You Don't Have To Want Your Boss's Job!

Let's stop perpetuating the false narrative that success means you must move up the corporate ladder. You get to decide what a successful career looks like based on your metrics, goals, and desires.

Traditionally, the corporate ladder has been viewed as the only path to success and fulfillment in the workplace. Employees were expected to climb the ranks and reach leadership positions, such as manager or team lead. If you don’t have that goal, you are thought of as unmotivated, limited, or less than.

Today, more than ever, people are looking for more than a promotion. People want to feel valued, fulfilled, and challenged in their work. You can make a meaningful contribution to your organization, without climbing the ladder. And above all, they want their careers to align with their values.

So, how can you achieve this? Here are tips to build a fulfilling career. One that aligns with your values and doesn't need pursuing a leadership role:

1. Define your values:

Your values are the core principles that guide your decisions and behaviors. Identifying your values helps you determine what's important to you. Next, ensure that your career aligns with them. If your work aligns with your values and provides fulfillment, you reached success.

2. Evaluate the time commitment and responsibilities of leadership roles:

Leadership roles often require a significant time commitment and a set of responsibilities that may not align with your values or your desired work-life balance.

Do you value leading and mentoring and want that to be part of your career path? Do you have financial goals that a leadership role will help you achieve? Does the role include being available on nights and weekends? Do you need to be reachable on your vacations? Are you on the firing line for issues that demand attention often and are stressful to manage? You need to ask these significant questions as you determine What's Next for your career.

3. Focus on your strengths:

It's crucial to identify your strengths and what you enjoy doing. By recognizing your strengths, you can build a career allowing you to use them to the fullest. This will make you more effective and fulfilled at work. This may include a pivot in your current role.

Specialist roles may exist requiring deep domain knowledge that includes promotion without the responsibilities of leading a team. If one does not exist, reach out to leadership and educate them on the value of creating that path and how it will impact the company's goals. If the path forward you want doesn’t exist, create it.

4. Develop a growth mindset:

A growth mindset is a belief that you can always improve and develop your skills. This mindset is essential for building a meaningful career because it allows you to see challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. Title and money are one thing, expanding your hard and soft skills and knowledge can be a very satisfying progression of your career.

5. Focus on impact, not status:

Success isn't defined by status or titles. It's important to focus on your impact on your organization. Contributing to your team, department or organization can build a sense of purpose and fulfillment in your work. Taking time to look down the road and define what you want your legacy to be, gives you the map to create your impactful career.

6. Seek out new experiences:

One of the best ways to build a fulfilling career is to seek out new experiences. If you thrive on curiosity and knowledge this is a great path to deepen your career. Take on new projects or assignments that stretch your skills and abilities. It could also mean seeking out training or development opportunities to help you grow and learn.

7. Build relationships:

Building strong relationships is crucial for building a meaningful career. This includes building relationships with colleagues, supervisors, clients, and customers. By creating a support system, you can navigate challenges and find opportunities for growth and development. This may open up other opportunities in different parts of the company to keep you stimulated and engaged without having to seek a promotion.

By defining your values, evaluating the time commitment and responsibilities of leadership roles, focusing on your strengths, developing a growth mindset, focusing on impact, seeking out new experiences, and building relationships, you can build a fulfilling career that makes you happy and fulfilled.

In the end, only you get to decide what a successful career looks like. When you free yourself from living the life expected by others and define your own path forward, you are living an unboxed life. Remember building a meaningful career that aligns with your values doesn't require pursuing a leadership role. Or it does.

Your life, your call!