I remember asking a colleague at work for some career advice.
I had a job offer and wasn’t sure whether to take it.
He sat me down. And sketched out a decision matrix so detailed and complex it would’ve bamboozled the boffins running the Manhattan Project.
The matrix covered nine aspects of taking and not taking the job.
It considered pros and cons for each.
And each aspect was weighted by a scaling factor based on its importance.
As we talked, he mentioned phrases like “achievement motivation”, “diagnostic instrument” and “horizontal repositioning”.
These were big words and I had no idea what they meant.
So naturally I was impressed.
And thinking of this reminded me of a snippet I read in the book Wild Problems recently. A decision-making expert is considering moving to a
new university:
++++++
I was trying to decide whether or not to move to Harvard from Stanford. I had bored my friends silly with endless discussion.
Finally one of them said, “You’re a leading decision theorist. Make a list of the costs and benefits and try to calculate your expected utility.”
Without thinking, I blurted out, “Come on, Sandy. This is serious.”
++++++
The book goes on to say that a cost/benefit analysis can be useful (and I
agree).
But not for the outcome it spits out.
Instead, for the way an outcome make you feel.
Does one outcome give you an ache in the pit of your stomach and another give you butterflies?
If so, that’s the clue you’re looking for. Not the outcome itself.
And this is what was missing from my career advice chat.
All the stuff that related to me.
Like how I felt. Or what I value. Or what makes me happy and fulfilled.
This omission isn’t unexpected.
Banking, in particular, is a world of models and tables. The numbers go in one end, the handle is cranked, and the answer comes out the other end.
This is how decisions get made…
(unless your boss doesn’t like the decision, in which case you fudge the inputs until she does)
…and why an office chat about career options was based on logic and thought. Not instinct and feeling.
Of course, a detailed role analysis is part of the decision-making jigsaw.
But only a small part. The pieces you fill in when you only have a few gaps left.
Which is why, when I coach, I start with you.
We focus on your values. The underlying principles that help guide you through life.
We look at your purpose. A meaning which is bigger than you.
And we consider all aspects of your life, not just your career.
This is how to make sure your job or career is fulfilling.
We won’t probability weight twenty-seven inputs, plot them on a graph and copy & paste the graph into a slideshow.
But we will explore the question “what matters to you?”.
Interested?
To set up a free call, click the link below.
- Tom
p.s. Whenever you're ready, here are the ways you can connect with me