A few years ago, I asked a group of public sector executives one simple question: “What are the biggest mistakes you've made in your career?”
I walked away with a messy pad full of notes, a new way of seeing the world, and 5 profound mistakes everyone (from junior to executive) should avoid in their career.
Let’s dive in:
Too often, senior professionals are driven by the wrong things. They're trying to prove themselves to someone or themselves. They think they're the only ones who can take care of business, so they overwork themselves and get stuck in the weeds.
Their fears of getting it wrong, going broke, letting people down, or having work done poorly prevent them from looking after themselves and doing what they really want with their lives.
They let fear take the wheel. They think failure would be devastating, only to wind up burnt out and unhappy.
Instead, we must let our dreams, goals and values drive us.
When we do that, we approach our work with energy, fulfilment and joy.
A good leader can get things done through others.
A bad leader can get things done themselves.
However, a legendary leader can create the conditions for everyone to achieve their best.
Don’t get confused: delivery is good, but it’s not what makes the most difference. When we get trapped in hero mode, we think nobody can do things as well as we can. Effective people leaders break free from this trap by diversifying their key person risk, but they often retain too much responsibility for the tasks and outcomes.
When you learn to let go and you focus on building systems and environments that empower others, magic happens.
Ambitious senior leaders often progress quickly. They work hard, build successful businesses and careers... and then find themselves lost by 40. Their rapid success feels like a gilded cage, and the prospect of changing jobs, industries or careers feels too risky and scary.
I once had a 37-year-old Chief Executive as a mentee who dreamed of being a policeman but thought it was 'too late' to start again. THIRTY SEVEN!
Life is too long and short to put yourself in a box too early. The skills you've developed in your career—resilience, relationships, and results—don't disappear when you switch lanes. They flourish in new and unexpected ways. There's no such thing as square one. Do what your heart is telling you to do.
Traditional wisdom says that good leaders are consummate professionals. They speak the right way, wear the right things, and never lose their cool.
But that’s only true if you're willing to:
Hide the most valuable and interesting things about yourself - they're usually your biggest opportunities for connection, contribution and growth.
Build an unsafe environment for others. If you're unwilling to be yourself, nobody else can either. You're stifling the creativity and freedom of your people.
Leaders set the tone. If you can be authentic, you enable others to do that, too.
We think we can do it all.
We think we have unlimited time, energy and bandwidth
We think we are immune to personal disasters, family breakdowns and divorce.
But we can't. We all have the same number of hours in a day, and the more time and energy you devote to your work, the less you have available for other important things.
Your health is a finite resource. Your children will only be young for a short time, and your partner will only absorb neglect for so long. Make sure work lives in an appropriate-sized container, and don't fool yourself into thinking you can squeeze a personal life around the edges. Ultimately, it's not your career you'll be most proud of.