A Meaningful Career Doesn’t Just Happen

I have been serious about connecting and working with women leaders for some time.  Many are clients, some are mentors, others dear and trusted friends and colleagues. 

When I ask about career planning or mapping, many believe their success mostly happened by chance; luck if you like – right place, right time.  Others say they really hadn’t given it much thought and simply ‘fell into roles’. 

Dig a little deeper though (big thanks to those who shared their experiences more recently through narrative research), and the real story emerges.  

Beneath the veneer of ‘happenstance’ lies many a constructed plan or intention.  Most of the women I spoke to actually knew where they wanted to be or, at the very least, where they didn’t want to be; many had great mentors, support groups and networks which enabled them to move on to new roles, greater responsibilities. 

Others felt a passion and energy for wicked problems; challenges no one else was courageous enough to take on – and delivered solutions with quality outcomes.

Essentially, there was NO miraculous benefit or assistance from ‘the universe’, and there never will be!

Many of you may be uncertain about where they want to go next, how to be purposeful, or what you really want to do. 

Given how much of our lives we spend at work, approximately 80,000 hours in fact, it makes inordinate sense to be engaged in purposeful careers that make a difference to how we live, work and play.

Not for one minute do I believe meaningful careers just happen. If they do, it’s rare and not the standard.

Maybe it’s time to stop leaving your career to chance.