When I start working with clients, they almost always say one of two things.
An adaptation from my book on the two career patterns I see most — and the model that works better than either.
Adapted from Chapter 3 of Professional Careers by Design: A Handbook For the Bespoke Life (BookBaby, April 30, 2024).
Each of us comes to our careers with hopes and dreams for where we’ll land. We don’t always know how things will work out, but we usually carry a general sense. When I start working with clients, I find they typically bring one of two approaches to career planning.
The first is climbing the ladder: checking off boxes, moving “up,” though it’s not always clear what “up” looks like. Sometimes they wonder whether their ladder is leaning against the right wall. These individuals often find themselves frustrated as they advance, because the view from the middle of the ladder, or even from the top rung, is not what they expected. I meet them at mid-career, when they’ve become disillusioned or are ready to build their own ladder entirely.
The second approach is what author Mary Catherine Bateson calls discontinuity in her book, Composing a Life. People who take this approach tell me, “I just got lucky. I was in the right place at the right time, and never really planned my career formally.” They’re sometimes satisfied with where they end up, but they may wonder why they haven’t been selected for advancement or new positions. They may have a refined set of relationships they know how to use. This may in fact be the source of their perceived “luck.” But they often don’t understand the politics of their profession, organization, or team, and feel stuck as a result. Clients call this approach “the flight of the bumblebee.” When I meet them, they’re either convinced their luck has finally run out, or they’ve been tapped for a role they can’t imagine they’re ready to take.
Both approaches have value. But I’ve seen hundreds of people become unstuck when they embrace something more intentional: an approach that borrows from both, and grounds decision-making in core values and priorities.
Professional Careers by Design™ is a model for everyone. The earlier in your career you adopt it, the more intentional your decisions will be, and the more successful you’ll be no matter what circumstances life presents. The sooner you start, the more alignment you’ll find between what you’re doing to make a living and what you’re doing to make a life.
That’s the Bespoke Life.
This is adapted from my book, Professional Careers by Design: A Handbook For the Bespoke Life, available wherever books are sold: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org. It’s one of the pieces I’m sharing ahead of the launch of More Than Work, my new newsletter for professionals at every career stage figuring out what comes next. If what you read here resonates, the newsletter is more of this, every week. I’d love to have you on the list.