OGL 482 Pro-Seminar II

Unit 3 Assignment:

Networking Plan Template

Section 1: The Career Decision Matrix
As you move through the data-gathering phase and begin to generate options for potential jobs and potential
employers, this is when you can build and use a Career Decision Matrix. Following the information from
Harrington & Hall text, Career Management & Worklife Integration, Chapter 4, pages 92-94, you will research,
gather, and analyze information from your self-assessments (i.e. the Kuder assessments in Unit 1, in particular),
thematic analysis (themes), career resources and more to create your Career Decision Matrix.
Career options are broader than jobs. They are paths you can take to get to where you want to be. Here is a resource
that can assist you in determing: https://careerwise.minnstate.edu/careers/pathways.html
Answer the following:

1) As you have gathered your data take the time to share and fully describe your top four (4) possible
career options. You want to be specific, as this creates a more meaningful matrix. Describe each
career with as much detail as possible. Consider the following to be used in your 2-3 paragraph
response per career option: career field / organization / job-related responsibilities /
opportunities for advancement / future outlook of the career field. These responses need to
demonstrate that you have gathered your research and analyzed it, so there should be
citations referencing where you got your information, using APA standards. Remember to
include why you are choosing each career option.
a. Starbucks Retail Management – This is my current career field. I am a store

manager with the responsibility of planning and leading the execution of daily

store operations, staffing and scheduling, store inventory and ordering

organization, teaching and training, analyzing and preparing for business

demands, and building the team’s capabilities. Store managers are salaried

positions who are required to work at least 40 hours per week, and must have

effective communication upper and lower levels of the organizational structure.

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 b. Hospitality Manager – This position oversees all the operational functions and

guest relations of a hotel or restaurant model organization. They staff, schedule,

train, and analyze for the business needs. This would be an easy transition of

skillset from the store manager level because of the similar job requirements and

descriptions. Some additional technical training may be needed.

c. Senior Human Resource Manager – Looking forward in my career, this is

ultimately where I would like to bridge over to from the retail store front of

Starbucks and into a corporate position. I am currently looking into certifications

and continuation of my education towards this position,

d. Brand Amassador/ Coffee Education & Orientation Director – This is my highest

aspiration that is currently on my roster, and this will take some time to climb up

the ladder to get there. I will need experience positions in global leadership,

global coffee engagement, global coffee education and experiences, and finally

make it into a director role that will lead a diverse team responsible for driving

global coffee education across all of the stores in the company and support for the

farmer support centers across the world. This job will require a lot of dedication,

development, and perspective gained through the multiple positions accessed

along the way.

Now that you have determined these four options, take a step back and share a fifth
UNTHINKABLE (UT) career option, that you would never do, but are trained for
by what you have learned by earning your degree. Think about skills you have

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 acquired while earning your degree, which would be transferable to something
completely different.
e. Sales Manager – according to the Arizona State University career page, an

organizational leadership degree can prepare me to become a sales manager. This

manager leads a sales team while overseeing the day to day operations. At a

glance, this seems similar to what I am currently doing in a Starbucks store

environment. Sales managers hire, train, analyze, and set goals. Work fluctuates

and can be inconsistent, some work over sixty hours a week, so I’d feel I would

burnout rather quickly in this position and respinsiblities required to keep and

maintain job. The difference here is the network and support system built in the

Starbucks culture that helps to balance and lead better lives.

2) Using the information you have gathered and shared above it is time to fill in your Career Decision
Matrix. You can find an example in Table 4.2 on page 93 of our text. When you complete the matrix
below, be sure to remove any unnecessary labels.
a. Down the left hand side of the matrix, you will list your ten (10) life themes from your
thematic analysis. You can also add more that were not part of your presentation as
Theme 11 and so on.
b. Across the top of the page, you will list the five (5) career options you are considering.
c. Next, fill in each cell with a high (h), medium (m), or low indication of the match
between that theme and the alternative under consideration.
d. Calculate your Career to Theme Consistency Points (CTCP) aka Summary, by assigning
high = 5, medium = 3, and low = 1, and then adding them up to determine the ranking
of your career choices to your themes. Not all themes can have high designation (if
everything is important, nothing is important). The goal is to identify how your career
options align with your life themes, so you have better information to determine
which aspects are most important to you in your next career step.

Career Career Career Career Career

Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Option 4 Option
Starbucks Hospitality Senior Brand UT
Manager Manager Human Ambassador Sales
Resource / Manager
Manager Origin Exp.
(starbucks)
Theme 1
Self h m h h 1
Improvement

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 Theme 2
Mentor h l h h l

Theme 3 h m h h l
Living my
Values
Theme 4 h m h h m
Collaboratio
n
Theme 5
Problem h h h h h
Solving
Theme 6
Knowledge h h h h h
Sharing
Theme 7
Stability h l m m l

Theme 8
Results h l m m h

Theme 9
Vulnerability h m h h l

Theme 10
Empathy h m h h m-l

CTCP
(Summary) 50 26 46 46 23

3) Now that you have determined these career options in relation to your life themes:
a. Reflect to what extent your Career Decision Matrix development process has
helped your career development decisions.
This allowed me to see which pathway I want to take for my next steps in my career.

As I am entering a new position currently, I was not reflecting and thinking about my

next steps. However, having this written out has shown me where I truly want to

build my professional portfolio and reflected on who in the company I need to build a

relationship with.

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 b. Share which career option(s) you feel would be worth researching more and
pursuing as you begin to think about your networking plan.
I want to research more about the human resources consultant and brand

ambassadorship for the origin experience and coffee education branch of the

Starbucks corporate roles.

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Section 2: Networking Plan
Now that you have completed your Career Decision Matrix we now need to move forward and develop a
networking plan that you can use to help you reach your career goals. Review Harrington & Hall text, Career
Management & Worklife Integration, Chapter 4, pages 77-83. Developing and managing your network of people
who can help you is an important ongoing process whether or not you are currently happy in your career.

The purpose of this activity is to:

• Help you assess and enhance (extend or strengthen) your developmental network relative to major
challenges you will face in the next 1-3 years
• Help you develop a networking strategy that will work for you
• Help you develop a specific plan to pursue over the next 6 months to 1 year
• Create an accountability mechanism

Research on leadership development has demonstrated that people benefit from a variety of developmental
relationships, including short-term and long-term alliances with bosses, peers, senior executives, coaches,
subordinates, and family members, the more diversity and depth there is in your developmental network, the better.
Depending on our dominant learning tactics, we are more or less likely to pay attention to the quality of our
developmental network.
This assignment was adapted by Professor Kathy E. Kram from a worksheet developed by Professor Deborah Kolb,
Simmons Graduate School of Management. Adapted by permission.
Answer the following:
1) As you think about the major changes that are likely to take place at your place of
work in the next few years, what major challenges and opportunities do you foresee
that you will need to deal with in the next 1-3 years?

Describe and explain why these are your top three (3) of Challenges here:
a. Leading a store with an established team

As a brand new manager, I am currently supporting a peer organize and adapt her

team to new policies and changes. As I am learning, new management often

comes into environments that require work around company culture and policy.

b. Obtaining a SPHR certification to qualify for the senior human resource position.

This certification test has a 57% passing rate which means the hour long test for

this is rigorous and difficult. This is a challenge that I am willing to put myself

through as I go through a certification program for human resources. I am

currently in the process of obtaining information of this pathway.

c. Building a pathway to global coffee leadership and education. This is a high

aspiration currently in the works. This is a far away goal and I need to create

smaller goals to getting there

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 Describe and explain why these are your top three (3) of Opportunities here:

a. Becoming a manager trainer – As I am new in the store manager role as of this week,

it is difficult to to foresee what will happen at the next step. However, training new

talent for store manager positions is on my roster of ideas and options for growing

toward my next level, which I aspire to be part of the partner resource

b. Building a network of peers – as I am in a new district with new manager peers, I

have access to building more relationships into my network as I grow in this role. I

have the opportunity to support and be supported by new perspectives.

c. Building my own team – I am currently in a support position at a store with another

manger peer to help her team close opportunity gaps. After this assignment, I will

have the opportunity to have my own store with my own team. This is an exciting

opportunity to see my leadership come to life as the sole leader in the store. I have a

lot of experience and support helping me.

2) Given these challenges and opportunities, what type of help are you most likely to

need? Check one and explain why.

a. Help in getting the job done ______

b. Help in advancing my career ______

c. Emotional support ______

d. All of the above __X__

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 The retail environment of my organzation requires a support system of peers to be successful.

There are a variety of levels of support from

3) If your major challenge or opportunity is related to your work, how well positioned

are you to get information, advice, and resources about new opportunities and

possibilities? Check one and explain who can help you and why.

Very Well __X__ Okay ______ Need to Expand My Network ______

I have access and support from an expansive network built in Starbucks through my

tenure with the company. I have been able to participate in the origin experience and meet

those in the aspired positions. I have connected with the director of the coffee education and

origin experiences on both workplace and Linkdin. I am connected with recruitors who

consistently post about job listings, and I have learned the more I speak about my aspirations,

the more willing and helpful others are to point me in the right direction.

4) If your major challenge or opportunity means making a move into a leadership

position, do you have relationships with people who can give you advice and

effectively advocate or champion you for important assignments or other

developmental activities? Check one and explain who can help you and why.

Yes __X__ No ______

This was a main concern of mine before entering in the store manager role. It was a

personal requirement for me to have others cheering me on, encourgaging and supporting

me, and having the overall sense of belonging with the organization. I can confidently say

that I have many people in my corner helping me from previous mentors, peers, and

subordinates that I have helped develop along the way.

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 5) If your challenge or opportunity means that you will need emotional support, to

what extent do you have people who can give you support? Check one and explain who

can help you and why.

a. I have a strong support network to help me. __X__

b. I don’t have people to help me through changes I will have to make. ____

This is the same answer to questions 3 and 4, I have built an extensive network in my

almost ten years of working for Starbucks and across a variety of districts in my area.

6) If your challenge or opportunity means that you will need help getting the job done,

advancing your career, or getting emotional support, do you have people in your

network who can fulfill these functions? Check one and explain who can help you

and why.

Yes __X__ No ______

This is also the same answer to the above questions.

7) What is your approach to building relationships? How are you at initiating

relationships? In what settings are you most comfortable meeting people?

a. Joint or shared work, projects, and committees __X___

b. One-on-one appointments, with specific agendas ______

c. Informal “no agenda” social settings ______

d. Going for coffee, lunch, or drinks ___X__

e. Leisure activities such as golf, tennin, or theater ______

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 f. Other ______

Time with others is how I often connect best and create lasting relationships and

impressions. Any time we work together on projects, I am able to assess and understand

their work ethic and approach to team environments and can determine if I am able

respect and build a relationship with them. I enjoy the casual conversation around coffee

and lunch dates because it is in a low stress and low expectation environment, and this is

also a moment where I am able to build a strong relationship with others.

8) What is your preferred style?

a. Occasional phone calls or e-mails just to ask “how are you?” ______

b. Phone calls, e-mails, or visits with specific requests or questions ______

c. Holiday cards and letters ______

d. Dropping in or calling when you’re in the neighborhood ______

e. Arranging in advance to get together at professional meetings ______

f. Relying on the chance that your paths will cross ______

g. Inviting people to join you for lunch, coffee, golf, and so on __X___

h. Contacting people when you find some information, an article, or an opportunity that

might interest them ______

i. Other ______

Setting some time aside to catch up is peaceful and allows for more time with

connection. When things are sudden, sometimes the other person is busy with their life

routines. Sometimes requests can be seen as tasks that they have to do out of the intention

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 of someone asking for a favor. The next option I would have chosen is to have a call. I

often call my peers and mentor to catch up on my week and ask for advice on certain

topics if we are too busy to meet up. My next stage of networking would be to send

information to others that may interest them as I become more confident and comfortable

in my role.

9) Now turn your attention to the “Action Planning” part of the exercise (top of page 82).

Respond to the following questions:

a. What are your goals in developing a professional network? Be specific.

My goal is to be active in company related events and open to being vulnerable and

sharing my journey with the organization. From what I have learned through our

interviewing process, being open about who you are and sharing your story allows for others

to see and be inspired by your progress. I have made many connection added into my

network this way. My next goal is to build on the relationships I make by checking in,

requesting connects, and building a relationship up to where I am comfortable seeking

mentorship from those in desired positions.

b. How will a well-developed network of contacts help you achieve your career goals?

Most of the time, my network is filled with those who have mentored me through a

developmental opportunity. In my organization, our network is our main support system built

on a foundation of helping others succeed. A network can connect me to endless career

possibilities by introducing them or linking them to me. As I am one person, I only know so

much. A network of people provides more information and access far from my current reach.

c. What are some of the characteristics of the people you are looking to include in your

network?

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 A priority characteristic for me is authenticity. Workplace politics has left a low

impression for me because of what can negatively come from it. I look for those who have

similar values to me and those who I aspire to become.

d. Where might you come in contact with these people? How will you grow your

network / initiate contact with new potential networking contacts?

As a store manager, I have more access to our partner network in my organization

through our social media page, workplace, and Linkdin. I have built many in my network

from informal meetings at our store locations, company events, virtual calls, asu courses,

company trips, and a study abroad program.

e. Who in your network are you looking to enhance your relationship with? How will

you go about enhancing these relationships?

I want to build a mentorship with my recruitor and my district manager. I will go about this

by attending events, reaching out, asking questions and for feedback when meeting up with

them. I have both of their phone numbers and professional social medias, and I will use these as

needed to reach out.

f. How can you leverage your existing network? Might some of your existing

networking contacts know others who you should be in contact with?

My existing network can provide me insights and direction for where I would need to look

towards my goals. My district manager and recruitoor have access and connections to more

people outside of my network and can possibly help bridge a connection to those I need to be in

contact with to achieve my partner resource and global coffee education goals.

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Section 3: SMART Career and Networkings
Using a SMART goals-based approach, as well as project planning and management skill best practices, create a
detailed project plan for at least two specific goals. At least one must be related to your Career Plan, and the other
related to your Networking Plan. Both of these goals need to be things that you are passionate about accomplishing.

Your selected goals and SMART plan (see SMART goal information provided in the Unit) should be structured
based on a one to two-year timeline. It should include specific milestones, action items, sub-tasks as well as task-
related interdependencies as applicable. With respect to each goal, critically think about what specifically are the
things you will do in the next one to two years to achieve these goals.

Develop a clear and detailed SMART plan, with facilitating goals and steps/actions required to accomplish
your selected goals. It should be evident, by looking at the format and structure of your plan, that you have
developed some significant skills respect to project management. Include Gantt charts or other visual project
representations as you see fit, and be sure to address your approach to tracking/measuring your progress.
1) What is your Career Goal?

My career goal

a. Become a store manager trainer by April 2025

b. I will be advising in all areas of my approach by December 2024

c. There is enough time to close my gaps to my learning in my new position

d. This is the next step in my leadership

e. By April 2025

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 2) What is your Networking Goal  To build a mentorship with those in partner

resources as well as those in global coffee education.

(Insert your Networking Goal above and provide short answers below describing your goal in terms of the

SMART model. Finally, provide a Gantt chart using the tools provided).

a. Have two mentors established by October 2024

b. I will have two consistent connections to both partner resources and global coffee

education and experiences.

c. This is enough time for me to stabilize in my current position as well as time to

reach out to those necessary and those willing to help me with my development

path

d. Success in this field requires support from experts in their positions. This is

important because they will provide guidance, feedback, and advice for me to

learn from.

e. October 2024

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