In a blog about leadership and consciousness, on this contribution, I want to address a controversial issue: the relation between work and money and how that is rapidly changing. To illustrate my thinking on this topic, allow me to refer to an old, popular TV show: Rich Man, Poor Man. It is a 70’s American television miniseries based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Irwin Shaw that aired on ABC TV network. I was eight or nine when I first saw the show and I could not make up my mind which of the two brother I would like to resemble growing up. Rudy (Peter Strauss), was an educated, ambitious entrepreneur; on the other hand, poor man Tom (Nick Nolte) was a rebel that eventually turned to boxing to support himself.
Little I knew that, 40 years later, it would be quite normal for most people to alternate phases of what in the 70s were separate universes. If somebody was thinking about making a contemporary remake of that show, those two brothers would be the same person going through different stages of life. Nowadays, most careers are no longer linear or based on accumulating experience and knowledge in a given sector or position, with the exception of the public sector. In the rest of the economy there is a need to reinvent ourselves and gain new skills in a rapidly changing market.
In adddition, although money is important, it cannot be the only measurement for a personal or even professional success. A rewarding career is not necessarily a synonym of wealth. Many leadership positions do not come with a lavish package. This applies to different fields such as health, social or environmental, education, etc.
In a highly volatile world, career changes can often come with an economic loss but with an enormous professional satisfaction. I have taken jobs where I was offered much less money than in my previous position. However, I did not feel that l was taken a step back in my career. On the contrary, I felt I was given a chance to prove myself, learn and hone my skills in a different field. It was an opportunity for professional growth, to become a more rounded executive, to be a better leader.
In my opinion, the end of linear careers is a god thing. It is almost an evolutionary step towards a more conscious human being. Linear careers have been the perfect excuse to avoid awareness, to make our ego and our fears triumph over our true development as a professional and as a person. The focus on linear career path is on time, power, status and money.
People who want to follow a linear career path are what I call “climbers”. Professionals mainly motivated by climbing the corporate ladder. These individuals are not often good leaders. Many of them spend more time showing the world how busy and good they are than actually getting things done. They are not quite achievers; from a leadership perspective, they are rather loud mouth losers. It is hard for them to form cohesive teams. They are often control freaks and not keen on delegating certain responsibilities. Their reluctance to delegate is rooted in fear. Fear to make mistakes and fear to lose control. They value time-spent at the office over results and new ideas.
Having said all these, many XX century corporations have been lead by people with this profile. Together with the negative aspects cited above, there are also some positive characteristics of “climbers”. Among other, they have excellent political skills and survival instinct.
However, times have changed. Leaders at the top of the corporate world are being replaced by professionals that have opted for different career paths. Below I will leave you some tips about pursuing a career in the new Coronalism age:
1. The first consideration refers to different career paths, according to your goals. Those career paths can be pursued alternatively or simultaneously. A person goes to different stages and his or her career can adapt consequently
Expert Career Path
The main driver for this profile is becoming an expert on their field. They tend to be high skilled, adaptable individuals. They can be good leaders but not necessarily good general managers. Many of those who accept linear careers and promotion into general management, they have a tendency to micromanage and they are very focused on details. They generally lack the strategic mind crucial in those positions. They have often a problem to delegate. In this case they are often affected by the “I know everything syndrome” closely linked to the ego. Obviously, they are not all like this and I have met some, who have been able to make a very smooth transition to a top management position.
Circular Career Path
They are hungry for new experiences and learning. I am certainly part of this group. They will sacrifice power and status for leaning. The negative side is that they can get easily bored. They need to be constantly challanged. Once they have learned all that there is to learn in a given positions, they will need to move on. Circular career paths profiles they will go back to University, change to another sector or industry, explore other jobs, etc. They want their professional development to be constant. They are often misunderstood as lacking commitment and empathy.
Transitory Career Path
For this profile the job is a means to an end. They work to make a living and not the other way around. They value highly their free times and hobbies. They want to make a point of having a life beyond their job. They have a natural penchant towards creative ideas and they can really add value if properly managed. If the manager knows how to press their buttons and respect their passions outside work, they can be highly committed. Some people mistakenly dismiss them as lazy or bureaucratic. Far from it, they are flexible and innovative but they need to feel they are understood by their managers and peers.
Project Leaders Career Path
These are the “doers”. They are very much results oriented. They are very comfortable being the second in command. They focus on getting things done. The end, justifies the means type of approach. They excel under pressure with intrapreneurial leadership skills. They are not very politically skilled but they compensate by having a very practical and problem solving mind. They are often invisible to top-management and they do not seek for the spot light. They are often critic with everything else which does not contribute directly to their team objectives.They often have an engineering or legal background. They are thrilled managing systems and small professional eco-systems. If they were promoted to top management, it is highly recommended to provide them with some mentoring to get them ready to lead larger teams or organizations.
Coronalism is bringing a lot of changes to our life and to our workplace. It requires a new form of leadership and it poses a challenge to the old linear carrer path. This new period of history also affects our perception of successs, remuneration, learning, power, responsibility, mentoring, etc. We will address some of these issues in future pieces. In conclusion, we should listen to ourselves, be conscious, block external influences and be the best version of ourselves at work. As a leader, you should aim to form diverse teams and understand the career needs of each team member. This mindset will make you mentally ready and emotionally strong to face new challenges and will be flexible enough to find the best ways on how to approach them. Be a rich man or a poor man depending on the challenge that lives throughs at you.
