Approach Career Transitions for Who You’re Becoming, Not Who You Were
It’s that time of year – the season of change. You may be feeling restless or even a little wearied. A wave of discontent may flutter in and begin to nudge you to consider what else is out there for you as the season begins to inspire change. You contemplate your next career move.
But, why? What's really happening when you contemplate that next chapter. That angst feeling? It doesn’t have to be dissatisfaction – it’s growth. You're sensing the gap between who you're becoming and the container you're operating within. And here's the empowering truth: this crave for growth and impact is exactly what prepares you to approach career transitions completely differently than you did early in your career.
How Your Approach Will Evolve
September's coaching session themes revealed that leaders contemplating and navigating career transitions were simultaneously engaged in deep identity work. Career planning paired with authentic leadership development. Transition discernment coupled with strengths discovery and validation. Energy management woven through every conversation.
This isn't coincidence - it's your inner wisdom. You've recognized that sustainable success comes from aligning your next role with who you're becoming, not trying to fit an evolving self into yesterday's framework.
Remember your first "real" job search? The rehearsed answers, the desperate hope they'd pick you, the willingness to contort yourself into whatever shape they needed? That approach doesn't fit who you've become. The approach and narrative has evolved:
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| Then: You memorized "right" answers, hoping to prove you belonged.
| Now: You ask deliberate questions about the people and the work to determine how you will thrive and add value.
| Then: You dressed the part and minimized anything that made you "different."
| Now: You lead with unique and authentic strengths, knowing that pretending to be someone else means it's not a fit.
| Then: You focused on checking their boxes - years of experience, technical skills, degrees, etc.
| Now: You evaluate whether their culture and environment will nurture your continued growth or deplete your energy.
You’re not seeking approval anymore, instead you’re seeking alignment. The power has shifted and recognizing that changes everything about what career move comes next.
Aligning Your Next Role with Who You're Becoming
While traditional career planning focuses on external markers, leaders creating meaningful transitions are instead discerning personal values, vision, and evolving identity, rather than a societal checklist:
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What brings me joy and energized me verse what I’ve simply gotten good at?
What am I working toward and what natural strengths make it rewarding to move in that direction?
What type of environment will support my growth and continued evolution?
Who am I really?
This is why career transitions feel so significant - you're not just choosing a position, you're actively shaping who you're becoming. And with the wisdom you've gained, you're finally interviewing organizations verse being interviewed by them. The mindful questions you now ask reveal how much you've grown in experience, expertise, and inner wisdom:
Tell me about a time your leadership team disagreed. What was the topic? How was it debated and resolved?
What happens here when an employee makes and admits to a mistake?
How does this organization define and invest in leadership growth and development?
Notice the shift? These aren't questions about benefits or trajectories. They're inquiries about whether this environment will support your continued evolution. You're no longer auditioning - you're evaluating.
Your Leverage Is Your Growth
That confidence to flip the interview dynamic comes from the identity work you've done. You've mapped your energy patterns to understand what sustains versus depletes you. You've claimed authentic strengths that may have been hiding behind inherited expectations. You've clarified values that serve as your North Star.
The leaders pairing career planning with this deeper work aren't being indulgent - they're being intentional and strategic. They understand that getting the position is only the beginning. Without the clarity of who you are and what you want, you risk carrying old patterns into new roles, recreating familiar challenges with different scenery.
Your next role isn't about finding somewhere that fits who you were last season - it's about choosing an environment that nurtures your growth and supports who you're becoming.