Rising in an organization requires much of you. Do you know why you want to rise? How do you discern if you are ready for the ascent? This article will highlight the various trade-offs that are associated with a professional rise.
There I was, at the highest point of the Machu Picchu trail in Peru, flat on my back and full of regret. I was in my tent with altitude sickness and my two traveling companions, my sisters, were laughing, playing cards, and drinking tea with our guide. The contrast between their joy and my misery couldn’t have been starker.
I was to blame for my predicament. I foolishly chose to be cheap and thought it better to save money than to hire a seasoned Peruvian guide to carry my pack. I also turned down my sister’s offer of altitude sickness pills when we started to gain elevation. These two choices created unfortunate consequences, and it was painfully clear how my experience could have gone differently had I been more thoughtful.
Hiking is an apt analogy for the challenges that come with blazing a career path. In your career, you will have obstacles in your path; gain and lose elevation multiple times; be at the mercy of the external environment; be forced to make trade-offs sometimes without a full knowledge of the consequences, and experience the effects of altitude sickness when rising too quickly and being ill-prepared. With our experience of coaching executives at a variety of stages in their career path, we have noticed some common themes, including the critical trade-offs that individuals should anticipate and be prepared to navigate as they rise to increasing positions of leadership. For example:
Social: Without question, rising in an organization can place a strain on personal relationships. Whether you are single and trying to find a partner, married and balancing your role as spouse, or a parent juggling the demands of children and home life, aspiring leaders must think proactively, communicate, and set expectations with those in their life. In addition, research around the increased likelihood of divorce for workaholics is well-documented, and in our view, possible to avoid.
Emotional: Consistent with my Machu Picchu experience, pride and ignorance are a dangerous combination and can result in painful, unexpected consequences. Your inner critic can also gain momentum and power as you rise in your career, constantly filling your headspace with unproductive thoughts. As one article points out, workaholism may be “the best-dressed mental health problem.”
Physical: Many executives experience a physical toll on their body due to increased levels of stress from both the workload and the impact of other trade-offs listed above. Anxiety, diabetes, and accelerated aging are just a few of the physical tolls of an intense career.
At the risk of sounding all doom and gloom, the truth of the matter is that acknowledging and talking about these realities is vitally important. There is always a cost to ascending. The stress and discomfort of climbing don’t go away and the sooner that we accept and expect these conditions, the sooner we can continue the ascent in health, emotionally, physically, and socially. What we have found from our clients who ascend in a healthy, sustainable manner, is that they are anchored with a strong support network, physical stamina, and a clear perspective on the trade-offs, able to survive the journey and even pause and enjoy the vistas along the way.
To assess your own readiness and potential pathways, consider a few questions:
- How strong is your support network? How will it evolve over the next 5-10 years?
- What relationships will grow stronger with the stress of an intense career phase? What relationships may need to be shored up to prepare for the obstacles ahead?
- How healthy is your lifestyle? What choices do you need to make to put yourself into peak physical condition?
As you ponder these questions, consider the consequences of how you answer them. And when you do find yourself gasping for air, nauseous from altitude sickness, take a moment to reflect on the choices that put you into that situation so that you will be better prepared for the next peak.
As with most journeys in life, perspective is maintained by balancing the amount of pain one can handle to the joys of pursuing a challenging course. The views can be spectacular. New relationships are formed as you seek hiking partners on similar climbs. Spouses and children can be inspired by your pursuits, and you can also empathize with them as they pursue their own trails. Our bodies can become stronger when tested physically as long as you prepare and manage risks accordingly. For those that are pursuing ascents while in peak performance, the vistas are well worth the effort.