What are your career priorities right now and how do they differ from previous stages of your life? What do you think will matter to you in the future that isn’t so important now?
Last week I was in a card shop picking up a “new baby” card for a friend, when I realised I also needed to buy one for a funeral (of a very dear ex-colleague) and a wedding – all of which took place in the same crazy week. Also last week, I was speaking to a friend whose children are just about at the stage of going off to university, leaving her with the exciting, but also potentially daunting, possibility of completely re-shaping her life and self-image, no longer bound to the primary role of parent. Unsurprisingly, these experiences got me thinking a lot about life and the “big questions” – particularly as I am, myself, “with child” and am therefore anticipating a pretty major new life stage myself next year!
Major life events naturally create a division in our minds between one phase and the next, offering a chance to reflect and reconsider our perspectives and priorities – and this has an impact too on our career choices.
The baby effect
An example of this, which I have seen many times in my work as a career coach, is women who have recently had a baby and are on maternity leave. It seems that this time away from work and the usual routine can prompt a major re-think regarding career and what we want out of life. The obvious example is how work conditions like location and flexibility become more important in order to fit round family life, which is why many choose to go freelance or set up their own business as “mumpreneurs” (a bit of a patronising term, but it shows how this has become “a thing”.)
Another thing that can often happen when people have children is that purpose and meaning in their work become more important. I’ve often heard from clients the sentiment that they want to make their children proud and to set an example for them in the future about how they followed their dreams, rather than languishing in an unfulfilling job. My Dad made a bold career change (from teacher to writer) when I was a young child and it certainly inspired me, so I can see why this might be appealing to parents considering a shift.
What colours our career outlook?
There’s been a fair bit of research into how our life stages impact our thinking around careers and priorities. In 1980, career psychologist Donald Super came up with a theory called “The Life Career Rainbow”, which shows how different life stages create changes in how we see ourselves, and consequently what we want from our careers. Another colourful-sounding theory, the Kaleidoscope Model illustrates how we re-shape our ideal careers like the shifting patterns of a kaleidoscope.
The Kaleidoscope Model highlights three core factors that are important to us in different measures depending on the stage we are in our life. They are: Authenticity, Balance and Challenge (ABC!). The idea is that, just like the three little mirrors in a kaleidoscope that can create an infinite number of patterns, how much we weight each of these three metrics can create an array of different career possibilities, and that it is therefore helpful to be aware of how our priorities are shifting over time.
Paint your own career picture
So what does your kaleidoscope look like right now? Put each of the nine statements below in a list in order of how important they are to you right now related to your career. Then score them from 1-9 depending where they come in the list, with 9 being the top of the list and 1 being the bottom. You can then add up the scores for A,B, and C to see how they compare (you could even put the final three scores into a colourful pie chart if you want to give it more of a kaleidoscope feel!):
· Being genuine with other people (A)
· Having a sense of purpose (A)
· Following your passion (A)
· Having time with family and friends (B)
· Being able to balance your career with other interests (B)
· Looking after your wellbeing (B)
· Having a sense of accomplishment and advancement (C)
· Getting an intellectual or physical challenge (C)
· Allowing for growth and learning (C)
How do the three factors – Authenticity (A), Balance (B) and Challenge (C) - measure up for you? Which is most important and how might this have changed from previous phases of your life? Do you need to find more of this in your career right now?
I’d love to hear what this brought up for you, so please do share in the comments below!
If you’re recognising that your priorities are shifting and want to talk through what that might mean for your career, feel free to get in touch with me for a free 30 minute career consultation: contact@annalevycoaching.com