How to figure out what you actually want to do (05)
Today, we're getting into the fun stuff! Now that you have your North Star and are clear on your purpose, we are going to determine exactly what you want to do next professionally.
To do this, I take all my clients through a three-step process:
Write a long list of all of the industries and functions you are interested in working in that would help you fulfill your North Star. Take note of what company attributes are important too (i.e, size, stage, culture)
Narrow that list down to 3-5 career paths (a combination of industry and function such as “product management in health tech” or “partnerships at non-profit”) that you want to explore in depth
Learn more about those career paths, through desk research and informational interviews, and evaluate them against your operating principles and strengths until you narrow in the path you want to pursue
As you go through this exploration, keep these tips in mind:
Be expansive and creative when building your long list of ideas. There are no bad ideas at this point so don't judge anything prematurely. Add your wild and crazy business idea or the huge pivot you've dreamed of but feels out of reach. Ask friends, family and ChatGPT for ideas.
Really dive into what the day-to-day in these career will feel like. Informational interviews are the best way to do this, but can be time-intensive and slow to schedule. Supplement that exploration with exploring this database that has a quick overview, listen to podcasts and read articles and job descriptions.
Evaluate the career paths against your Operating Principles, Strengths and North Star. Surprise! The work that you did earlier in the process is now your decision criteria. As you learn more about each path, keep evaluating how well it would align with these anchors.
As you progress, my bet is that there is going to be one path that you feel most drawn to. This is the path that you feel a sense of ease and constant pull towards.
This is a fairly robust, analytical process – doing research, evaluating your options against decision criteria. AND, while the analysis is helpful, the final answer is going to be what feels right to you.
Here is the most important part of your exploration: be fully honest with yourself.
If you're like most of my clients (or just a general human being), your mind will be chattering on about which is the best path based on exit opportunities, growth and prestige…
Put your mind on mute and let your intuition guide this decision. Trust that your intuition is taking your Operating Principles, Strengths and North Star into account and that it will make the best decision for you.
So there you have it!
You know what what's important to you, what you're good at, your purpose and the next role you want. Stay tuned in a few weeks as we'll strategize on how to make this a reality through your job-search.
Before I sign-off, I know it is always fun to get a peak behind the curtain with a few real-life examples.
This is how my clients have used this process to get clear on their immediate next role. Some are making big pivots and others are refining their focus or drawing on skills they've honed in past roles. I hope you use these as inspiration!
M+A Consulting to Non-Profit Corporate Partnerships
Strategy Consulting to Healthcare Clinical Operations
Massive Retail Marketing to Consumer-First, Values-Aligned Marketing
CPG Brand Management to Impact Investing Investor Relations
Retail Product Management to Health Tech Product Management
