Your Experience is Yours
I advised you all not to sleep on your transferable abilities in the last blog, and for some reason, I could not let it go just to find out how David advocated for himself before his battle with Goliath. After reading, I realized that David and I had some similarities in advocating for ourselves for opportunities. I'm dropping six jewels we can use from David's playbook regarding advocating for ourselves in the workplace for opportunities.
1- Don't Allow Others to Minimize Your Work
1 Samuel 17: 28 But when David's oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. "What are you doing around here anyway?" he demanded. "What about those few sheep you're supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and deceit. You just want to see the battle!
David's brother sat there with the Israelites army for 40 days (1 Samuel 16) listening to Goliath intimidate and taunting them, yet when David comes to ask questions, he gets mad and then tries to minimize David's work to "a few sheep." Your work is your own; do not allow others to reduce it. The work you do is not cookie-cutter; different doesn't mean diminished.
I did switch up my experience to put Kingsskid on my resume-in doing that since Kingsskid is not a Fortune 500 organization or has brand recognition like my previous employer. People were leery of the experience; it wasn't my job to fall into their leeriness; it was my job to share the work that I do and how it aligns with the role they were looking to fill.
2- Proceed with Boldness
1 Samuel 17:32 "Don't worry about this Philistine," David told Saul. "I'll go fight him!"
It takes a level of boldness to encourage others not to worry when they were taunted for 40 days. It also takes confidence in knowing what you bring to the table. David's boldness in rising to the public occasion is a testament to the work he put in when others were not watching (private).
In interview after interview, people were pleased by my boldness, eagerness, and energy. This always makes me happy, but after this feedback and no job offers were coming through, it discouraged me for a minute. My boldness returned because I understood what was on the line, this was bigger than me and how I felt. This was a purpose that I had to push through. Couldn't no one tell me I wasn't a trainer because I didn't have the corporate experience. I didn't wait for my training to be validated to believe it- I believed in myself and the skills God has given me first and foremost.
3 - Persistence
1 Samuel 17: 33-34, "Don't be ridiculous!" Saul replied. "There's no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You're only a boy, and he's been a man of war since his youth." 34But David persisted, "I have been taking care of my father's sheep and goats," he said. "When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock.
Once again, David finds himself being dismissed because of his age and experience, but his persistence in advocating for himself allowed him to have the opportunity.
Rejection email after rejection email was so emotionally draining that I persisted no matter how deep I was in my feelings. I persisted because I knew God told me this was the career for me. I knew that I was crowned to do this, and could no one tell me differently. I knew something had to break, and it wouldn't be me.
4- Track Record + Results = Write and state with Confidence
1 Samuel 17: 35-37
35 I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. 36 I have done this to both lions and bears, and I'll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! 37 The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!"
David didn't persist without the receipts. He shared his track record and the results of the work that he has done with confidence. It was the culmination of those things that allowed him to be granted the opportunity to fight Goliath.
The experience that I gained from Kingsskid helped me build a track record and results to speak to. I didn't come empty-handed - I came with the speaking opportunities, content examples, examples of relationship building, and the experiences from me actually working in previous roles.
5 - Your Experience Isn't Cookie- Cutter
1 Samuel 17: 39-40- David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. "I can't go in these," he protested to Saul. "I'm not used to them." So David took them off again. 40 He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd's bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd's staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine.
David did what worked for him; he didn't try to be something he wasn't. He used strategies that would allow him to be the most effective and efficient. David's stone was just as if not more effective than the armor that Saul gave him. The army had the armor but didn't have the heart, experience, and boldness like David.
I have an understanding of what worked for others wouldn't work for me. There were many times I couldn't understand why people with less education and work experience would get the opportunities faster than me, and what I had to realize was that my timing isn't God's timing. I had a severe heart condition ( competition, comparison, envy) that needed to be tended to before God increased my territory.
6- Go with God
1 Samuel 17: 45 David replied to the Philistine, "You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven's Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
David knew his secret sauce was with God; you will always win when you go with God. Things will work in your favor.
Throughout this journey, I realized that going with God has always allowed me to win. Going with God gave me confidence, not just in who he is, but in all that God has crowned me to be. I have cried, I have screamed, I have wondered why God was taking the time, and in the end, he works out for his good and his glory.. not mine. After all that David accomplished within the bible.. the good and not so good- he is still dibbed as the man after God's own heart.
Often, we try to separate the spiritual realm from the physical - when in actuality, they are twins. We can take the lessons from David and apply them as we advocate for ourselves and seek new opportunities in the workplace.