How unexpected gifts in your career can lead to greater clarity

A few years ago, when I was working as an Executive, something unexpected happened that set off a chain of events. The details are a story for another time.?

However, what happened rocked my view of who I was and how I would spend the rest of my working life. It led me to question what I did want.?

I found myself at a choice point. One where I could feel I was being 'done to outside my control' or where I could choose the version of me I wanted other people to experience.??

I chose to be true to myself; the path wasn’t easy. With hindsight, I now view that situation as an unexpected gift, and I'm so glad I grabbed it and unwrapped it.?

I share this story because I’m curious whether you have an unexpected gift waiting to be unwrapped.?

I’m also curious about whether you are the biggest hurdle standing in your way.?

I'm not suggesting you need to throw in your job and start a new career, only take heed of any signals that you could be 'more'.? For example, more fulfilled, aligned with your purpose, impactful, or happy - you get the idea!

You could be experiencing some obvious flags like reacting more than you'd like and wanting to be more purposeful, without knowing what the path to more purposeful looks like. Or events are happening around you and interactions with others may make you question your value and whether you're getting what you deserve.??

Remember those gifts on your path may not be flashing red lights. They could be things that grate, don't feel right, feel like something is missing or be the flutter of excitement in your belly when you think about a different possibility.?

However, it's hard to know what to do next if you don't know what you want, what you're good at, what the next step is and how to make choices that are right for you.?

Taking action to fill what's missing with another qualification or certification before you get clarity is a mistake. Clarity starts with deepening your self-awareness.?

In one study reported in the Harvard Business Review article, Self-Awareness Can Help Leaders More Than an MBA Can the organisational performance of 440 CEOs featured on the covers of magazines such as BusinessWeek, Fortune, and Forbes was compared. The researchers divided the CEOs into two groups — those with and without an MBA — and then tracked their performance for up to seven years. Surprisingly, individuals with an MBA performed substantially worse. Another study reported in the Journal of Business Ethics involving over 5,000 CEOs reached a similar conclusion.?

If we go back to my story, I could have let other people influence me and avoided doing the deeper work. If I had, my next steps would have led me down a path my family tells me they are happy I didn't choose.?

Anne Sweeney, former president of Disney-ABC Television, whose leadership led to a quintupling of the Disney viewer base, advised Stanford Women in Business to 'Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you’re proud to live'.?

When I began, where I was going wasn't all that clear.?

Gaining clarity in your career is like the sun coming up after a dark night. At first, it's hard to see, but as you do the work, the path ahead becomes clearer.?

If you're disciplined and know what tools to use, you can gain that clarity by:?

1. Discovering your ideal self. For example, what do you genuinely enjoy doing, what are you good at, what energises you and what values are most important to you in your work??
2. Experimenting and learning. For example, developing a learning (not formal study) plan and testing different options before taking a bigger leap. That could involve engaging with people and experiences that help you understand if what you're considering is a good match for your 'real' self.???
3. Clarifying your hypothesis and seeking support. For example, working out who you can trust to give you honest feedback as you test out your hypothesised future and support you through the ups and downs of changing.?

If you think you may need some help, I'd love to chat with you about the Clarity program.?

#ThriveInComplexity #Clarity #Thriving