Episode 34
Pursuing big career goals with Martha Soehren
April 2, 2020
As Chief Talent Development Officer at Comcast, Martha Soehren’s career story is filled with fascinating decisions, risks, and not taking no for an answer. In this episode, she shares career advice and inspiration to help you establish and pursue your career dreams.
Pursuing Big Career Goals: Key takeaways from Episode 34
Martha is an incredible case study in mapping out specific career goals and doing what she needed to do to pursue those goals. She reminds us that if you want change in your life, you have to start doing things differently. Sometimes it requires a calculated risk to get the experience you need to take the next step.
When considering your next career move, tap your resources, rely on your mentors, but ultimately keep yourself in the driver’s seat. Don’t let other people make those big decisions for you.
You always have two professional paths to maneuver simultaneously, and your family is an umbrella overarching those two paths. The first has to do with gaining experience and exposure. Gain the experiences you need for the role you aspire to, and make a point to talk to those who’ve gone before you so you can learn from them. The second path is education—both formal pursuit of degrees, and also continuously learning by reading everything in your field.
There is no such thing as work-life balance, but there is such a thing as work-life flexibility. You have to figure out how to make these pieces of your life work together. Don’t opt out of opportunities—look for creative solutions to make them possible. Remote working is a huge resource for making it happen.
Schedule personal appointments on your work calendar, and fit the work engagements around them. Martha talked about having a standing Friday night date with her husband. The same goes for medical appointments and other personal care. Don’t let these personal needs be overridden by your work obligations.
Martha’s dad gave her three pieces of advice to help her build a great career. One, always do what’s right. If you have to question it, it’s probably not right. Two, get the job done. Three, be good to people.
Be bold and courageous in pursuing your career goals. You can’t wait for things to happen to you—you have to make the changes yourself. Think out of the box in order to make things work.
Don’t underestimate the value of volunteer work. In volunteer positions, you frequently have opportunities to take on higher-level tasks than what you will encounter at your day job. These kinds of experiences are immensely valuable to your career.
Bonus content downloads
Since joining Comcast’s team, Martha Soehren has made learning a top priority within the organization. She believes a consistent learning experience for employees directly impacts a company’s customer experience.
Fill out the form below to access articles covering Martha’s talent development strategy.
