How can you stay motivated while changing careers in Strategy?

It's not always easy to know your purpose. When you are looking for a change in career direction, it can be beneficial to simply get involved with some different things, connect with people outside your network and see where it takes you.

By identifying ones own purpose and values, it is easier to navigate the job search - looking for jobs and companies that are closer to the values and purpose, and clearly knowing what would be an acceptable job, and what would not be an acceptable one.

As vital as it is to identify one's purpose, understanding our emotional resilience and developing it is equally crucial. A career change involves navigating ups and downs, and demands readiness to build your brand and experience. Being resilient, maintaining clarity, and accepting that it's okay to not be okay at times are important. From my own experience in switching careers, I've found that strong self-awareness is just as important as technical skills.

Identifying your purpose is the foundational step in a career change, particularly in strategy. Understanding your goals, values, and passions provides intrinsic motivation and a resilient force during challenges and setbacks. Aligning these aspects with your new role or industry ensures a more meaningful and fulfilling transition. Crafting a purpose statement is akin to setting a guiding North Star for your career journey. It serves as a personal motivator and becomes a powerful tool in communicating your unique value proposition. A well-defined purpose in a competitive landscape can set you apart and showcase your authenticity to potential employers.

It is always good to have a plan, but also being aware that there will be obstacles ad challenges that could stay in the way of the plan, and those moments require innovation and problem solving, but that is all a strategy mindset. Therefore, setting realistic goals and breaking them down into manageable steps will help to be organized and focused, but plans are not carved in stone, and will require changes on the go.

Highlight transferable skills: While learning new skills is crucial, remind folks to showcase how existing abilities from their current or previous fields can translate to strategic roles. Quantify past achievements to demonstrate their potential impact on strategy. Seek diverse mentors: Networking with seasoned strategy professionals is vital, but encourage seeking mentors from varied backgrounds and industries. This broadens perspectives and exposes learners to different approaches and challenges. Celebrate small wins: Focusing solely on the final goal can be daunting. Emphasize celebrating smaller milestones and achievements along the way. This keeps motivation high and reinforces progress.

Mentoring and Coaching, as well as a 360 feedback area always good, especially when changing a career in strategy. Having a mentor, and a coach would be beneficial for personal growth and overcoming the different challenges, and the 360 feedback will also tremendously help in the same area.

Learning from the experiences of others who have successfully navigated career changes in strategy is a treasure trove of insights. By tapping into the collective wisdom of those who have walked similar paths, you can gain practical tips, best practices, and a nuanced understanding of the challenges and opportunities inherent in such transitions. Moreover, studying the mistakes, failures, and lessons of others becomes a powerful educational tool. It lets you anticipate pitfalls and develop strategies to overcome obstacles more effectively. The accessibility of knowledge-sharing platforms, podcasts, books, and events provides a wealth of resources to connect with seasoned professionals and learn from their journeys.

The field of Strategy is dynamic and it constantly requires learning - from others and from theory as well. Engaging in relevant courses, workshops, books, and conferences, but also talking and exchanging with others is very important for growth and learning.

A career change is full of ups and downs, which sometimes can be demotivating. Maintaining a positive attitude and being resilient in the face of challenges keeps motivation on a high level, and with that attitude, it is far easier to embrace uncertainty and overcome any obstacles.

The popular advice is constant motivation, but the real secret is embracing the valleys. Motivation waxes and wanes; that's normal. Instead of chasing a perpetual high, learn to navigate the lows. It's in the struggle that resilience grows, and that's the backbone of lasting motivation in a career transition.