How did Oprah Winfrey, a woman who aimed to be a millionaire by age 32 become Forbes’ 4th wealthiest celebrity with a net worth of $82 million? Early on she made decisions that aligned her personal goal of changing people’s lives with that of her career, which was to one day be financially successful.
She achieved this by pursuing her personal aspirations while at the same time making decisions that aligned with her organization’s goals.
Stage 1 – Early Career
This is the time you are discovering who you are and where your passions lie without worrying about mortgages and other major financial and family. It’s from here that you can focus on career choices that align with your passions.
The example above shows that to create the life you want you need to focus on what you are passionate about; zero in on what drives you. Taking charge of your career development early when you don’t have the family and financial commitments you will later in life, allows you to make choices based on your own personal goals and what fulfills you.
You will be more successful professionally and more personally fulfilled when you integrate your work life with your personal life and let those two lives merge and exist in the same dimension.
Stage 2 – Mid Career
Mid-career is a time to revisit your career plan and reassess how things are going. If you suddenly discover that your career is not or no longer fulfilling you on a personal level you can still correct your course and discover meaningful work that drives toward growth, fulfillment, and work-life integration.
If you find however, that your career is already aligned with your personal passions then this is the time to deepen your commitment to your career.
Stage 3 – Late Career
It’s never too early or too late to take charge of your career development. You can still create the work life that you want. Towards the end of your career is when you should be thinking about legacy building and winding down. If at this point you have not integrated your work with your real life you still have the opportunity to do so.
Think about what you want to be remembered for and work towards that.
On Leadership
These three stages apply to not only individuals but to leaders as well. Many times when discussing goal alignment, strategists focus entirely on helping employees set organizational goals that meet only organizational needs.
However, if managers learn to lead and support people in their career developmentthey will also help them in the lifelong process of managing learning, work, leisure, and transitions in order to move toward a personally determined and evolving preferred future. As a result, employees will be happier and more engaged in their workplace.
Need help aligning your life’s purpose with your career? Call today for a FREE Insight Discovery session.
