Here’s a question I ask every executive who tells me they’re ready to make a change…
Are you running from something, or running to something? There is a BIG difference.
I had this conversation recently with someone I’ve known for years. He’s a sharp guy who has had a decent career, but he just made a move that made zero sense, which got me to thinking through every conversation we’d ever had about his career.
I realized in all the years that I’ve known him that he never said “I want to get to X.” It was always “I need to get away from Y.”
This is a problem…
If you’re avoiding a bad boss, a stalled title, a toxic team, or a comp plan that insults you, I get it. Those problems are real! But avoiding a problem isn’t a career strategy. It’s just an Advil that wears off when you realize you traded one headache for another.
The executives who make moves that work can tell you where they’re trying to go and what they’re trying to do, not just what they’re trying to leave.
And it can’t just be about money. Money is easy to chase and easy to justify. The real question is: does this move take you closer to where you want to be in five years? Is it building the thing you’re trying to build, or just numbing the thing you’re trying to escape?
If you’re thinking of a career change, ask yourself the same question;
“Am I going to something? Or am I running away?
One of those will drive a career.
