Moving Up alumnus celebrates success of the programme by securing a promotion

Danielle Grant, Practice Development Coordinator (Communications), Sheffield City Council successfully completed our Moving Up programme for leaders from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. She speaks to us about her experience.

Skills for Care (SfC): What made you decide to complete the Moving Up programme?

Danielle Grant (DG): I participated in the programme from around August to November last year. Funnily, I didn’t actually apply for the programme but because someone else in the organisation who had signed up for programme had left it was a stroke of luck really that I got to sign up, but I knew it would be a good opportunity.

SfC: What did you find most interesting and useful about the programme?

DG: One thing I really liked about the programme was the fact that it involved a lot of engagement. It wasn’t just a case of listening or reading but being actively involved in discussions during the online Zoom sessions. We also had online coffee mornings both as a whole group and in smaller groups which was great for networking. The programme started with some scene setting and reflection and I found the notion of looking back in order to move forward very powerful. It made me realise there have been cases where I’ve potentially held myself back from opportunities due to ‘imposter syndrome’.

A key focus of the programme was thinking about developing ourselves in our careers and we did a task where we analysed how much time we spend in our role just doing our job compared to how much time we spend networking and building our brand. It made me realise how important those elements of networking and personal branding are in moving up.

SfC: And so how have you implemented that into your work since completing the programme?

DG: I’ve really been focusing on my personal brand and selling myself more. I’ve also been working on building closer relationships with key stakeholders and making sure that I’m involved in the places where I need to be to be seen and network.

Marketing a brand or a product or a service that's easy and I have a lot of experience with that, but when marketing yourself, it can be a little bit uncomfortable. So, it’s about stepping outside your comfort zone and just going for it.

From doing the Moving Up programme I noticed that while I’ve always been a confident person, I felt that my confidence had taken a bit of a dip in recent years. and since the programme I feel my confidence has increased again and I think other people have noticed too, for example from how I engage in meetings.

I’ve been attending more face-to-face events to put myself out there, and I’ve been using my social media to shout about my success on the Moving Up programme. I also included a feature in the staff newsletter which is sent to stakeholders in my organisation to let them know about the experience and learnings I’d gained from the programme.
All this is helping to get my name out there and it is reinforcing the message that I’m ready and eager to move up to the next level in my career.

SfC: What else are you doing to support your professional development?

DG: I’m now undertaking coaching which is something that is offered internally within my organisation. I've had four coaching sessions so far and I’m finding it really beneficial. I’m also in the process of signing up to undertake some in-house leadership training to support my development into a new leadership role.

SfC: What would you say to anyone else considering doing the Moving Up programme?

I would say 100% do the course. You will get a lot more out of it than what you think. It’s not boring and it's not just people presenting. It's a great opportunity to network and I've potentially got a project coming out of this as a result of somebody who I've met on the course as well.

Applications are now open for the May 2023 Moving Up cohort. Find out more and apply.

This month we’re #CelebratingSocialCare. Read more inspiring stories and find out how you can get involved.

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