Career: Leader's Perspective(Job Vs Career)

The CNBC report says that Warren Buffet is well-known for his frugal quirks. He never spends more than $3.17 on breakfast, and he lives in the same house he bought for $31,500 in 1958 (or $260,000 in today's dollars). In 2014, he reportedly bought a Cadillac XTS, a car with a retail price of around $45,000. Why? He is always one among the top 3 richest men in the world why does he live such a humble & simple life? As Maslow explains it in his theory of psychology, such leaders are at the 'self-actualization' stage & they hardly care for other needs including the esteem. What is the meaning of career for such leaders who have reached the self-actualization need? What is their perspective towards their career when they have all Laurels in their pocket? How great leaders plan their career? What will be their career advice to you if you make them your career coach?

Job is done for living & the career is developed to make it more meaningful.

Job Vs Career Seeking a job is the follower's mindset whereas a career is leader's footsteps. Leaders in every field focus on career rather than a job. Most of the people are confused when it comes to differentiating a job from the career. When they plan their career, they are actually planning to get a better job.

Getting a job is all about getting a specific activity which can pay you for maintaining your family lifestyle. The focus of the job search is monetary gains. It is all about the return on the investments which you have done in education & experiences. People try to maximize these returns constantly. A job is also about a comparison. A person compares his/her job with others & feels secure or insecure. A job search is an 'inside looking out' approach.

A job seeker focuses on what an employer can offer in exchange of his talent & labour

Leader's perspective to career is radically different. They never mix-up education with learning. They consider education as enlightenment. For leaders, a career is an 'outsider looking in' approach. They can look at themselves naturally, like how the outside world looks at them. A leader, as a career seeker, focuses on what she can contribute & how best can she contribute. A job is for the bank balance but the career is for mental balance and social balance. Leaders don't restrict career planning to just financial planning. They let it transcends beyond money. In fact, a career can hardly be planned. One can broadly define the direction of the moment & gain momentum by channelizing the inner energy. Leaders in every field will tell you that they never imagined that they could make it so big. Leaders will tell you that their careers just happened.

Jobs are sought, careers are made. Leaders are makers, followers are seekers.

Career planning is not everybody's cup of tea. Some people just want to invest 8 hrs a day for 5 days a week so that they can have fun for the rest of the time. They are followers and can't be the leaders. They are job seekers. Leaders are job creators. They create jobs while focusing on their career. A job is about getting an engagement during weekdays so that weekends will be pleasant. A job is for the weekenders.

Career is about merging weekdays & weekends. Career is about an obsession. It is about passion. It is about leaving footprints.

Career is a passion. What best can happen to you is that your hobby becomes your passion & your passion sprouts into a career. Actually, passion gives rise to mission & provides the career as the by-product. Study biographies & autobiographies of great leaders to study how they went about their career. We will get a common theme. They never planned their career in 10th or 12th grade or even after graduation. They simply nurtured passion, gave 100% for it. They never plotted two dots & joined them as their career.

Career is the process of self-discovery. It is the end result of the treasure hunt called Mission

Successful leaders will tell you that they were scuba drivers obsessed to find to the floor of the sea. Career is the pearl which they found out while touching the sea-floor. Read the philosophy book, 'Jonathan Livingstone Seagull- A story' by Richard Bach. You will find a Johnathon seagull in yourself who says, "I am just bones & feathers but I want to see what can I do in my life." Such a journey of self-discovery would take you to your career.

A great journey produces great careers, great careers produce great leaders

How to Choose your career? I suggest three parameters for making a career choice. One should ask oneself the following questions:

• What do I love to do?
• What am I good at?
• Which social role do I wish to take up?
• What can pay me enough to maintain the family lifestyle?

To conclude, leaders focus on careers while followers look for the job. Career focuses on passion & flair while the job focuses on money. Career planning is not about financial planning. Career planning is about playing a role in society while performing family responsibilities. Leaders follow their passion, find their mission & develop their career while chasing the mission. Career planning is not a pre-determined process. While it is good to have role models, everybody will have a different path to success & hence to the career. Planning career is the process of self-discovery. Wrong self-assessment can result in failure. Interest, flair & desire for a specific role in society will determine the career. Leaders perspective to career is radically different. Their passion & flair take them to their career. They don't get perturbed by peer pressure & parental/family aspiration. Leaders test their limits. Their careers are their footsteps for others to follow. Leaders follow their careers while creating jobs for others.

Tamer El Sagheer

Skillinside

Source:The philosophy book, 'Jonathan Livingstone Seagull- A story' by Richard Bach.