Are you still growing in the right direction?

I was looking back through some of my notes recently and realised that I have now had more than 100 conversations with people working in the energy sector! This means a lot of content and really interesting insights!

When I started A Pause to Reflect, part of the idea was to create a little more space to think about some of the questions we don't always have much time to consider when we are busy working and moving from one thing to the next.

These conversations have given me quite a lot more to reflect on.

There are themes that come back surprisingly often, but also big differences in what they mean for each person. So over the next few editions, I thought I would explore some of those themes, starting with one that seems simple: growth, which can actually mean different things.

For one person, growth can mean becoming more technically expert. Going deeper into an area, developing a real specialism and becoming someone others turn to for their knowledge.

For someone else, it can mean moving away from exactly that. They have become good at the technical side, but are increasingly curious about the commercial decisions around it, working with clients, understanding the bigger picture, or having more influence over what actually gets done.

The same is true of responsibility.

For some, the natural next step is leadership and managing a team. For others, the desire is for more ownership of simple task without necessarily wanting responsibility for other people's careers.

And then there are people for whom growth isn't really about moving upwards at all.

It can be moving sideways into an unfamiliar part of the sector. Joining a smaller organisation where the role is less defined. Building something alongside their job. Becoming a beginner again. Or even creating a career that leaves a little more energy for everything outside it.

That last one is particularly interesting.

We tend to associate growth with more: more responsibility, more seniority, more expertise, more money, more impact.

But there are points in a career where growth might also involve deciding what we want less of.

Less stress. Less management. Less specialisation. Less time spent working. Less of something we have become very good at but no longer find particularly interesting.

Perhaps that is why "career progression" can be a slightly misleading idea. It suggests that there is a direction we are supposed to be progressing towards.

When in reality, two people at exactly the same stage of their careers might need to move in almost opposite directions to feel that they are growing.

One might need to go deeper, another broader. One might need more responsibility, another more space. One might be ready to lead, another might want to become a beginner again.

Perhaps the interesting question isn't only whether we are still growing, but whether we have ever stopped to define what growth actually means to us now.

A question to pause with

What would growth actually mean for you at this point in your life? And has your answer changed from what it would have been in the past?

And if you feel you could benefit from having some space to explore these kinds of questions more deeply, feel free to reach out. I am always happy to have an informal conversation.