Unlocking RevOps Career Growth with a Simple Color-Coding Exercise
On the latest episode of the Operations podcast, we explore a powerful exercise that can significantly enhance your RevOps team's career growth and overall effectiveness.
The Problem: Pigeonholed Operators
In one of our earliest episodes, Sylvia Kainz shared a crucial insight about operators: they thrive on variety and learning across the organization. However, it's common for operators to get pigeonholed into specific functions or tied to particular internal customers. This specialization can stifle their growth and limit their impact.
The Solution: A Color-Coding Exercise
To combat this, we've developed a simple yet transformative color-coding exercise. This tool not only fosters individual growth but also ensures your team is aligned with organizational needs. Here's how it works.
Step-by-Step Guide to the Color-Coding Exercise
List RevOps Focus Areas: Start with a comprehensive list of focus areas within RevOps.
Metrics, Reporting, Insights & Analytics
Tech Stack Infrastructure
Compensation & Incentives
Capacity Planning
Territory/Book of Business Planning
Training & Enablement
GTM Execution, Team Management & Cadences
Communication Strategies & Structures
Organizational Structures & Hiring Practices
Color-Coding Preferences: Each team member will use the following color codes to mark their preferences, skills, and learning desires:
Green: I like doing this type of work, and I think I’m good at it.
Orange: I do not like doing this type of work, but I think I’m good at it.
Blue: I like doing this type of work, and I want to get more exposure/learn more/get better at it.
Red: I don’t like this type of work, and I don’t have any interest in it.
Yellow: I don’t know if I like this type of work; I want to learn more.
This exercise creates a clear picture of each team member’s strengths, preferences, and areas for potential growth.
Benefits of the Color-Coding Exercise
For Individuals
Self-Reflection: It prompts meaningful conversations about career growth and preferences.
Career Planning: Helps individuals map out their career paths and identify growth opportunities.
For Managers and Companies
Team Development: Provides insights into team strengths and blind spots, guiding staffing and training decisions.
Project Alignment: Helps align personal development with organizational goals by identifying relevant projects for each person.
Hiring Strategy: Reveals gaps in skills and expertise, informing hiring decisions.
Real-World Application
At Drift, my colleague Laura Adint and I implemented this exercise with our Operations team. We asked our teams to refresh their lists bi-annually, alternating quarters with company-wide performance reviews. This practice prompted insightful conversations and revealed shifting preferences and skills over time.
For instance, if a team member marked Territory Planning as “I don’t know if I like this type of work; I want to learn more,” we would involve them in relevant projects. Over time, their preferences might change, and they could update their coding accordingly.
Implementing the Exercise in Your Team
Even if your team isn't large enough for specialization, this exercise can help determine the scope of responsibilities and plan for future hires. It's a catalyst for meaningful, potentially career-changing conversations and helps you build a more adaptable, skilled, and satisfied team.
Conclusion
Operators are lifelong learners who thrive on variety and cross-functional engagement. By implementing this color-coding exercise, you can ensure your RevOps team is continually growing, learning, and aligning their development with the company's needs. As Sylvia Kainz aptly put it when describing Operators on an early episode of our show, “They're the type of employee who likes to learn, who likes to stretch their mind, they love to better understand the organization and how all those pieces are fitting together. And if you get that right mindset, you can get an awesome team.”
If you found this exercise useful, feel free to adopt it for your own team.
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