What do you do if your executive career lacks direction and purpose?

Regaining a sense of direction in your career begins with evaluating your personal values. Start by examining the core values that shape your identity and sense of purpose. What principles and beliefs do you hold dear? What ideals do you strive to uphold in both your personal and professional life? By identifying these fundamental values, you can assess how well your current career aligns with them. A common source of dissatisfaction in the workplace arises when daily tasks and responsibilities drift away from what you genuinely believe in and value. This misalignment can lead to feelings of disconnection, apathy, and a lack of fulfillment.

First begin by evaluating your personal values. What do you hold dear? Which aspects of your work resonate with those values? Sometimes, a career becomes unfulfilling because it drifts away from what you fundamentally believe in. Aligning your professional life with your values can reignite passion and provide a clear sense of purpose. Reflect on past decisions and consider how they align with your values. Then reach out to mentors, peers, or a professional coach to gain insights into your strengths and areas for improvement. This feedback can help you understand how others perceive your work and where you might pivot to find greater satisfaction.

Take some time to reflect on what truly matters to you both personally and professionally. Identify your core values, passions, and interests, and consider how they align with your current career path. Reconnecting with your values can provide valuable insight into what direction you want your career to take.

Yes to this! I feel like this is a key factor as your life can become unbalanced and you start to see it manifest, aka show up in your career. Here is a classic example: -You want to have a great deal of money, but don't know why. Why do you want a great deal of money? When you understand your why you understand your values. You want money to travel first class because you value being comfortable. If it's just for status, then it will fade and your values were never attached. It's the same with your career, understand what you Value about your career and what you want for yourself. Then you can evaluate if your career is meeting your values or if you never had any values attached at all.

There are three main reasons why we feel stuck or lacking a purpose. The first is that we drift from who we are and our values to gain resources or validation. It's not something big but a 'death by thousands of small cuts'. It's the battle between our values and what we perceive to be 'good' or 'bad' for our career. We stay silent when our soul wants us to say something. We comply with orders we don't agree with to avoid repercussions. Those are tiny betrayals of who we are. At the start they don't affect our life much, but they stack up like bricks, building a jail around us, until one day we realise that we're trapped inside the walls we build over the years. The way out? Self-reflection on our values and the way we live. Are you YOU?

Define specific, measurable, and achievable goals for your executive career. These goals should be aligned with your values and aspirations, and they should provide a clear sense of direction for your career trajectory. Break down your long-term goals into smaller, actionable steps to make them more manageable and achievable.

The goals are not going to help if they are solely focused on your career. I mean, you feel trapped, aren't you? We are multidimensional beings. And the second thing causing lack of direction is usually that some part of you is neglected. It might be a part you are not even aware of. As we grow and achieve different levels, new layers are being unlocked. And you might have come to the level where this happened. Without finding out what it is and addressing this new need your career will never feel the same. Again, the way out is a self-reflection, get to know who you are. Your roadmap must include the whole you, not just the career. And you need to create different types of goals, not just overrated SMARTs. Use Moonshots, NICE, GROW, etc.

Getting someone else to look over your situation is always good idea. It's like being in the woods; you cannot see the forest for the trees. I am a coach and I have other coaches help me see what I don't see. I know very well the urge: "I can figure it out myself." But why spend weeks or months trying to figure out something what person looking from outside can spot in fraction of that time?

Embrace Lifelong Learning. Commit to ongoing learning and professional development to stay relevant and competitive in your executive career. Stay informed about industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies, and seek out opportunities to expand your knowledge and skills through workshops, courses, and networking events.

The third reason to feel trapped is based on a simple fact: "It doesn't matter that your business is growing if you are not growing." It might be that you came to the moment when you don't grow, every year you just repeat the last one. Unless you find a way to grow, you will feel no purpose. The sense of progress towards something is a must to feel fulfilled. Maybe it's time to find new challenge, who knows? The change doesn't have to be drastic but it have to give you something new to learn and master.

Great question! I would suggest exploring whether you have the opportunity to shape the role to find the direction and purpose that is right for you. This will depend on your ability to shape the role with your leadership, or how much autonomy you have to really create a vision for your own role. Ultimately, if these aren't flexible, then I would suggest analysing what you want from the role against what you are actually receiving. A lack of alignment in direction and purpose might suggest that it is time for a change

Focus on Impact and Contribution. Shift your focus from solely pursuing traditional markers of success, such as title or salary, to making a meaningful impact and contribution in your executive role. Identify areas where you can leverage your skills, expertise, and influence to drive positive change and create value for your organization and stakeholders.

Take Strategic Risks: Don't be afraid to take calculated risks and step outside your comfort zone in pursuit of your career goals. Be open to new challenges, opportunities, and experiences that have the potential to propel your career forward.