Pigeonhole or Purpose?

I'm fortunate to work for a company that values career exploration. It's not uncommon for people to do a job here for 2 or 3 years, then move on to another product, another team, another functional area. It's a reflection of the value that Microsoft places on continuous learning and growth.

I bucked the trend by spending nine years in evolving versions of my previous job - launching and then leading the team behind the Microsoft social media channels. It was different than most jobs, I told myself, because social media was growing and changing so quickly that my career could grow with it. But even that had its limits. My manager at the time encouraged me that there was personal and career growth to be gained by doing something totally new. And on the downside, he cautioned, there is professional risk in staying put and getting pigeonholed as just "the social media guy."

So I went and did something totally new. As a Chief of Staff in an engineering organization, I immersed myself in a world of developers and program managers. Scrum meetings and specs. I learned a ton about the sausage making of software. I did my best to make the team and the leader I supported successful. As a communications guy in a sea of technologists, I brought a bag of tricks that were different and complementary to the skills of my colleagues. But communications chops were a small part of what was needed in the role. Good Chief of Staffin' on a technical team requires a variety of skills - understanding the intricacies of software development, helping a busy executive be an effective leader, and looking after the team's finances and headcount.

I was working out new muscles and breaking out of the pigeonhole of the work I had done before. I was helping a team of techies who I like as people and admire as colleagues. But was the job me?

Therein lies a great tension I've finally put my finger on as I round the turn of middle age, playing the "back nine" of life. While there is benefit in seeking new experiences and knowledge, there is an opposing force that must be tended to as well: purpose.

I'm a storyteller. A marketer. It's what I do. It's who I am. I draw energy and joy from this kind of work, which also makes me pretty good at it.

I will never be a K-pop superstar. Or an ophthalmologist. Or a haberdasher. That doesn't mean I'm not smart, or capable of learning new skills. It just means that at my age, I've identified the bounds of what I'll do professionally for the rest of my working life. And I find comfort in those constraints. For me, it's no longer about choosing a professional path. It's about traveling further on it.

I will never be a K-pop superstar. Or an ophthalmologist. Or a haberdasher.

Which leads me to some news. I've accepted a new job at Microsoft, and I'm happy to say it's one that's in the sweet spot of my skills, interests, and abilities. I'll be leading communications strategy for our US sales organization. I'll get to play in the sandboxes of social, earned, and owned media, and help the leaders of the organization tell the Microsoft story through their personal voices.

I officially start the new job today, but I've spent the past two weeks reading up on the business, connecting with my future colleagues, and getting my head in the game. To me, that's a sign that I've found a new challenge that aligns with my purpose.

How about you? Are you managing the tension between the continuous learning that comes from career movement and the energy you get from doing work aligned to your purpose? If not, maybe that's your signal to find a new sandbox.