What is your ultimate career goal?
Do you know?
Do you need to know?
I’ve had a number of conversations with people recently who shared the path of their career journeys. Some of them knew exactly what role they wanted, and they pursued it relentlessly. Others just did the best work they knew how in each role they held, and then responded to growth opportunities as they became available.
But most successful people I’ve talked to seem to follow a path that’s a little bit of both.
On one hand, have a drive to grow and to succeed in larger and more important roles. They may even have a clear picture of what their ideal role will look like. And they give some of their attention to preparing themselves to succeed in their future roles.
On the other hand, they also tend to be flexible to accept different opportunities that arise. Many times that involves a number of lateral moves that expose them to new parts of a business, building skills that they may not have even realized they would need.
As you look forward with a vision for your future, don’t be afraid to set a challenging goal to have a significant and impactful role. At the same time, don’t be afraid to adjust that goal in response to what you learn along your journey.
When you’re flexible enough to invite both decision and discovery into your plans for the future, you can end up in a place that’s even better than you imagined.
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