Hi Reader

A story about me this week because I think some of you are where I was.

The year I stopped chasing the next job title

I'd reached a senior role and couldn't see what came next

Many, many moons ago, I FINALLY became an Area Manager - a title I'd been after for years! 🎊

I'd worked hard to get there. But when I looked ahead, I couldn't see my next step. The only obvious one was the next promotion.

And I didn't want it.

I chased it anyway.

Why? Because it was the next tick

That's what success looked like to me then. You get the title, then you go for the next one. Nobody tells you that you're allowed to stop and ask whether you actually want it.

So I carried on. Working hard, being the safe pair of hands, going after something I hadn't chosen.

Until I realised that I spent most of my time doing things that gave me very little joy and how burnt out I was.

I see this a lot now in the women I coach. Very capable, very busy, and heading towards something they've never stopped to question.

What changed

I let go of the job title.

That sounds simple and it absolutely wasn't. The title was how I measured whether I was doing well. Without it, I had to answer a much harder question: what is the right next step for me?

Once I'd worked that out, I could be strategic about my moves, and stop going for whatever happened to be next.

For me , this looked like setting up my first business, it wasn't some grand plan, it came about from a series of steps that started with figuring out what my values were and what I wanted my life to really look like in 5 years (FYI Setting up a business isn't for everyone and there are loads of other options).

If this is you

If you're senior, good at what you do and quietly dreading the thing you're supposed to want next, you're not ungrateful and you haven't lost your drive.

You may just never have been asked the question. So here it is:

❓If the title didn't matter, what would you want your next step to be?

Hit reply and tell me. I'd love to know.

And if you'd like help working it out, book a free 20 minute Career Strategy Call with me. No pressure. We'll look at where you are, and what the right next step could be for you.

Take care

Padma

P.S. If you'd like to start on your own first, my free Get Hired Quiz shows you where to focus.

P.P.S. My free Strategy Gap webinar is on Tuesday 17th November. Click the link and save your spot: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/_aaW_mF_QtupGYvN3s5knA​