Are you wondering which job you should take next? When and in which company? if you should start your own venture? What industry you should choose and which function? How you will find your dream job? What your purpose is?
Then keep going! But don’t make this an obsession because it is an ongoing iterative process (whether you are a young graduate or an experienced professional – trust me, it can take years…).
Some people were born with a clear idea of what they wanted to do in life (lucky them! I bow to their clarity and discernment) and some others have to peel the onion to get there. If you belong to the latter, welcome on board!
Here are the most fundamental lies which locked me and many people I crossed on the way into wrong patterns.
1) Your job comes first: You have only one life. Carefully pick your priorities and don’t dichotomize your life into disconnected drawers of work vs. life. “I had to do this for my work” is a wrong excuse. You are the master of your destiny, remember!
2) You have to prove yourself: Words matter. The insidious message here is that you need to show you are worth it. You don’t! You already are great as who you are. What you have to do is to learn and sharpen your skill-set to do a good and better job – the rest is politics and ego management.
3) You can’t do a good job without being an expert: If you are a generalist, you better find out sooner than later and build your opportunities around your personal strengths rather than functional expertise. Generalists actually are a scarce and needed resource: they can leap silos and connect dots to build stronger solutions.
4) Better safe than sorry – big corporations vs. small start-ups: Thinking that a big corporation is a safe choice is a paradigm of the past. Remember uncertainty is the norm now (see earlier blog post).
5) A big corporation is a better choice for your CV: Big corporations do offer systemized training and make a recognized statement on your CV but small start-ups will give you the chance to get dirty and experience for yourself things you may wait years to experiment in larger organizations. The question is which type of fish are you?
6) Fun comes after work: Somebody told me once “if work was fun, you wouldn’t be paid for it”. Don’t buy into such cynical thinking. You spend the vast majority of your life at work so you need to enjoy the most of it. If you totally dislike your job, change it! If you enjoy many aspects of it but dislike other ones, then focus on the ones you love to build energy reserves for those tasks you dislike.
7) You can’t be an idealist and work in a corporation: Depends what your ideal is. Everywhere is a field for practice. Corporations like any other human organizations are made of people you can influence. It is possible to find a company where the culture embraces diversity and hosts ideals. Have a read of this Financial Times article for example.
Think of these lies and how you feel about them. What really matters is that you find your own personal answer. Remember, you have only one life here! Choose your perspective.
Filed under: Leadership and skills Tagged: Business and Economy, career goals, Career Search, corporation, Dreams, generalist, PeeledOnion, start-up, success, work life balance
