Hey {{contact.first_name}},
My client, Angela, was a star engineer for a multinational consumer goods company.
With both an undergraduate degree and a master’s degree in engineering (and a father who was also an engineer), she came up through the ranks quickly. She performed well and was in the spotlight as one of the company’s talented ‘female engineers’. Her 14-year career was marked by promotions and raises, but the accolades and attention were getting increasingly uncomfortable.
The problem?
She hated her job so much she threw up every morning before heading into work.
When Angela came to see me, she had no idea how she ended up in the spot she was in. She hated engineering, felt stuck, needed the income, and had no idea how to untangle herself from a career she had invested so much in.
While Angela’s experience might be extreme, I think many people can relate to ending up in a spot in their careers (or lives) and having no idea how they got there.
This 4-part series (The Four Horseman of a Career Apocalypse) is about the four influences that most often take people off course in their careers: Money, Approval, Trauma, and Ignorance
As I mentioned last week, your career doesn’t have to be imploding for these 4 Horsemen to be undermining your highest and best work.
They are ubiquitous and crafty and can stealthily inch their way into how you manage your career.
Like a current slowly exerting invisible force, the pull of these horsemen, over time, can result in you waking up one day miserable and wondering how you got there.
In Angela’s case, as we unraveled what felt to her like a knotted ball of string that made no sense, she recalled how she was a whiz at math and science growing up. The more “A’s” she got, the more she was praised.
“You’re so good at math,” they said, “You should go into engineering!”
“Here’s a special program for girls in engineering.”
“Here’s a scholarship for engineering!” “Here’s a high paying job offer.”
“You’re promoted!” “Here’s a bonus!”
So, engineering it was.
When you perform well at something, well-meaning people are quick to announce it as your strength. After all, look how good you are at it!
But what happens if, like most of my clients, you are crazy smart, high achieving, and perform well at most things?
When both your zone of competence and your zone of excellence are huge, performance is no longer a reliable metric for where you should focus your efforts or what direction to take.
This can lead to all kinds of confusion.
