With so many people initiating or contemplating major life and career changes, I’ve been reflecting lately on my own unconventional path and how I went from surviving to thriving through the many twists and turns of my career.
Back in my 20’s, I found myself cycling through a pattern of landing a great job, feeling excited and engaged with the prospect of making a difference and having an impact. And then 6 -12 months in feeling overworked, underutilized, undervalued or simply unappreciated. At that time, few organizations were measuring employee engagement (or disengagement as the case may be) but I can recall many of my colleagues were on that dreaded roller coaster ride of disillusionment with me.
That first decade of my career was focused outward on things like how challenged or fulfilled I felt in my role, whether I felt seen, heard and understood by my manager or how likely I was to earn a promotion or raise in the foreseeable future.
Those factors continued to influence my choices throughout the latter part of my time as an employee. But it’s the following emergent insights that taught me the most and helped me break out of the survival cycle once and for all:
- Almost every career experience can be used to teach you something about yourself, and point you toward your greater purpose. Learn to tune in to your inner wisdom. Take time for deeper self-reflection and learning about yourself through your unique experiences.
- Each of us brings our past–in the form of assumptions, biases, narratives and worldviews–into our new experiences. So even when you change jobs, careers or start your own business, you may find yourself caught in a familiar narrative or repeating loop of dissatisfaction. There’s an old saying that goes, “Wherever you go, there you are.” In other words, you may think that changing circumstances is the answer, without realizing that it’s actually your self-limiting narrative that’s holding you back. Carve out the time and space for critical reflection and dialogue to help surface and adapt limiting narratives.
- Your career can become a platform for your deepest learning, highest evolution and greatest expression. One of the things that has served me well in developing my career as a platform of purpose, is the time I’ve spent working as an employee, an executive and an entrepreneur. As well as working across different organizational roles from accounting, marketing and technology to operations, sales and now people, leadership and culture development. It took me 25 years to realize that the seeds of my greater purpose were germinating in that first “dissatisfying” career experience back in my early 20’s. Learning how to adapt, grow and thrive through your experiences, can help UpLevel your career in ways that few other types of learning can.
- We often leave jobs or careers too soon–just before we enter the adaptive learning zone–that liminal space of heightened development that helps us break through our self-imposed limitations and unleash our next stage potential. If your team or organization doesn’t offer coaching support, seek out an adaptive career or leadership coach that can help you navigate this experience.
- Even when you have a dedicated and supportive boss, they don’t always have the time, skill or resources needed to adequately challenge and support you in your adaptive career and leadership development. You have to be in the driver’s seat of your career and may have to look beyond your immediate manager, team or organization to get what you really need.
- You don’t always have to leave your current job or career to find the fulfillment you’re after. When you deepen your self understanding, it changes how you show up in the world, and can bring new career opportunities and alter your career trajectory. The great thing about investing in your own adaptive growth and development is that it’s not employer-specific. Those new opportunities may arise in surprising places either with your current employer or elsewhere. But one way or another you’ll be ready.
- Everybody has something magnificent to express through their work, you just need to know how to unlock it. By the time we leave high school or university, most of us have been conditioned to lock away and protect our authentic greatness. With the right guidance, we can learn to release and cultivate those seeds so we can express more of our authentic selves in the world.
- Don’t compare your success to others. Our fixation with strategizing our success and accomplishing certain career goals according to made up societal narratives and unspoken agreements can lead us away from the adaptive learning work that will generate our greatest impact and fulfillment. Some of our most important career competencies and assets come from within and can only be developed by “learning to learn” from your experiences and trusting your inner guidance system.
- Knowing when it’s time to go is an art and science. Yes there will be times when you outgrow your current role, employer, certain clients or business venture. When you invest in adaptive leadership work first you’ll have more clarity, confidence and even creativity to your times of transition, creating new possibilities and greater potential along the way.
- Regardless of your role, responsibility, or career path, most people on the job are facing greater levels of complexity and change than they’re adequately prepared for. Adaptive career and leadership development is a critical competency for the future of work. It can help you grow and thrive in the face of life’s twists and turns, and significantly boost your level of fulfillment and impact at work, in your family and for the planet.
If you’re looking for more purpose and fulfillment in your work or contemplating a career change, join us on November 16, 2021 for a career roadmapping night where we’ll:
- explore these and other insights of the adaptive career journey
- how to use your career as a platform to grow and express your higher potential and greater contributions,
- get clear on your commitments and core values, and
- set you up with a co-creation guide and structure to kick-start the next stage of your career journey.
You can also learn more about our adaptive leadership and career development offerings16
