Afraid of making a change in your career? Here’s what you can learn from this NBA player’s story!

Tuesday: Return Driven Strategy FROM THE DESK OF MILES EVERSON: The Return Driven Strategy (RDS) framework has 11 tenets and 3 foundations. When properly integrated into your business strategy, these principles will help you achieve true wealth and value creation. One of the things I personally like about RDS? It can be applied to an individual’s career as well! Just apply the tenets and foundations of this framework to the microlevel and you’ll have Career Driven Strategy (CDS). Today, we’ll focus on the third tenet of CDS: Serving the Right Constituents. Keep reading to know why having a sense of fulfillment is a crucial aspect of your career. CEO, MBO Partners Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute

Afraid of making a change in your career? Here’s what you can learn from this NBA player’s story! In a past “Return Driven Strategy” article, we talked about why it’s important to be in the right job or profession. There, we explained the importance of choosing your career path wisely as it will significantly impact your life. We also discussed how being in the right job can apply to the third tenet of Career Driven Strategy (CDS). Today, we’ll continue on with this topic and focus on another aspect of it. Having a Sense of Career Fulfillment Have you ever felt disengaged despite having a relatively successful career? Day in and day out, you perform your professional duties well and this is reflected in your performance feedback. However, something still feels off. You don’t know why you feel this way, but you just do. If that’s the case, have you considered the thought that you might be feeling unfulfilled? After all, being successful in your career and feeling unfulfilled at the same time is actually possible. According to Caroline Castrillon, a Forbes contributor and life coach, people can feel dissatisfied and empty even though they’re at the peak of their professional success. This feeling can be harmful to one’s mental health, as low levels of engagement have been linked to lower productivity and quality of work. While switching jobs or changing career paths may be some of the things that first come to your mind in such instances, they are not always the most effective moves. Before actually doing these, you should take a step back and do the following: Make a list of your goals, values, and priorities. Once you have your list, see if what you’ve written is aligned with your current situation. Redefine what “success” means to you. Your definition of this word can change over time. There’s a chance that you’re not satisfied with your career because your current definition of success no longer fits your present situation. Consult with a career coach. Coaching services can help you address specific areas of your professional life. This can also help you make better career-changing decisions when needed. Talk to your manager/supervisor. Talking to your immediate supervisor will allow you to discuss your current feelings about your job. Moreover, this could also allow your supervisor to help you find a more appropriate role within your organization. If you still feel the same way about your situation after following most, if not all of these steps, then it’s time to consider making a change in your career. This may come in the form of pursuing another degree in an unrelated field, finding a different job, or starting a new business. While pursuing a new chapter in your career won’t be easy, it’s still a good opportunity for personal and professional growth! Here’s an example of an individual who made a major change in his career because he wasn’t satisfied with his previous situation… LeBron James is a professional National Basketball Association (NBA) player for the Los Angeles Lakers. He’s established himself as one of the greatest players to ever play in the league. Over the span of 19 years, James has won 4 NBA championships, 4 Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, and 4 Finals MVP awards. Aside from these accolades, he’s also a part of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team, which comprises the league’s best players in history. Throughout his long career, James has developed a reputation for turning teams into instant championship contenders because of his talent and skills. … but did you know James didn’t win his first championship until his 9th year in the league? From 2003 to 2010, he carried his team to multiple regular season and playoffs wins. He even reached the finals once in 2007, but he never won a championship. One reason for this is because his team didn’t have enough players that complemented his skills. It was obvious that despite his great performance on court, James wasn’t satisfied with his situation. So, when he had the opportunity to take charge of his career, he immediately grabbed it. When his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers ended in 2010, James chose to sign with the Miami Heat in the hopes of winning multiple championships. However, not everything went according to plan. James’ first year with the Heat was rocky. He and his team filled with other NBA stars like Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh weren’t able to win the championship in 2011, despite being heavily favored to do so. Because of the finals loss, James was heavily criticized for his shortcomings. However, instead of letting his haters get to his head, he improved every aspect of his game during the offseason. Once the NBA season started again, James saw the fruits of his hard work. In 2012 and 2013, the Heat won back-to-back NBA championships. What’s more? James won MVP and finals MVP in both of those seasons! This was a feat that only Michael Jordan and Larry Bird accomplished previously. During his championship runs in the 90s, Jordan won these same awards 4 times. Meanwhile, Larry Bird won these accolades twice in the 80s. After his four-year stint with the Heat, James played for the Cavaliers again from 2014 to 2018. During his time there, he led the team to 4 consecutive finals appearances, winning a championship in 2016. … but just like with the Heat, James left the Cavaliers when his contract ended. In 2018, he decided to join his current team, the Los Angeles Lakers. With James’ help, the team won its 17th championship in 2020… and as a result of his exceptional performance during the finals, James won his fourth finals MVP award. James’ success can be attributed to his decision to switch teams in 2010, because the move allowed him to grow as a player. When he was asked about his tenure with the Heat, James said he learned a lot from his former teammates and coach, whom he credited for helping him become the person he is today. The bottom line of his story? Making drastic changes to one’s career can lead to difficult challenges and adversities. When James switched teams in 2010, he didn’t achieve his goal of winning championships immediately. However, his setbacks allowed him to grow as a player and leader of every team he’s played with. Similarly, when you go outside of your comfort zone, you’ll be in a position to take your career to new heights. It won’t be easy, but it will fill your life with a renewed sense of purpose and satisfaction. — The third tenet of Career Driven Strategy (CDS) is about serving the right constituents. According to Professor Joel Litman and Dr. Mark L. Frigo in the book, “Driven,” this tenet is concerned with creating financial value for shareholders. Applying CDS’ third tenet to your career means you have to focus on serving the right customers or clients in your chosen profession. However, you also have to identify whether or not your skills are being utilized properly in your current field. This is because like a high-performing company, you must learn to carefully evaluate whether you should stay, leave, or enter a new industry so you can further maximize your knowledge and skill sets. Remember: Choosing a career isn’t just about creating financial value for yourself and others. It’s also about serving the RIGHT constituents who would benefit immensely from what you bring to the table. Hope you found this week’s insights interesting and helpful. Follow us on LinkedIn.     Stay tuned for next Tuesday’s Return Driven Strategy! In the past few weeks, we’ve been talking about different aspects of Return Driven Strategy’s (RDS) Tenet 4: Deliver Offerings. Learn more about the importance of the right execution at the right stage in next week’s article!