When was the last time you wondered if you were on the “right” career path? Does it happen in your weekly team meeting? Or, maybe it happens randomly when you are completing some mundane task. For me, it surfaces when I’m questioning the value or the challenge of my work.
When it does, I enter search mode. I start paying more attention to jobs I see. Or, I look for external inspiration to bring into my work. Or, I start building the case for new responsibilities. I’m looking for guidance.
Oftentimes, we turn to self help books for guidance. Many exist. I’ve read a number of best selling career related guides (e.g. - What Color is Your Parachute or Strength’s Finder). Most of them tend to fall just a bit short, to me. They fail in helping us truly see what can be.
I started Career Adventurer to help. Many mid-career professionals find it difficult to see the career possibilities within their reach. I know I do. We get lost in the daily sameness of work. We miss the opportunities that are right in front of us. What’s the solution? you ask? Hearing personal stories.
Others Help Us See
We’re lost in what we see. We typically do what we know. If our parents were accountants, we become accountants or something like it. We need external examples to help push us. Other people’s stories provide a window into a new world. When you see through that window, you may see an entirely different path to take. At a minimum, you’ll see opportunities to improve your current path. This might be all you need.
Introducing Season 1 of the Career Adventurer Podcast. It’s six interviews with mid-career professionals embracing possibility in their careers. They are startup founders, ex-corporate leaders, engineers, product managers, marketers, AI gurus, podcast hosts, and, well, human. They are succeeding because they’ve embraced work’s non-linear path. They succeed because sometimes they fail. Listening will make you think. Their stories will help you uncover new career possibilities to pursue.
Let’s Get Engaged
Listening will help you engage. Did you know that most mid-career professionals are not engaged in their work? Work engagement is only increasing with Baby Boomers. What?!?! Boomers are literally in the retirement window. Gen X, Millennial, and Gen Z engagement is slipping. Why?
There are a number of reasons. For some, it’s simply about clarity of expectations or not being cared about at work. I’m sure the trend of recent mass layoffs hasn’t helped! For others, it’s all about opportunities. Many employers are not providing enough opportunities to learn and grow. Plus, they aren’t putting them in positions that maximize their talents.
This is exactly the point of Career Adventurer: to help you hear how people are paving their own way. Hear from people who are finding opportunities to learn and grow on their own. It it’s to be it must be thee. You make your own opportunities. These discussions with real career adventurers who’ve taken multiple, non-linear paths will help you. Listen.
Why Listen
Here’s but a few reasons.
Haven’t you heard enough enough True Crime?! There’s only so many times you can hear the same story about a detective hunting down a killer.
I’ve seen a lot. I’ve successfully explored a number of career paths in my 20+ year career. I’ve succeeded at P&G, one of the top leadership development companies in the world. I’ve led operations as a Golf Course Superintendent. Thus, I have a variety of lived experience.
Last, networking is one of my super powers. I will find great guests with an interesting angle to share.
6 Cool Guests, Great Content
I’ve got six cool guests to share. Some are ex Big Corporate Leaders from P&G, GE, and PWC, who’ve founded and even exited startups. One has run for office. One is CEO of a digital marketing agency and is paving the way in the Midwest with AI. Another manages water systems that are over 100 years old. One is a former soccer player who worked at the MLS but now leads an Innovation firm that partners with some of the world’s leading companies.
They have unique stories with common threads. Each one has taken a non-linear path. They started their careers along one path but found their ways to others. Some times the steps were difficult and unclear. Some times they had to go backwards to find their way. Nonetheless, each one is pushing forward with passion and purpose today.
We talked topics like making the leap, networking, getting fired, networking, starting a business, imposter syndrome and more.
Six Season 1 Nuggets:
(1) Outta the Bubble
Most of us live in a bubble. We sit in sameness. We interact primarily with only those in our direct work world. We typically only leave the bubble if we’re forced out. Is this you?
One of the guests talked about how she forced herself out of the bubble. Forcing herself out lead to a new adventure in politics and now co-leading a startup. She provides some great thinking on how to get out of your everyday space to explore.
(2) Master Informational Interviews
The earlier you learn how to do informational interviews, the better. I’m amazed this “skill” isn’t developed by as many people. I get it. We’re busy, don’t have time. But, it’s critical if you want to explore potential career paths.
Another one of the guests talked about how she approaches informational interviews. She learned the skill as an undergrad. It enabled her to land a job with the MLS and now leading Innovation with a growing early stage company.
(3) Dealing w/Radical Candor
I first heard about “Radical Candor” watching a Silicon Valley episode on HBO. (It’s a must watch, a irreverent take on growing a startup in Silicon Valley. Plus, it provides amazing content for presentations!). Radical Candor is all about providing clear, direct, and sincere. Kim Scott popularized the term.
One guest was told he hadn’t grown as a leader in ten years by a board member. How would you handle being told this? He could have ignored it, but didn’t. Instead he took very specific actions to work on his leadership skills.
(4) Imposter Syndrome
You imposter you!!! You suck! You have no clue what you’re talking about!!! You’ve heard these voices before. It’s imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is feeling anxiety about your performance even though you are high-performing and successful. I’ve felt it. You’ve felt it. It’s far more common than you think.
It was refreshing to hear at least two of the guests openly discuss it. Both guests talked about how they manage anxiety. Further, they shed light on the fact that others in the room likely think they are the ‘weakest link’ too.
(5) Know Your Ceiling
There’s a lot of pressure to continuously climb the ladder. We’ve been trained to desperately ascend every rung. We celebrate earning more. We need more people to report to us. Why? Our society extols money, power, and success. Don’t get me wrong. These things do matter. Success is important. But how much?
One of my guests talks about his temporary promotion. At first, it’s what he thought he wanted. Overnight he had more than a dozen people reporting to him. Now, much more of his time was dedicated to coaching people. Before, he had more time for project management. He decided that the greater people responsibility wasn’t worth it. He may seek it again in the future. At this point in time, he’d rather have less people management responsibilities.
(6) Do it Again
You’re likely familiar with the saying “Fail Forward.” It’s a great growth mindset thought. Another variation of this is “Do it Again.” I’ve found that to many people “fail forward” means to try something and if you fail use that experience to build to the next thing. It suggests to test, learn, and move on. What about test, learn, and retry.
One guest talks about launching her digital marketing company twice. She had to shut it down during the great recession and go back to life in the corporate world. She was down, but not out. Instead of settling back into corporate or focusing on the next thing, she decided to relaunch her company. The second time, she made it more sustainable. She learned from the obstacles and busted through them.
Listen to Every Episode
These courageous men and women have fascinating stories. As mentioned, they are fascinating mid-career pros. They are pushing themselves in new ways. Most importantly, they are cool people. We can all learn from their experiences to shape our own. I certainly did.
Each episode is approximately 35 - 45 minutes. Plus, I’ll include the top five themes and quotes from each interview for you to read in each interview. Last, I’ll provide some potential actions to consider for your own career.
I’ll release one episode every week for six weeks. Then, I’ll have a final season recap post with some of the common themes from the interviews. You’ll find them on Substack and major podcast sites like Apple and Spotify.
In Startup Mode
Last, Career Adventurer is in “startup mode.” We want to help you uncover possibilities in your career. Possibilities that will make it just a little more purposeful. We’d love to hear from you. Send me a message with your thoughts or questions.
I’ve already had former colleagues, class mates, and friends reach out after reading. If you know someone who might benefit from hearing other people’s stories, share Career Adventurer with them.
Enjoy the season!
Paul G. Fisher
The Career Adventurer Podcast Season 1 Preview