My boss put me through an interesting exercise designed to help me focus on my goals. It was a multi-page, multi-hour process, but one I enjoyed. The opening section requires you to indicate: "what is your catalyst for developing the next stage of your career?" Here's mine:
My catalyst for taking my game to the next level is to increase the likelihood that I can provide for my family at the level I desire.
There are a few components to reaching this goal. I want to always be challenged, continue to exercise my passions and talents, and never become irrelevant as someone who can deliver value.
To the extent that I can be, I’d like to have as much control over my professional career as possible. I want to deliver increasing value to whatever customers I have (both internal and external) without sacrificing the work-life balance I desire.
When I was younger, without kids, and single, I could afford to devote a huge amount of my waking hours to actual work activities. Now I am not able-and do not desire- to do so. However, I know that for someone to pay me the wage I desire (either as an employee or an owner), I need to make a significant impact on the bottom line.
I have spent the last 10 years in a development process that, I believe, has benefited equally from raw talent as from work effort. I believe the next step-to differentiate myself from others and earn the outsized rewards I desire, will require a new approach. One that is based on smart and measured thinking and clear, unambiguous results (in terms of value delivered).
As the world becomes “flatter,” I am acutely aware of the growing challenges to the American worker (or any professional worker, for that matter) and I am looking to benefit from the opportunity of the flat world not to be a victim of its challenges.
I really enjoy working at Microsoft. The people are great, the benefits are phenomenal, and most importantly, it provides me a platform to exercise my two passions of marketing and technology. I am in one of the centers of technology in the world and as I have learned more about myself and talents in a professional capacity, I have gravitated and been placed in marketing capacities which stretch my capabilities—for the better.
The challenge for me as I look down the road is to:
1. Continue to be in a place where my talents and passions are maximized
2. NEVER become irrelevant
3. Find a course of action to build significant wealth and make an impact
These are critical to my family’s long-term goals as well as my own professional fulfillment.
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