The Career Compass

Careers rarely follow the plan we imagined when we started them. Mine certainly hasn't.

Different countries. Different industries. Different organisations. Leadership roles. Recruitment. Business development. International expansion. Entrepreneurship. Some moves looked like progress at the time. Others probably looked like detours. Looking back, many of the experiences that shaped me most weren't necessarily the ones with the biggest title attached to them. They were the ones that exposed me to different people, cultures, problems and ways of thinking.

That's why I've become increasingly uncomfortable with the idea of the career ladder. A ladder suggests there is only one direction worth travelling.

Up.

But careers don't really work like that anymore. Sometimes you move sideways to learn something. Sometimes you move internationally and effectively start again. Sometimes you leave a bigger organisation for a smaller one where you can have greater impact. Sometimes you take on something uncomfortable because you know it will stretch you. And sometimes the role that looks like the biggest promotion isn't actually the move that takes you where you want to go. Perhaps we need to stop thinking about the career ladder.

And start thinking about a Career Compass.

Direction - Where are you actually trying to go?

A compass doesn't give you a detailed map. It gives you direction. That distinction matters. Early in our careers, we often define progress through external markers:

A better title.

More money.

A larger team.

A bigger company.

More responsibility.

There is nothing wrong with any of those things. But eventually another question becomes more important:

What am I actually trying to build?

Not just financially. Professionally. Personally.

What kind of problems do I want to become capable of solving?

What environments bring out my best?

What experiences am I missing?

What do I want to be known for?

And what kind of life do I want my career to support?

Those questions become particularly important when opportunities appear that look impressive but point in the wrong direction.

Not every step upwards is a step forwards.

Execution - What capability do you need next?

Direction without action is simply intention. Once you have some sense of where you want to go, the next question is practical:

What do I need to become capable of doing that I cannot do today?

This changes career planning. Instead of asking:

What job should I apply for next?

Ask:

What capability should I develop next?

Perhaps it is commercial leadership. Managing people. AI. Working internationally. Financial understanding. Negotiation. Presenting. Building partnerships. Operating in ambiguity. Starting something from nothing. Sometimes the best place to develop that capability will be a promotion.

Sometimes it won't.

One of the benefits of working across countries and cultures is discovering that capability can be built in unexpected places. Opening an office, building a team, entering an unfamiliar market, managing people remotely or solving a problem without the infrastructure of a large organisation can teach you things that no title ever will. The question becomes less about whether the next opportunity makes your CV look bigger.

And more about whether it makes you more capable.

People - Who are you becoming, and who is around you?

There is another dimension of careers that we don't talk about enough. 

People.

Careers are shaped enormously by the people around us. Managers who challenge us. Colleagues who teach us. Customers who change our perspective. People from different cultures who make us question assumptions we didn't realise we had. Mentors who see something in us before we see it ourselves. And occasionally difficult people who teach us exactly what kind of leader we don't want to become. 

Working across France, Australia and Asia has reinforced this for me. Different cultures don't simply change how you work. They can change how you think.  They teach you adaptability. They expose your assumptions. They force you to listen differently. And they remind you that the way you have always done something isn't necessarily the only way-or even the best way. So perhaps another useful career question is:

Who am I becoming because of the people and environments around me?

Because career development isn't simply the accumulation of skills. It is also the development of judgement, perspective and character.

Your compass will move

There is something else we should probably accept. The destination can change. What mattered to you at 25 may not matter at 35. What motivated you at 35 may look very different at 50.

Experience changes us.

Family changes us.

Success changes us.

Failure certainly changes us.

Living in different places changes us.

And sometimes achieving something we thought we wanted teaches us that we actually wanted something else. That isn't necessarily losing direction. It may be gaining perspective. A career compass therefore isn't something you use once. You recalibrate it. Ask yourself periodically:

Direction: Am I still heading towards something that matters to me?

Execution: Am I developing the capability I'll need for where I'm going next?

People: Are the people and environments around me helping me grow into the person and professional I want to become?

Three simple questions. But potentially more useful than asking:

What's my next job title?

Careers aren't ladders

Looking back at my own career, some of the most valuable moves only make sense in hindsight.

The countries.

The different industries.

The people.

The uncomfortable assignments.

The things that didn't go according to plan.

Each added something.

And collectively they created capabilities and perspectives I couldn't have designed from the beginning. That may be the problem with career ladders.  They encourage us to judge every opportunity by whether it takes us higher. A compass asks something different:

Is this taking me in the right direction?

Because the best career move isn't always the biggest job. Sometimes it is the experience that stretches you. The market that challenges you. The person who teaches you. The responsibility you're not quite ready for. Or the opportunity that takes you sideways before it eventually takes you forward.

A compass doesn't tell you exactly where the road will go. It helps you recognise whether you're still travelling in the right direction.

Written by Gerald Garcia