Leading Doesn’t Have to Mean Enduring

Smart, senior people can sometimes get to the top of their professions and feel stretched, frustrated and suddenly rather stuck.

It can be isolating and confronting to find yourself removed from your area of technical expertise, in a role that requires a complete different way of thinking, working and being.

Someone said to me recently, "𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘐'𝘮 𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐'𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘐'𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥."

As appealing as it is to dream about, you may not need to win tatts or relocate, to inject energy and interest back into your career.

Some of the strategies previous clients have applied include:

• Re-imagining what success looks like now

• Re-shaping their responsibilities, delegating what no longer serves them

• Reclaiming their wellbeing

• Setting new goals, more aligned to their current needs and interest

• Succession planning for a future exit

• Prioritising new, enjoyable and meaningful initiatives

• Elevating the performance of their top team

• Finding a peer community and support crew

• Exploring a more suitable role

• Transitioning to part-time or portfolio careers

• Developing their inner voice and confidence

• Delegating differently, to operate at a different/higher level

• Sharpening a skillset i.e. public speaking or media

• Handing over significant responsibility/portfolios, not just projects

• Aligning their ways of working to energy and adding value

Often, it's a mix of all of the above. Either way, the course of action is always determined by re-evaluating their goals, needs, values and skillsets as they stand today, and adapting accordingly.

Work life is rarely perfect, but it shouldn't be something to endure either.

How have you managed to reclaim your satisfaction in the past?