Deltas to the Global Maxima: Better Career Conversations

So why is it that career tracks can be misused? The issue is that they are a simplification of a complex, multi-dimensional problem space. People’s careers can go in limitless directions, and career tracks are just one possible path at one possible company. They are represent a local maxima, not the global maxima.

It is easy to forget the vastness of the forest when you’re gathering all your resources from a single tree.

We need to stop obsessing over dangling the next step on the career track as a carrot. Doing so almost always leads to disappointment. Long term conversations become short term: why can’t I have that role now? When can I get that role? What’s the fastest way to get there? These are all questions that are focused on shortcuts and checking boxes, and not on doing impactful work for customers or increasing their skills.

Doing something that is already defined can be appealing. This is the work of clergy cementing the norms of an institution. But many would rather be trailblazing or pioneering.

Instead, we need to help our reports consider the bigger picture: what is the global maxima of their career?

This global maxima is the point at which we are at our most skilled, our most impactful, and the most satisfied. The global maxima may not even be a role, but a state of being where everything comes together: life, work, compensation, contribution, and happiness.

This is interesting, because it will be different for every single person. Maxing out one attribute of life can lead to dread. Satisfizing within the local maxima may lead to more fulfillment.