A recent client of mine, let’s call him David, was firm in his belief that his next role had to be a step forward with a bigger title and more money. He had even narrowed the target company list down to a half dozen competitors. But he was finding it hard to gain traction toward his goal.
When considering a career move, whether it’s internal or external, we frequently go with what we know. Our current field of view may be limiting the options we are considering. How can you expand your perspective? Ask yourself key questions to broaden your view and advance your career, Powerful Questions!
First, you need to understand your baseline. What is important to you in your life and career and what do you aspire to be in the future? Have you reflected on who you are now as compared to who you might have been 2, 5 or 20 years ago?
These powerful foundational questions help you reestablish a baseline to explore career moves and assess them against this new touchstone. I love the saying, “If you don’t know where you are going, you will probably wind up somewhere else”! And yet, the constant shifts in the market environment require us to continually adapt. This combination of career clarity and flexibility form what I like to call “Resilient Ambition”.
In working with my clients, including those who are seeking a new role or career and those looking to move ahead in their current organization, we organize these Powerful Questions (PQs) into 3 buckets – Rediscover, Explore and Actualize.
Rediscover
The anticipation of any job transition, including internal moves, is an ideal time to pause and reflect on what is important to you at this point in your career. The choice of engaging in guided introspection sets you up to establish a revised baseline to assess opportunities against or to guide your creation of new options.
PQs:
o What are your most important values? What strengths and skills do you now have and which of those do you want to use going forward?
o What energizes you?
o How do real life considerations restrict or enhance your choices?
o What will be different once you get that next job/role? What will that give you?
o What have I learned about myself in the last year (or 2, or 5)?
Explore
We frequently need to fight against the inertia of our careers by being open to options that match up with our newly reestablished baseline. We must also better understand the market dynamics that affect our ambitions and how they might require adaptability of our goals. This reinvention necessitates significant courage on our part and is the subject for a future article.
PQs:
o What options have you not considered?
o What criteria will you use to judge your options?
o Where do you see me operating best? (asking others)
o Where is the juncture of your skills, ambitions and market receptivity?
o What information or resources do you need to help you decide?
Actualize
Once we have narrowed down our options, building and executing a plan are critical to realizing success. However, it is important to acknowledge that many career choices are iterative. They evolve by trying things on and seeing how they fit for us in reality, not just conceptually. We also have to be open to changes in the market or our own increasing understanding of what we can do and who will want to pay!
PQs:
o What actions can you take now? What is your plan?
o What will things look like after you’ve been successful?
o How do I need to pivot to realize a successful outcome?
o What are you doing to not achieve your goal?
Summary
The process of career evolution and choice is not linear. The recipe of combining our skills, interests and the receptivity of others to pay our salary or buy our services is not fixed. We need to become adept at asking Powerful Questions and, as importantly, listening powerfully to the answers.
For my client David, a fresh assessment of what was most important to him at this point in his career gave him the freedom to pursue roles that matched who he was now. He ultimately landed a job in a new industry for more money but less title, and he feels rejuvenated in his career.
So grab a pen or open a new document on your laptop. Find some time to ask these questions, record the answers and take time to reflect. You might want to find a partner or a coach to help you discern compelling insights. The potency of these Powerful Questions and your commitment to utilize them will serve you now and as you go forward, fashioning careers that resonate in a fulfilling and meaningful way.
