Welcome to the Inner Quest podcast, where I share career strategy concepts to help you craft and activate an intentional career that unlocks your full potential. 🚀
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When people feel the need for career growth and change, they often go directly to looking for a job. This approach may work, but in my experience as a leader and coach, I often find people are not 100% clear on what they want and why.
They lack a clear and compelling vision to guide their job search. They lack the self-awareness of how a role fits their broader career and life goals.
Time is precious, and an empowering vision can help us travel further and faster towards our destiny.
What is Career Vision?
In BE 2.0, Jim Collins describes vision through the Collins-Porras Vision Framework:
Core Values and Beliefs - a system of fundamental motivating principles and tenets. Core values and beliefs get instilled by what you do, by specific, concrete actions, not by what you say.
Purpose - the fundamental reason for a company's existence - its ultimate reason for being. A crucial aspect of purpose is that it's always worked towards, but never fully achieved, like chasing the earth's horizon or pursuing a guiding star.
Mission - a big, hairy, audacious goal (BHAG). Your mission must meet one overriding criterion: it must be compelling.
While his focus is on the business context, the same ideas can be applied to us as individuals. We can fine-tune the concept of leadership to "self-leadership."
An important concept and mindset here is that vision drives strategy and tactics.
This means your immediate focus is not on “how” you achieve your vision, as that will eventually come.
It’s most important first to articulate your vision of what you want and why.
Focusing too much on how will constrain your vision as you will think about why you can earn and make it a reality.
Why is Vision Important?
Having a vision for your career and life is crucial for several reasons. Without a clear vision, you may face numerous challenges hindering your progress and satisfaction.
Some common problems include:
Lack of Direction: Without a vision, you may struggle to make decisions that align with your long-term goals, leading to confusion and inconsistency.
Wasted Resources: Time, money, and energy can be squandered on activities that don’t contribute to your desired future, causing frustration and burnout.
Missed Opportunities: Without a clear vision, you might overlook opportunities that could advance your career and personal growth.
A clear and compelling vision can help overcome these problems by providing:
Focused Decision-Making: A vision is a guiding star, helping you make choices aligned with your long-term goals and values.
Efficient Resource Allocation: Knowing where you want to go ensures that your time, money, and energy are invested in the right places, maximizing your productivity and satisfaction.
Motivation and Persistence: A vivid vision of your future can inspire and motivate you, giving you the strength to persevere through challenges and setbacks.
💡Ultimately, a well-defined vision empowers you to live a purposeful and fulfilling life, steering you toward your true potential and desired outcomes.
I hope the podcast provides you with a nugget that catalyzes you to craft a compelling vision for 2025 and beyond.
Thanks for reading Graymatter.
- James
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