You can build a career strategy in every phase of partnership.

When I ask people if they have a career strategy, I get many different answers. Answers ranging from ‘well, I’ve never had to – I’ve always been pulled into new roles by people who value my work’: to ‘of course, that’s why I’ve enjoyed my whole career’. 

The current feeling is that things are so changeable, a strategy is pointless. You can instead be opportunistic or put yourself in a position where you’ll always be needed. The optimal answer sits between the extremes.

Uncertainty and being busy make it hard to strategise your career. Yet it's possible to set up a good framework even in the late phases of partnership. A career strategy doesn’t need to be complex or time-consuming to devise, or to adapt as you progress. But it does need some basic elements.

· Knowing yourself. That means understanding your deep-seated consistent talents and qualities, not the ones you ‘should’ display.

· A sustained sense of purpose. In maturity this shifts from driving to a single goal, to seeking a balanced state of affairs that keeps you in the purposeful zone.

· An ideal role that develops as you do. A role that plays to your deep-seated abilities, not your tactical skills, and is the litmus test for defining your path.

· A professional community. People who share your values and respect not only what you achieve but how you achieve it. They guide you through volatile changes in the market.

Notice I didn’t mention goals. Goals are the details. Purpose addressed through a role that fits you, within a supportive professional community leads to outcomes that may well transcend any fixed goals we set ourselves.

Do you have a strategic approach to your career? Or has gifted opportunism proven to be enough? I’d love to hear your stories of what worked for you - or whether you’ve been lucky!

I'm finalising a short, pragmatic book on developing and enacting your career strategy that will be available in July 2025. Contact me by email or through Linkedin for a free copy.