The Crooked Path
Back to Mid-Life Career Crisis Overview
Reinventing Your Career
Adapted from a summary review of Herminia Ibarra’s book "Working Identity". Click here if you wish to purchase Ibarra’s book.
Herminia Ibarra almost hits the nail on the head as far as I’m concerned, when she talks about how to reinvent your career. Ibarra's approach to significant career transition goes against conventional wisdom. Many career counselors suggest a linear process that begins first with analyzing what we want to do and then using that knowledge to guide our actions toward the "right" job. I say it ‘almost’ hits the nail on the head because I believe one must use a combination of concurrent self analysis, preparation and action.
Ibarra doesn’t believe that figuring out the one ‘right answer’ works in real life, and I agree. If you already know the type of role you want and what industry you are a good fit for, then a linear process could very well help you transition. But if you are considering a rather significant career change, you must be open to an entirely different process.
Based on her in-depth research on how people from all professional walks of life make career transitions, Herminia outlines a three-part process of career change: experimenting with new professional activities, connecting with new social networks, and working and re-working the story we tell ourselves and others about who we are. I integrate all of these processes into my career consulting work with clients.
Switching careers means much more than changing what we do from 9 to 5; it usually means redefining ourselves. Finding out what we want to do and who we want to become is a Crooked Path, not a simple leap from A to B.
While there isn't one set path for making a career change, some general guidelines are helpful. Keep in mind that these steps are written as linear, but the process for career change is anything but. While Ibarra’s advice is to Act, then Reflect; my perspective is to Reflect, Act and Reflect again.
REFLECT, ACT, then REFLECT AGAIN
You cannot discover what you want to do by sheer reflection and analysis. There is value in reflecting, brainstorming and expressing what you already know about yourself, but you have to quickly shift gears into action. Now hear this – YOU MUST TAKE ACTION BEFORE YOU KNOW ‘THE ANSWER’. Your actions will inform you and help you narrow all of your floating ideas into a few buckets that have a higher probability of being good fits. Trust your intuition. Talk it through with an objective professional that is not a family member or friend.
You must act your way into a new way of thinking and being. Start by changing what you say and do. Take action, and then use the feedback from your actions to figure out what you think, feel, and want. Analyzing and planning alone will not help you transition into a new career.
DON’T LOOK FOR ONE RIGHT ANSWER
Stop trying to find the right answer. Focus on your values and what you want for your life. There are most likely many things you could be doing that will lead to fulfillment. Test and learn more about options, even the ones that your logical self tells you are impossible. Acting in the world gives us the opportunity to see ourselves through our behaviors and it allows us to adjust our expectations as we learn.
BE COMPASSIONATE WITH YOURSELF
Allow yourself a transition period in which it is okay to flip-flop between holding on and letting go. The time preceding a significant career change often involves turmoil, confusion, and uncertainty. One of the hardest tasks of reinvention is staying the course when it feels like you are coming undone. Watch out for decisions made in haste, especially when it comes to unsolicited offers. It takes a while to let go of the old and assimilate into a new self. Those who try to short-circuit the process often end up taking longer.
ERR ON THE SIDE OF INCREMENTAL CHANGE
Resist the temptation to start by making a huge decision that will change everything in one fell swoop. Use a strategy of small wins, and you may find they lead you to more profound changes in the basic assumptions that define your work and life. Almost no one gets change right on the first try.
FREE YOURSELF TO EXPERIMENT
Identify projects that can help you get a feel for a new line of work or style of working. Try to do these as extracurricular activities or parallel paths at first. Start small. Think in terms of side projects and temporary assignments. Just make sure that you vary your experiments, so that you can compare and contrast experiences before you narrow your options.
BREAK OUT OF SAFETY ZONES
Break out of your old circles. Branch out. Force yourself to build new connections with different types of people who are living different types of lives. If you have had a high-status position for years, be prepared to come down from your high seat and gain some humility. Look for role models--people who give you glimpses of what you might become and who are living examples of different ways of working and living. Most of us seek to change not only what we do; we also aspire to work with people we like and respect and with whom we enjoy spending our precious time.
REFRAME YOUR STORY
Practice telling and retelling your story. Over time, it will clarify. This is crucial, yet many people resist, falling back into their habitual way of articulating who they are. Take advantage of whatever life sends your way to revise, or at least reconsider, your story. Practice telling it in different ways to different people, in much the same way you would revise a resume and cover letter for different jobs. Don’t be surprised when your story changes along the way – it probably will.
IF YOU FALL OFF THE HORSE, TAKE A BREAK, BUT GET BACK ON QUICKLY
When you feel stuck and are short on insight, take time to breathe and refresh. Even as short a break as a day's hike in the country will allow you to re-energize and get grounded. Don't stay away too long, or it will be hard to reel yourself back in. Only through active engagement in the real world do we discover ourselves.
SEIZE WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITY
Windows of opportunity open and close back up again. Take advantage of any natural windows like the period just after an educational program or assuming a new position. Watch out for the insidious effect of old routines or being trapped by false securities. It’s okay to be hanging in limbo for a while, but don't let unanswered questions hold you down; move on.
Major career transitions take time. Often there are stepping stone changes along the way. The "turning point," if there is one, comes later. Then again, one day you will wake up and find yourself with a new identity – and feel like you are home.
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