Key Principles for Career Fulfillment

It’s graduation season, and I’ve been reflecting on the lessons I wish I’d learned sooner, so I can share them with new grads. Here’s the first one: Passion is necessary, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle. Too often, we hear “follow your passion,” as if passion alone guarantees success or fulfillment over the course of your career. In reality, you have to consider passion alongside four other critical factors: Your unique assets (What skills, experiences, or perspectives do you bring to the table AND where do you have a genuine advantage over others? Market realities (What problems are people willing to pay to solve? Which industries are growing, and which are shrinking?) Supply & demand (Is there real demand for what you want to offer?) Timeliness fit (Ask yourself: will this path sustain your interests, values, and well-being? Is it going to position you to have a next step in the area you want to explore next?) Hopefully, this is helpful to those of you thinking about what’s next in life, from someone who has been there…just a short time ago.

I stick to 1 career principle: take your growth into your own hands. (No one is going to do it for you) When I began working at Google, I realized that working non-stop wasn't the answer. All of my colleagues were impressive. They hyper-focused on being exceptional. They took advantage of a rich training culture and road it to the moon. I came from a startup environment that was focused on survival. So development was often dismissed due to the daily pressures of "busyness." - But intentional development is a must - You might work extra long hours - But set aside time to learn If you don't prioritize development, you'll plateau. I flourished once I focused on intentional growth. Here’s how it amplifies your results: 1) EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE Self-development helps you handle stress better. You slow down, become less reactive, and learn to weave your way through difficult people. 2) EFFECTIVE MOTIVATION Self-development boosts your vitality, enabling you to manage extensive work demands effectively. 3) ENDURING SUCCESS Self-development never ends. It ensures your efforts are sustainable. You achieve more (and better). 4) ENHANCED FOCUS Self-development gives you clarity. When your head is clear, you progress faster. 5) ENJOYABLE LIFE Self-development increases happiness. You feel more confident and more empowered to overcome obstacles. Better you → Better biz → Better client results.

𝗔 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 ☀ Ever felt like your professional successes don't quite fill the void within? It's a challenge many in leadership positions encounter: the quest for genuine fulfillment and purpose that goes beyond just achieving goals. Ignoring this sense of emptiness can lead to a disconnection from your work, affecting productivity and potentially prompting thoughts of leaving your organization. A daily reflection exercise on your purpose can be key in addressing this. Here’s a streamlined approach: 💥 Identify Moments of Identity: Recall six times in your career where you felt most fully yourself. What is most meaningful to you, and why? 💥 Find the Underlying Pattern: Examine these situations closely. What connects them? Capture the common thread that made these moments feel you were most fully being yourself. The clue is in what is meaningful and why. 💥 Craft Your Purpose Statement: Turn this pattern into a deep self-concept statement. It could be something as inspiring as "To be the best in every interaction" or "To bring out the best in my people." 💥 Winning matters, but without meaningfulness it results in emptiness. So winning matters, meaning matters, it’s Both/And, not either/or. Combine going for a Big Win and your Big Purpose. 💥 Mobilize Your Purpose: Make this statement a guiding principle in your everyday decisions and regularly review its relevance to your evolving leadership journey. Carefully not on track, off track and course correct. By incorporating this reflection into your daily routine, you can start to bridge the gap between external achievements (winning) and internal fulfillment (meaning). When done well, this alignment can reignite your passion for your work, enhance your productivity, and deepen your connection to your role and team.🌀 Share your thoughts in the COMMENTS below. 🔽 #LeadershipFulfillment #PurposeBeyondSuccess #ReflectAndRedefine #AuthenticLeadership #MissionDrivenLeaders

It’s summertime, and I know many of you are just beginning a new job or perhaps a new role within your company.     I have found it helpful to look less at whether a specific job or role fulfills every dream you have planned for your career. Instead, I believe it’s helpful to adopt the mindset that every role can be a lesson for professional and personal growth.    Lois Scali — an incredible mentor of mine, fantastic attorney, and former musical artist — once told me that so many people focus on what a job is NOT that they miss the opportunity of seeing what the job COULD BE for them.     The opportunity lies in discovering how every single role builds transferable skills and capabilities.     Even manual labor that some may perceive as “beneath them” can teach you about efficiency or expand your empathic skills. Sometimes a role can help your understanding of how a company or industry works.    The real lesson in all of this is broader than work: You cannot always control the external conditions you face, but you can control how you respond to those external conditions.     When you take control of how you respond and consciously focus on extracting value from and giving value to those circumstances, you have a greater sense of fulfillment and well-being. And, equally important, you will find the lessons you learn from those experiences invaluable no matter where you go or what you do.     This is true for every job you have and in life in general. As they say, even if you’re given lemons, make lemonade. When life gives you a job, learn, grow, and outperform. 

Most of us were sold a false narrative: that our careers should be our primary source of meaning and purpose. But what if that's backward? What if fulfillment isn't something you discover at work, but something you create? I've spoken with countless people trapped in unfulfilling jobs who transformed their experience not by changing positions, but by changing perspective. They stopped waiting for their work to become meaningful and started bringing meaning to their work. This shift begins by identifying your values across life domains. What kind of person do you want to be? Then, find ways your current role helps you live those values, even if indirectly. And if your job truly doesn't align with your values? Make deliberate time for fulfillment elsewhere. Your job is just one part of your life, not its entirety. The power to create meaning exists within you. No perfect job required. Learn more about creating meaning outside of your job here: https://lnkd.in/eM33Zda8