Since I was a kid, I’ve always wanted to be a teacher.
I found it so fascinating to share knowledge, open minds and change lives (#cringeygoals).
However, my life was forever changed when I watched Wall Street (1987) where Michael Douglas’ character, Gordon Gekko introduced me to the world of High Finance and Business and I just knew I wanted to be in the commercial world making tons of money. (And oh yes, Richard Gere’s corporate-raiding character in Pretty Woman (1990) piqued my interest too!)
But looking back at my career journey to where I am today as a Career Strategist who has helped thousands of people to enjoy happier careers, I never thought for one moment that I would actually end up here, happy and well-balanced.
Reflecting on this, let me share some career lessons I’ve learnt along the way that could help you in your journey too.
1. You seldom know your final station – but Life drops you little clues
Life is full of surprises, and I hate surprises!
I’m the sort of guy who doesn’t read mystery novels because the suspense is simply too much to bear and often, I’d flip to the last chapter to find out whether it was the butler who did it.
And in my younger days, I was always in a rush to find out where my “Career End Point” would be and I’d get frustrated when one idea didn’t work out or when I hit a ‘career road-bump’.
“If only I’d known where I was meant to go, what I was meant to do.”
But like a good Quentin Tarantino movie, you sometimes have to sit through hours of silly dialogue just to get to juicy and largely satisfying end. We won’t always get to know our destination until we’re there.
But life does drop you little clues.
For me, it was the constant theme of wanting to help people and being interested in career management (that’s why I spent over a decade in headhunting).
Even public speaking and being naturally comfortable on in front of a TV camera or radio station microphone were subtle cues that my future could lie in this direction. (In case you didn’t know, I’ve had a weekly show on National Radio OneFM913 every Thursday morning since Jan 2020).
Look out for the tiny signals that life throws your way and see what you can do with these golden nuggets.
2. Your path is never linear – dare to take “The Road Less Traveled”
My career journey brought me from Oil & Gas, to Digital Marketing (in 2000, way before it was even a thing), to industrial design services, to headhunting. Diverse, disparate and sometimes, dichotomous.
My older brother who is a medical doctor once commented that I was a ‘job hopper’ who didn’t know what he wanted.
To a certain extent, that was true – and the only way to find out, was to experiment to see what worked and what didn’t.
I took the ‘roads less traveled’ as Robert Frost put it…and often, these roads would lead to dead-ends.
Mistakes would have to be made for lessons to be learnt. Mistakes are part of the journey and perhaps, the longer but scenic route that you are taking is exactly what you really need to get clarity.
Similarly, if you are at a Career Crossroad and are unsure of what’s next, do not be afraid to try something new or different (or email us for advice!)
Go ahead, take on that new project, accept that scary promotion, go join that competitor with the better products. As the Roman Poet Virgil said, “Fortune Favours the Bold!”
3. Build your own Tribe – Be around like-minded people.
The One Trait I noticed that successful people have in common is that they never stand alone.
There is always a team of supporters around them, cheering them on and making their journey smoother and more enjoyable.
Life is too short to go at it by yourself.
I realised that the periods where I achieved quantum leaps in my career was always when I had someone smarter and wiser than me I could call on. In my headhunting days, it was William Farrell my APAC Board Member, in my outplacement days, it was Lyndsay Potts my Country MD and in Career Agility, it is Sze-Yen Chee my Business Partner.
The contributions of these fantastic cheerleaders to my career cannot be understated.
Likewise, shamelessly surround yourself with people who are better, smarter and more experienced than you. Wisdom, like water, flows downhill, never uphill.
But how do you know if someone is a friend or fiend?
Tell them your ideas, your dreams, your aspirations – if they say ‘That’s stupid, you’ll never make it,’ they’re probably the latter. (Unless your idea is a really, really terrible one like selling solar-powered shoelaces or battery-operated paperweights.)
When my daughter Mia was younger, she innocently asked me over a glass of strawberry milkshake and fries, “Daddy, you said you always wanted to be a Teacher, but now you’re a Career Strategist. Do you consider yourself a failure?”
I choked on my diet coke, paused and replied.
“Actually, Daddy helps people by teaching them the strategies of how to have better careers, and show them the way they can be happier at work. In a way, that’s also like being a Teacher.” (#GoodSave!)
It was only then that I realised, indeed, my career aspirations had come full-circle. I achieved what I had set out as a young child, albeit in a different form. It’s really funny how it took two decades for things to turn out and I’m even more excited about how things will evolve in the next two!
But whatever happens, just know that I will always be here for you!