ACTivity/ Starting Your Transition
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Photo by Serghei Trifimov on Unsplash.
Manila, 18 October 2023 — Starting your next leadership transition is about making three decisions.
Story
It happened in 1978. Two decades before the birth of positive psychology, which is the scientific study of human flourishing and the building of a life of meaning, a remarkable book dropped. The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck, a psychiatrist, described how to embark on a journey toward a more fulfilling life. It has since become a classic. Now fast forward to this week and a lively discussion about changing careers on the Work It podcast of the Financial Times. The host and panelists concluded that while more and more people talk about making changes to align their work with a purpose they feel strongly about, many don’t get around to actually doing what they talk about. The road less traveled is there because deciding by yourself to change is tough. It takes investing in a transition to make it work.
In Your Next Career we noted how a growing body of research suggests that moving from one career stage to the next will unlock tremendous value in your life. To keep doing what you have been doing for too long may well precipitate a decline in your performance, well-being, and health. Who would have thought that? On the other hand, frequently engaging in new challenges has been shown to be correlated with flourishing and sustained health. Actually, these modern findings are in line with the messages from past leaders about the road less traveled. Think of Laozi, Confucius, Buddha, Socrates, Jesus Christ, and many others in ancient times who all demonstrated the value of making meaningful life transitions—which almost always involved travel to explore new ground.
In more recent times, exceptional leaders like Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, Lee Kuan Yew, Nelson Mandela, and Steve Jobs have all written and spoken about the need to take on new challenges rather than continue on your present path. What the activist Greta Thunberg started five years ago reminded me of the Chinese proverb that the first step matters most when you start your next transition. Tough and impactful, her journey also reflects the Japanese wisdom that even when you fall seven times, you can stand up eight. Margaret Thatcher offered similar advice: to blaze a new trail rather than follow what everyone else does. So, while making a change may be difficult, the good news is that when you decide to start your next transition, you are in the excellent company of pioneers past and present who made the same choice. What will your next transition look like?
Challenge
Where the present-day research and the wisdom from the past come together is in pointing out that you will only grow as a professional when you keep stepping away from the well-trodden path and deliberately take on challenges that stretch you and bring you face-to-face with discomfort and even fear. Regardless of whether your challenge is for a promotion, moving to a different role, shifting to your next career stage, playing a bigger game, or navigating a taxing challenge in your work and life, your next leadership transition will start when you make these three decisions.
Decide that the right time is now. Of course, you may hear a voice in your head telling you the opposite, that it’s better to wait a bit more, to put off your decision. This is natural. We call this the voice of resistance. Please acknowledge this voice because your mind is working to keep you safely in your comfort zone. If you stay there, however, there is no growth and you keep following the highway of the majority. According to the well-known psychologist Carl Jung, a clear and easy road ahead probably means that you’re following other people’s expectations instead of making your journey. The voice of resistance might argue that your goal is unrealistic, or distract you by reminding you that you are too busy. Underneath this resistance lies a subconscious fear that is holding you back. It’s human to have fears, and it is difficult to understand and overcome them by yourself. That leads us to the second decision.
Decide that you deserve the best. The road less traveled is not easy and experts advise that you invest in making your transition a science-informed process of discovery, using the best of research to bring out the best in you. Deserving the best means that you choose to get the best possible support from a qualified coach to guide and support you through your transition. That way, you set yourself up for getting results that meet and go beyond your expectations.
Decide to Wow! yourself. Now that you have decided to start your transition and that you deserve to get the best possible support, you can decide to enjoy your transition and make it a life-changing experience. You know that you’re stepping out from the well-trodden highway of the majority onto your own unique journey on the road less traveled that brings out the best in you. Writers like Joseph Conrad have called this the Hero's Journey, which has inspired many stories and movies. You will also enjoy leaving heavy stuff behind. And as you travel, the ups and downs you experience along the way become an integral part of bringing out the best in you.
Question
My question for you this week is a simple one, yet truly profound and powerful.
My question is not if you are ready to take the three decisions. Because, as we saw, your voice of resistance will almost certainly tell you to wait a bit more before taking the plunge. However, it’s unlikely that you will ever be ready. And you don’t have to be. We read that the sages in the past weren’t ready for their life-changing transitions either. They also heard their voices of resistance. And then, they decided to start anyway.
So here is my question: Will you start your transition now? That’s all that matters.
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