I was in Starbucks the other day when I heard...

My sister in law (well she would be if she married my husbands brother but who cares – family is family and sisters are sisters) is a brand specialist in Canada. She shared via her FB page that as she was sat working in Starbucks, she overheard the conversation happening at the table beside her. Two young girls in their early 20's were talking about becoming a "specialist" at something.

They were discussing their goals and their future and she was in awe of their maturity and drive and ambition.

I'm also finding that 20 year olds these days are very special. They blow me away actually. What I'm seeing is that they have a fire inside them. A fearlessness. A real self-belief; they’re a new breed. I think we will see them do amazing things in this world.

These two girls were saying that most people want the quick and easy buck or career these days and that it takes about 15 years of doing ONE thing and mastering it before you can call yourself a "specialist".

They were discussing their plans to become specialists and how they will gladly and passionately invest their time, even if it means the next 15 years of their lives. They are proud to have this goal and they have it independent of any corporate appraisal system.

I'm not so sure I was thinking that way when I was in my twenties. Even if they do change their minds, that's still impressive,... to be sitting around sipping tea having that conversation so early on in the game. Makes me smile.

I had been working for 10 years when I felt I was an HR specialist and it was at the 15 to 20yr mark that I felt I was truly an expert. This is not to say that one cannot call oneself a specialist or expert sooner, but I do think that a certain right of passage and degree of credibility is earned after this many years.

As a specialist, your work is second nature. It's in your blood. It's a passion. You know what works and doesn't. You have years of leaning from mistakes and trial and error under your belt. You are driven to improve and be the best you can be.

APPRAISAL ALTERNATIVES

This leads me on to my main point.  How come there is no system or app that can capture those thoughts and plans to become a specialist or whatever the individual goal is and track them. I would love to see my thoughts, goals and various career milestones all together so I can could see the progress and personal growth I had achieved.

At Amelore we are working on something right now that does all that as well as exploits the social media world we all live in. We feel very excited. Watch this space for more information or make contact to find out more.