Stepping Back Can Help You Step Forward

I was in Kuala Lumpur over the weekend and a friend who is a graphic designer there told me about another designer who recently went to New York for an 8-month internship. The odd thing about it was that, rather than being a student, this particular designer had been working for an advertising firm for a while, and in fact has three awards to his credit. Going to New York for a job would make sense, but why go all that way for an internship?

The answer, of course, is for the experience and education, just like any other intern. There is a common perception of an internship as being just for pre-entry level people, but that does not have to be the case. This particular designer is going to get new experiences in a new city, experiences that he has not had in Malaysia and might not be able to get outside of a place like New York. That’s the same sort of thing any intern is going for: new experiences from which to learn and advance.

The big question is, “Will he be treated like all other interns?” That is, will he be sent out to get coffee and to make copies while the “real” designers do their work and he just absorbs lessons subliminally? If the firm is smart, the answer to that is “No.” They have in this intern someone who has experience and obvious talent, and they can get some good work out of him while also teaching him something and letting him see what opportunities exist. And if they are really smart, and he’s really good, they will use this internship as an audition and consider offering him a job if he works out.

As your employees look for development opportunities, consider that professional development does not always have to follow a particular path. An opportunity that looks like a step backwards on a traditional career path or might not be part of a traditional development structure may in fact be the best thing. Look at the result you are trying to achieve with professional development at this stage in an employee’s career and realize the best way to achieve that result might not be the method that is most immediately obvious. Identify what might be possible through different opportunities and be open to doing something a little different if it will make your employees better in the end.

I’m not saying a CEO should go out and be an intern somewhere…but I’m not saying they shouldn’t, either.