…or will a flexible one serve you better?
A few years ago I spoke at a global banking conference in Hong Kong. My topic was career navigation, the audience was comprised of newly promoted VPs.
The evening before the conference, the bank hosted a celebration dinner. I listened as the keynote speaker, their Managing Director, reeled off success stories and offered sage advice. As his Q&A came to a close, one person asked, “What’s your secret of success? When you started your career did you have a plan?”
Everyone–I mean everyone–quieted down and leaned in to hear his response.
“I didn’t.”
His reply made me change my presentation the following day, and was also the fillip to my own research on careers. I later interviewed global executives and to my surprise, found that few had ever made robust plans. Many attributed serendipitous events to their success, most admitted to periods of uncertainty, some mentioned uncomfortable transitions. Very few shared their feelings of insecurity, but the fear of failure and subsequent anxiety hovered close by.
There are many books on goal setting, finding happiness, and “do what you love.” And even more books cite the opposite… take the contrarian’s view and just let life and careers happen.
I know, as I’ve read many of them.
Lately I see more books refuting the idea of finding happiness and passion. Not pessimistic writing, but focusing more on realism; living through ambiguity, being adaptable, and embracing uncertainty.
In my interviews, no one mentioned luck. A few said, “Luck has nothing to do with it, it’s about being open to opportunities.” They took risks – calculated risk for some, less so for others. No one worried about having the “right” skills.
What I learned:
The strength of conviction,
the courage to choose, and
ability to navigate uncertainty.
You may not need an intricate plan, but you do need an idea of where you’re headed. And maybe an objective advisor to help as a sounding board.
