Often, people will reach out to our Emerging Leaders team for feedback and coaching through career transitions. They may be presented with a promotion, a new opportunity in a new place, or a shift in both company and location.
We know firsthand how easy it is to get caught up in the practical aspects of the opportunity: What is the job like? What compensation and perks come with the role? Is it a promotion or a lateral move? What is the culture and reputation of the company? What is the benefits package like? What impact will this move have on my future career prospects?
These are all important questions, but be careful not to limit your inquiries to just the job itself.
Many of us learned this lesson the hard way. Early in our own careers, we were not great at planning ahead and thinking about the big picture. Spending your formative years in deadline-driven newsrooms will do that to you. Job opportunities arise and taking a golden one seems like the right thing to do. Then life gets complicated.
The key question we suggest you consider is this: What kind of life am I trying to build?
Breaking that down further, here are additional questions to stimulate your thinking:
- What is the role of work in that vision?
- Where do my obligations to family and friends fall within that vision?
- How important are my/our extended families?
- What does community and volunteer service mean to me?
- What sacrifices am I willing to make to realize that vision?
- What resources will it take to fulfill that vision?
- What kind of neighborhood and/or geographic location would be most meaningful to me?
Beyond money, here are other measures of wealth from a global study on well-being :
- Occupational (enjoyment of what you are doing every day)
- Social (having close, supportive personal relationships)
- Community (involvement in the activities and happenings of your community)
- Physical (enjoying good health and being in a safe environment)
- Spiritual (a sense of purpose and connection to something greater than yourself)
Then we learned that good planning — anticipating what might happen and developing plans to address those eventualities — led to better results. A few career curveballs later, we realized the value of building a broader plan as a companion element to navigating a period of transition in your career.
— By Mizell Stewart III
