What’s Your Definition of Professional Success?

I found myself posting someone else’s blurb about definitions of professional success and important milestones that entrepreneurs reach. As I did so realised that I too have a unique window into the professional worlds of the successes and lessons of others, and, that might just be something to play with in there. My first observation is that each and every client has a totally different definition of success. What does always amaze me is how very diverse these definitions are. Unfortunately for me, I have a very expressive face (psychodynamic work would never be a good fit for me!), and so clients are rarely  in any doubt about my surprise when I ask them what they “really want to achieve?”.

As is human, it is inevitable I would (internally), hazard a guess at what the answer would be …. And what I can honestly say is that I have, in all the years I have been practicing, never, ever been right! 
Asking a senior account manager in the financial sector this question, I guessed he might be seeking promotion to the C-Suit. In reality his answer came back with references to naked performance art. Asking a British Sign Language specialist what her true desire was, she informed me it was a role in the Catholic Church. Asking this same question of an established artist she informed me that a successful business consultancy was her ambition and her success metric.
Now you can see perhaps why my reaction can be genuine surprise. And now perhaps it is more obvious why I revel in this work and so enjoy marrying the different facets of people’s passions to form individual and unique career pathways.
I love it. Harnessing all that has gone before in a person’s life and using this in totally new ways. This is joyous and has the electric buzz inherent when both coach and client are working right at their respective learning edges!
Wherever your definition of success, explore here to learn more of career coaching with Rebecca and here to subscribe to her blog digest