skills may start with working collaboratively and providing feedback. As you progress moving to delegating and client work allocation, before further developing as a line manager or appraiser, providing mentoring and team management.
How People Management Skills Evolve
Transferable Skills
Transferable Skills are versatile skills, specific to LCP’s style of working and the business areas or industries we work in and may be applied across roles or departments. As a consulting firm a good example of transferable skills which evolve with your career are business development skills.
Early in your career, building a good understanding of your own business area and the services LCP provides, and starting to network with other professionals and prospective clients are key starting points.
Over time, this will expand to confidently discussing all areas of the business, sending marketing and business development material to clients and prospects plus providing support on tenders and proposals. As your skills develop, you’ll strengthen client relationships, attend events, and build your own profile through social media. You may also get involved with thought leadership pieces - drafting blogs, articles and reports. At more senior levels you will lead BD efforts, bringing in new clients, leading pitches and crafting new business strategies and ideas.
How Business Development Skills Evolve
Expert Skills
Expert Skills highlight the specialised knowledge required for specific roles or departments. These skills are often gained through external study or “on the job” experience. For example, expert skills might include building subject matter knowledge, understanding industry rules and regulations or staying up to date with key “hot topics” within the industry.
Each department has outlined the key core, transferrable and expert skills that are most important for the roles in their teams at early, mid and senior career levels. We encourage you to explore your own department’s profile, as well as other areas that might be of interest. By comparing and contrasting the skills needed and their evolution you can consider what is most relevant for your own climbing wall journey.
In the expert skills section, you’ll also find points of contact for each department, so if something piques your interest, don’t hesitate to get in touch for a chat to learn more.
Your Career, Your journey
Ultimately, your career is yours to shape. While we often think of our work in terms of job titles or departments, it’s actually our skills that enable us to add value, take on new challenges and build fulfilling careers.
Being able to deliver on your core responsibilities is a vital skill no matter what you role is. By demonstrating consistent excellence in your day-to-day work you are able to reinforce your current strengths and create a strong foundation for growth. By balancing this with opportunities to develop and expand your skills, you can continue to add value while shaping the direction of your career.
In preparing for career development discussions as part of your appraisals and check-ins, we encourage you to consider where your skill strengths are and where you would like to develop and focus your energy in the future. This will help you and your appraiser to set meaningful performance and personal objectives that not only meet the firm’s strategic objectives and enable you to demonstrate your ability to be able to deliver on your core role but also support you with identifying potential work opportunities that help you work towards the next step on your career climbing wall.
Like many things in life, it’s not about waiting for the perfect opportunity - it’s about proactively putting yourself in the best position to seize the opportunities that support your development when they arise. Whether you aspire to lead, specialise, or expand your scope, focusing on your skills will help you carve out a future that’s uniquely yours.
We hope this Skills Brochure inspires you to:
- Explore the skills that exist across LCP and reflect on your own skill set and level
- Say yes to opportunities that challenge you and help you grow your skills
- See your career path as a wall of opportunities
- Learn from colleagues and find inspiration in their journeys
The first step is yours. Where will you climb next?