THE CAREER PIVOT
IIn this two part series, I speak to two ladies in the throes of a career pivot. Does it feel like a pivot? Is it scary? What’s involved? How do you know it’s the right thing to do? All these questions and yet, not many answers out there. Here’s a sneak peek into what these ladies are going through as they take on what could be the biggest personal challenge – reinventing themselves.
Tell me a little about who you are and what career journey you’ve been on so far.
Ida: This is a hard question and I don’t have an adequate answer. I am a daughter of a policeman, a wife, mother to two boys and a woman trying hard to do something meaningful for herself, her family and society. I addressed this question to my boys and they described me as a perfectionist, someone who is also very harsh on myself. I have been a barrister, a corporate and commercial lawyer in an international law firm and I’ve also worked in international blue-chip companies. I have travelled the world for work, I have experienced the jet-setting lifestyle of a high profile corporate executive and I have given all these up for family. And now, I am back!
Are you in the midst of a career pivot? What do you like and don’t like about the current direction?
Ida: Yes, I am. I do not think it is as easy to sum it up as like vs dislike and I do not think there are adequate adjectives to describe it. Truthfully, the biggest adjustments were on my boys. After eight years as a homemaker, they are learning that mummy is no longer that available and they have to be more independent. The constant conflict between the guilt of not spending enough time with them and working on something that makes me feel happy and useful (which is then conflicted with the sense of feeling selfish for even thinking that way) and then carving time out for myself is always a struggle for me. I don’t seem to be able to achieve a perfect balance or ending.
Tell us a little about the pivot and what is causing this shift in direction for you.
Ida : It is a pivot point for contextual reasons. I am in a season of my life where I have different expectations and am looking out for different returns and satisfaction. Less career building and money-making and more of a discovery of who I really am. What am I made of? What am I capable of? What can I do?
How do you know you’re ready for this change?
Ida: I don’t. But curiously enough, my family, friends and clients are telling me that I am ready for the change and that I should take the step to make the change.
What are you doing to prepare yourself for this pivot?
Ida: By talking to like-minded people, especially women like myself who either had returned to work after an extended time with the family or business women who had been very successful in their career and suddenly decided to take an entirely different direction in life. The preparation is twofold. First, the research in the niche which I am planning to venture into and secondly, what to expect generally when I take this step.
What are your main concerns when making this big decision and how do you see yourself addressing these concerns?
Ida: I can sum it in two words - fear and isolation. Fear because I have never done anything like this. I always had a large company with significant branding and deep resources to back me up in my work and now, I don’t. It’s do or die. Isolation because ever since I returned to work and struck out on my own, I’ve had to change some of the friends in my network. It is hard to explain. Many of the people in my network do not want this change in me. While I struggle with doubt, unanswered questions, fear and other demons, it does not help when some in my network are either joining in a chorus of negative thoughts, amplifying it further or worse, actively discouraging me from moving forward. It is hard because I had to make the decision to isolate myself from this network for my own good and look for a different one. It is hurtful because some of these people have been with me for a long time. It is painful because while I search for new connections, there will be pockets of deep loneliness to endure.
What are you doing to manage the fear and uncertainty that is sure to be present as you embark on something new and in many ways, different?
Ida: I don’t really know but I guess this is why the management itself is part of the journey.
How do you know this is a true pivot and not a distraction?
Ida : I don’t but I will never truly know unless I try.
Do you see a pivot here as a case of self-reinvention and why?
Ida: I don’t see it as self-reinvention but self-discovery. It’s a different season, a different phase, a different and new journey. It is exciting because I am discovering a new me. Almost like a second chance in life. A second chance that challenges me to see things and do things differently. It is an opportunity to use my skills and help steer people to be better than who they are. To dare to be different.