From confusion to complete clarity in a brand new portfolio career

RESULTS

This individual was an established leader, who’d already accomplished a lot professionally. Another client referred her as she’d been trying to get clear on her direction and what she wanted next in her career.

Despite all her success on the outside, on the inside this individual felt uncertain and was starting to question herself. Especially when everyone around her seemed to know exactly what they were working towards.

Through our work together, this client realised she knew WHAT she wanted — not just what she DIDN’T want. Within 6 months, she’d started to move in this direction via an internal secondment and second part-time position. She’s since fulfilled her goal of moving into an executive leadership role with her existing employer.

By the time we finished working together, this client was like a brand new person. She radiated confidence and felt a deep sense of satisfaction in both her career and life. A complete shift from when we first met!

CLARITY

This client’s biggest underlying challenge was a lack of clarity on her long-term career direction. She’d never had a ‘dream job’ growing up or career she was passionate about — and the quest to find it had consumed her for years. There was a sense she’d ‘fallen into’ her current role and career path, which was creating frustration and keeping her caught in indecision.

The first focus of our work together was letting go of the need to identify her ONE ideal job upfront. This is a common pattern I see with senior leaders — trying to fit themselves to a particular role before they’re clear on their direction.

My client detached from the outcome and expectation that clarity had to happen in a certain timeframe. This immediately removed the pressure for work to deliver the fulfillment she desired.

She then redirected her time and energy into the things she enjoyed — including those outside work: Her interests, important relationships and FUN! This reconnected her to her values, what she enjoys and sparked new ideas about what to do next.

One of the biggest AHA moments was unpacking what she didn’t want, as this revealed the opposite — what she DID want. Through a simple exercise, she shifted her perspective and identified the type of role she wanted: A more senior leadership role where she could create real change, make an impact and be recognised for her contribution.

Here’s the lesson for you: When you’re clear on what you don’t want, you will know what you want next in your career.

CONFIDENCE

This client was experiencing a high level of self-judgement, which stemmed from perfectionism. Self-doubt stopped her from putting herself out there, she’d criticise herself for not taking action — and the cycle continued. In her career, she was hard on herself for being uncertain about her direction and felt frustrated for not reaching her full potential.

One of her biggest breakthroughs was learning to limit negative self-talk and take action anyway — by doing the ‘uncomfortable thing’. She started to speak up and contribute more to meetings, instead of believing she had nothing of value to say. In doing so, she gave her brain the evidence it needed to challenge those limiting beliefs — and her confidence grew over time.

In one session, my client began talking herself out of applying for a part-time position in a new field. After addressing the worst-case scenario, she realised she had little to lose by submitting an application. She got the job — and was promoted 12 months later!

To this client’s credit, she repeatedly stepped outside her comfort zone. She took on two new roles with greater responsibility and successfully managed up to navigate a challenging stakeholder. This took courage — but she overcame each challenge, shifted her mindset and boosted her confidence.

When you take action despite self-doubt, confidence builds over time.

CAREER STRATEGY

Rather than defaulting to a job search, we focused on designing a personalised strategy.

Early on, I encouraged this client to follow her curiosity and keep taking action, despite the discomfort. We brainstormed different career ideas and identified practical ways to test these potential career paths. Strategies included job shadowing and exploring a part-time leadership position of interest.

Pursuing the part-time role was a smart strategy when the right leadership opportunity wasn’t immediately available in her core job. It led her to build a portfolio career and gain the leadership experience to support her progression. As a result, she received promotions in both roles within 12-18 months.

Yet when my client first applied to this position, doubt set in: What will I do if it doesn’t progress? And once we identified what she wanted next in her career, her mind immediately jumped to: But what specific job is this?

To let go of attachment to a particular position, the strategy I suggested was speaking to people doing work which interested her. The goal was to understand her options and validate these ideas from a place of curiosity, not commitment. It also helped build her network and generate new career opportunities.

But like many of my clients, she felt some initial resistance to reaching out to people to ‘ask for a favour’. So, we reframed these conversations as an opportunity to connect (or reconnect) with her network. She could seek out their insights and advice — and look for ways to support them in return.

This client also challenged herself to take on an internal secondment and learnt how to lead authentically, in line with her values. She’s also continued to invest in developing her leadership capabilities. All these strategies supported her to step up into the senior leadership roles she wanted.

When you test options instead of trying to pick the ‘right’ role upfront, you will reduce risk and get clear on your direction, faster.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

So what can you take from this client’s transformation? Here are my top 3 takeaways and how YOU can apply them to your career!

#1 — Realise change takes time

Release the pressure to identify an ‘ideal’ job upfront or to figure out your next move in a certain timeframe. Instead of trying to fit yourself to a particular job, focus on creating a career which ‘works’ for YOU! Trust that when you stay in action and let go of attachment to the outcome, you’ll get to where you want to be faster.

#2 — Shift your perspective 

To identify what you want next in your career, ask yourself what you don’t want. Create a ‘don’t’ list — and look at the opposite to clarify what you DO want.

#3 — Do the ‘uncomfortable thing’

Rewrite limiting beliefs and overcome self-doubt by doing the thing you’re most reluctant to do. When you consider the worst-case scenario, you’ll realise it’s unlikely to happen — and if it does, you can handle it. By taking action, you’ll shift your mindset and build confidence over time!

So there you have it. How my client went from going round in circles to having complete clarity on what she wanted next in her career. I hope this helps you gain direction, confidence and a clear plan to create a career by design too.

If you’re looking for an ongoing partnership to clarify your direction, build confidence and create a personalised strategy to take ownership of your career, I invite you to explore Ignite Your Career.

I’m now taking applications for the next intake, with 3 spots available starting in March. Apply for a complimentary call to get started here. ​ 

Stacey Back is The Career Planning Specialist, an executive career coach and speaker. She guides high-achieving senior leaders and organisations across the globe to design fulfilling, sustainable careers for long-term success.