Building a Life You Love: A Guide to Self-Leadership in Career Development
- Dr. Erica Garcia Thomas
- 14 hours ago
- 8 min read
Building a life you love is an ongoing journey, especially in shaping your career and pursuing effective leadership. Whether paid or unpaid, our work is an important part of our life's journey. This mindset helps us pursue our purpose and be grateful at any stage of our work life.
In any job, personal and professional growth is rarely a straight path; it involves adapting to the changes and challenges along the way. We all must pivot our focus at times, reinventing ourselves to stay current. How you define your ideal job, company, industry, and schedule will change over the years, so approach it intentionally.
Our latest E1 At Work Podcast episode explores the intricacies of self-leadership and career development, offering insights for anyone looking to create a fulfilling professional life. Our E1 team invites you to guide yourself in approaching and envisioning your career journey.
My career journey has been more like an interconnected ring of circles of different sizes rather than a straight line. Each role weaves common threads of interest, purpose, skills, challenges, and ongoing learning opportunities. This has strengthened my ability to empathize with others and to pursue effective leadership as I practice self-leadership daily. -Dr. Erica Garcia-Thomas
The circular components that define my professional journey include helping people, streamlining chaos to establish efficiency and order, fostering meaningful connections, leading and developing teams, and nurturing relationships with my colleagues. I'm a teacher and coach at heart and enjoy the process of learning and transformation.
Additionally, I use data and customer feedback in every role to measure success and achieve mutual goals. These common threads guide me in choosing future roles and dedicating my time to what matters most to me. It also frees me to turn down roles that don’t match my wheelhouse.
So, how do you begin this reflection? See your work journey as an investment of time and energy instead of purely financial gain. Yes, we need income to fuel our lives, but we also need to know we are learning and improving as individuals, even in mundane or uninteresting roles. We chase meaning and purpose, and in that space we learn.
Find ways to challenge yourself and reflect. Below, I list the processes I’ve found helpful in my journey, along with some tips for you to consider.
Acceptance of the "what is."
Reflection on my experiences
Decision-making best practices
Self-Discovery through trying new things
Noticing my preferences
Value-Alignment-Personal and Work
Immediate Impact - Low-Hanging Fruit
Stay Curious - Learn Constantly
Acceptance: Accept Your Circumstances and Yourself
Regardless of your employment situation, consider personal goals and how to make the most out of responsibilities and circumstances. Allow yourself to simultaneously hold your dreams and current reality in evaluation as you look for the lessons. Find the gratitude and positivity for what is and what is to come.
Along with accepting circumstances, accepting who you are, and avoiding comparison are important processes for your growth journey. Acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses authentically provides a solid foundation for cultivating self-awareness, an essential component of inner growth and professional leadership.
As someone who processes things verbally and introspectively, I have found therapy a safe space to explore my strengths and what brings me joy. By acknowledging what I don't enjoy, I've better understood what I want to do. Knowing it will morph and change over time has become exciting, rather than an inconvenience in my plan that I need to adjust to or grieve (my free-spirited friends may experience this very differently, but as a planner, this is a reality for me).
Reflection: Your Desired Lifestyle and Career Goals
When considering your next career steps during transitions, it is essential to reflect on the life you are building and your current values and priorities. I’ve found that approaching your career like a piece of art you are piecing together is essential. So much of life is a process, right? This is, too.
Make reflection part of the learning process regardless of role, company, or position. Those of us (my hand-raised) who have positions out of necessity instead of interest or passion can take time to reflect, consider, and develop skills, even when the job isn’t the perfect fit. I’m not sure there is an actual “perfect fit” anyway.
Life is hard, and you will encounter challenging situations at work throughout the journey. How can you best use those experiences to inform integrity and future choices? Reflecting on this question can help guide your career path.
Reflect on your desired lifestyle, what is important to you, and how your cultural background influences your choices. Take time to evaluate your chosen profession and seek guidance from mentors a few years in advance. Remember that mentors who guide you can empower you, but you'll need to do the work to make your career goals happen; that is self-leadership.
Consider factors such as future compensation, learning opportunities, educational requirements, job satisfaction levels, autonomy, teamwork, and growth prospects in the marketplace or economy. What does a successful life look like to you? Define that for yourself, not by what the media, society, or your peers tell you.
Decision-Making: Evaluate Work-Life Balance and Lifestyle
Every job, career, and industry has its pros and cons. Assessing work-life balance in your chosen field and how future technological advancements might impact it is crucial. Understanding these dynamics can help you make informed decisions about your career path.
Before I realized I didn’t want to work long shifts on my feet as a neonatal intensive care nurse, I was studying to become one. I truly enjoyed working with infants and learning about anatomy, physiology, and the brain. However, I discovered that my compassionate nature led me to burn out quickly when emotions ran high and needs were vast, as I experienced in my previous role in social work. Though nursing wasn’t the right fit for me, I have been able to care for and support families with kids who have special needs.
Self-Discovery: Utilize Assessments and Tools for Growth
To make informed career decisions, utilize personality assessments, seek out mentors, ask questions, and gather as much information as possible. Reflect on how to incorporate your values and beliefs into your career choices. Consider the impact of your culture, upbringing, and family values on your decision-making process.
One helpful tool for self-discovery is the Ikigai concept, a Japanese term meaning ‘reason for being.’ This concept encourages individuals to find purpose and grow by aligning their values, passions, strengths, and skills with their pursuits. Start by identifying your strengths and working to improve them. Be open to feedback and embrace change as part of your growth process.
Additional tools for self-discovery include exploring your strengths with an assessment, understanding your Myers-Briggs (MBTI) type, Enneagram number, StandOut 2.0 results, Predictive Index score, DiSC type, or building your emotional (EQ) and cultural intelligence (CQ) abilities. Exploring team dynamics with a management consultant or leadership coach can be incredibly helpful as a leader and a manager.
As Tom Rath, the author of StrengthsFinder 2.0, states, talent (a natural way of thinking, feeling, or behaving) multiplied by your investment (the time you spend practicing, developing your skills, and building your knowledge base) equals your strength (the ability to deliver near-perfect performance consistently).
Preference: Know Your Preferred Working Style
Understanding how you learn and perform best is essential for success. Consider factors such as remote, hybrid, or on-site work. Do you prefer to be in an office all day or out in the field? Do harsh lights bother you, or are you comfortable in any lighting? Do you have health issues that may intersect with your workday or your ability to perform certain tasks? What percentage of your ideal workday would be spent solo, and what part would be spent in collaborative teamwork?
Whether you excel in a team environment or prefer working independently, knowing your preferred working style can help you choose the right organizational setting for your career. This understanding can help you make informed decisions about your career path.
Value Alignment: Personal Leadership Values and Beliefs
Values play a significant role in career satisfaction and happiness. Think about the person you see in the mirror. How do you align your personal ethics and values with potential employers and companies so you are proud of your work life?
Recognize that it may take time to find where you belong and that it is expected to explore different paths before discovering the right fit. Life brings challenges, needs, and opportunities from season to season. Be open to change and continue growing as you intentionally create a life you love at work and within.
Immediate Impact: Focus on Short-Term Contributions
As you navigate your career, focus on contributing meaningfully in the next 12-18 months rather than planning your entire future at once. Explore the low hanging fruit where you can make a difference. Add value, ask for learning opportunities, and meet personal and professional goals where you can create immediate impact through your work.
Track your results in a STAR framework (situation description including a problem to solve, the task you took on, action taken, and result, including inspirational results and metrics). Tracking your progress in this way builds confidence and documents it for future storytelling.
Prioritize people by taking the initiative to get to know and help them. You can adapt your communication and working style as you better understand your colleagues' strengths, performance modes, and values. Trust is the foundation of teamwork and networking.
Excellent working relationships can last long after your current position. While staying in touch with everyone you’ve ever worked with is unrealistic, you can choose 3-5 people you trust from each company you’ve been at and stay in touch with them through their journey.
Learn Constantly: Embrace Self-Leadership and Continuous Learning
Building a life you love through work requires self-leadership, introspection, cultural considerations, openness, and continuous learning, not just for yourself but as you see potential in others and seek to help them in their journey.
Visionary leaders help people to see how their work fits into the big picture, lending people a clear sense not just that what they do matters, but also why. - Daniel Goleman
Just as leaders use clarity to communicate their vision to followers, we need clarity for ourselves in our work adventures. Time-value alignment is critical to building a life you love. You can carve out a fulfilling and purposeful professional life by aligning your values, passions, and skills with your career choices.
Remember, it's a journey of self-discovery, growth, and adaptation. Your work needs to be balanced with a thriving personal life, including deep and healthy relationships with family and friends.
Using these guidelines, you can create a career that resonates with you. By focusing on these key areas, you can effectively navigate the complexities of career development. Tune into The E1 at Work Podcast for more in-depth discussions and practical advice on self-leadership and career success.
Acceptance of the "what is."
Reflection on my experiences
Decision-making best practices
Self-Discovery through trying new things
Noticing my preferences
Value-Alignment-Personal and Work
Immediate Impact - Low-Hanging Fruit
Stay Curious - Learn Constantly
Suggested Reading
Boyatzis, R. E., & Christensen, C. M. (Eds.). (2010). HBR’s 10 must reads on managing yourself. 1: Bonus article “How will you measure your life?” by Clayton M. Christensen] / [contributors Richard Boyatzis ... Harvard Business Review Press.
Bradberry, T., Greaves, J., & Lencioni, P. (2009). Emotional intelligence 2.0. TalentSmart.
Buckingham, M. (2015). Standout 2.0: Assess your strengths, find your edge, win at work. Harvard Business Review Press.
Drucker, P. F. (2008). Managing oneself. Harvard Business Press.
Duckworth, A. (2016). Grit: The power of passion and perseverance (First Scribner hardcover edition). Scribner.
García, H., & Miralles, F. (2017). Ikigai: The Japanese secret to a long and happy life. Penguin Books.
Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. E., & McKee, A. (2013). Primal leadership: Unleashing the power of emotional intelligence (Tenth anniversary edition). Harvard Business Review Press.
Goleman, D. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence. Bantam Books.
Isachsen, O., & Berens, L. V. (1995). Working together: A personality-centered approach to management (3. ed). Institute for Management Development.
Morin, A. (2017). 13 things mentally strong people don’t do: Take back your power, embrace change, face your fears, and train your brain for happiness and success (First William Morrow paperback edition). William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers.
Palmer, P. J. (2000). Let your life speak: Listening for the voice of vocation. Jossey-Bass.
Rath, T. (2007). Strengths finder 2.0. Gallup Press.
