Realizing how long it might take to reach the top, he now wonders whether it will really be worth the time and energy. Should he pursue a "looks-good, sounds-good" choice if he hasn't really considered whether the goal is actually right for him?
He's asking the right question. Unless this manager has some larger vision of leadership and great ideas for moving his company forward, he won't make much of a CEO, even if he does manage to become one (which is unlikely). He must demonstrate some greater commitment to building an organization, or along the way, he'll lose out to rivals with greater leadership potential and capabilities. Rather than continue with a goal he thinks he wants, he needs to take more time to figure out what he really does want.
His reservations are similar to those of the real-estate agent. What's the point of so much hard work if the goal isn't right? You may not be particularly sympathetic to the career woes of a 32-year-old real-estate agent with a six-figure income or a 29-year-old manager's concern that he's working too hard to a questionable goal. Yet their questions are developmentally appropriate. If they pursue the answers with the same zealousness they give their work, they'll undoubtedly choose highly satisfying career paths.
Career counselor Linda Bougie in Englewood, Colorado, finds this kind of soul-searching common among fast-trackers in their late 20s and early 30s. "They're just beginning to recognize what does and doesn't work for them, and to make new career decisions based on greater self-awareness and more experience with the job market," she says.
This may be a function of having made good money (or the recognition that they'll never be able to make enough money to satisfy all their needs). Whatever the reasons, mature adult choices almost always involve grappling with the issue of where money fits in your career picture.
When David Meyers, a professor of social psychology at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, examined what makes people happy and why in The Pursuit of Happiness (1992, New York: William Morrow), he learned that money meets deficit, rather than growth, needs. Not having money will make you utterly miserable. But beyond a certain point, having more cash won't necessarily make you happier-especially if you're hungering for work that meets a wider range of needs.
As Charles Garfield discovered, having a deeper sense of mission is the secret ingredient in the recipe for truly satisfying achievements.
What about the Money?
As an adult, you may find it more difficult to find a mission that doesn't require some extraordinary financial sacrifices. This is why lawyer-photographer Bill Daniels ended up living a double professional life for nearly 20 years.
At the ripe old age of 10, Daniels decided that law was a noble profession he wanted to join. He pursued this career arduously for the first 20 years of his adult life-starting as a law clerk for Julius Hoffman (the infamous judge of the Chicago 7 trial), then becoming one of the youngest law professors in the country at age 25. Later, he became a government attorney.
Meanwhile, he was developing a passion for his hobby: photography. Daniels bought his first camera as a present to himself for passing the bar exam. Since he's an avid runner and running enthusiast, he soon started shooting marathons for fun. He found the activity so enjoyable that becoming a professional sports photographer began to look more and more appealing. So he sold himself as a part-time freelance photo expert, and managed to get sports magazines to assign him events to cover.
His interest and reputation spread. After a while, he was shooting more than just sporting events on his days off. When real-estate firm Baird & Warner hired him to photograph houses for their portfolio, you could see Daniels taking pictures at sunrise before going on to his regular nine-to-five job.
Then a local television news station hired him to work with an investigative journalist. Suddenly, Daniels found himself crawling around in the grass or on rooftops to capture accidents, crimes and other events in progress. It was exciting. He was having fun. And he was earning money.
But he was also getting tired.
"I couldn't live a double life forever," says Daniels. "I needed to make a decision." At the time, he was already earning $20,000 a year as a freelance photographer. But he also earned an easy $60,000 annually with the government.
After consulting with a strategic planning consultant who convinced him he could make the photography business go (and showed him how), Daniels decided to take the plunge. "It wasn't that I hated the law," says Daniels. "I just really liked photography so much more. Once I saw how to make a living at it, there was no reason not to do it."
