Is This Your Career’s Quantum Leap Year?

Slow and steady may win the race, but it will not necessarily yield satisfaction.   Sometimes more dramatic action is required, a quantum leap, so to speak.

For example, what about your career?  Will slow and steady bring you the compensation, the recognition, the satisfaction that you, perhaps, deserve and crave?   Typically, you will not be alone in your company.  Others will also be trying to gain promotion, some using fair means; others using foul.  Politics have stumped many a great performer because he or she did not see the forces brewing invisibly to hinder advancement.

What about you?

Is it probable that you will be promoted, be recognized, be compensated exceptionally, be able to have some free time, or otherwise enjoy the fruits of your labor that you feel you deserve?

If not, then it may well be time to take that leap, a leap of faith, perhaps – a big move to another company, another role, another location, or all three.

Unlikely, you say?

Let us bolster your faith.  At The Barrett Group, we monitor a population of about 11 million executives quite regularly, and we have seen that almost 500,000 of them found a new position in the past year.  In other words, there is always enormous movement in the executive market, even if much of it is invisible to the untrained eye.

Ah!  You may not have a well-trained eye?

What should you do?  Easy.  Find an experienced guide—someone who helps executives regularly and successfully achieve their career plans, regardless of how audacious those plans may seem at the outset.

That would be The Barrett Group—more than 30 years strong and repeatedly recognized by Forbes as one of the best in the business.  Our tried and true, 5-step process kicks off with a self-evaluation and target-setting segment called the Clarity Program©.   Here’s how one successful client summarized his experience:

Clarity gave me an opportunity to evaluate myself in a “this-is-your-life” moment and consider where I want to go. I have a diverse background, and Clarity grounded me. I decided I like small to midsize companies. I also realized that I’m happy to market any kind of product as long as it is not a commodity, is higher quality, and is something that is differentiated in the market. [Ned, Vice President of Business Development]

Some clients find this target-setting step simply confirms their understanding of an ideal role, Very often, however, executives reassess their targets and change direction during this process, saving themselves years of heartache and fruitless endeavors slaving away in a role that does not actually fit their proclivities.  Imagine, for example, the switch from pastor to chief growth officer!  Here’s one of our clients who accomplished this literal leap of faith (excerpted from his success study):

Joel was pastor for a midsize, nondenominational church, where he expected to finish his career, however, after guiding the church through the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, Joel began to rethink his career path. He decided to step down to give himself some space to reflect on his next move.

“David Black, my Clarity coach, was fantastic! He and I connected on so many levels. I have tremendous respect for him,” said Joel. “Our sessions seemed simple at first, but they built upon each other. Towards the end, he asked me to write about my dream job. I typed out where I wanted to live, what my office was like, and how my family fit into the picture. I’ve been through coaching and personality assessments before, but not like this. David’s insights and the simple tasks he assigned me gave me a clearer vision of myself and my goals. I felt so hopeful!”

“Honestly, working with [The Barrett Group] was like taking a masters course in how to find a job. It was a lot of work, and it wasn’t without moments of doubt. But they gave me the skills and the encouragement I needed to get a C-suite position on my own. I could never thank them enough for that.”  [Joel Engle, Chief Growth Officer]

Please note that few recruiters and no online job application processes would have ever seen Joel as a viable candidate for this position.  But, by utilizing The Barrett Group process, Joel uncovered the opportunity via the unpublished market and has accomplished an amazing leap.

Now, what about you?

After all, it is a leap year, and that means we have one extra day during the year.  At the current rate, our clients are landing executive roles at the rate of more than one per day.  The market is active.  The prospects are good.  So, will it continue to be “slow and steady” or are you limbering up to make a quantum leap in your career?  Remember:

What you don’t do often, you don’t do well. For me, that was job seeking […]  I’d made only three or four career changes in my entire life, but The Barrett Group does this for a living. They know all the tricks in the book.  [Chris Burger, Head of Revenue Technology and Operations]

If you are ready to move, we are ready to support you.