This is an email I received “out of the blue” and I’d like to share it with you, as it’s a good example of how important (and satisfying) a change in awareness can be:
Hi Sandra,
I’ll start my email by saying thank you. You probably don’t know why – allow me to explain:
I spoke to Iza [note: one of our Career Angels] last week and she told me that you are the author of the Challenge Accepted meetings, as well as the materials that have helped me organize my thoughts on my current professional situation. It’s taken me a full week to write this email, because I wanted to do it properly.
The Challenge Accepted group, as well as the Career Angels who attend the meetings are an inspiration for my job search – but also privately.
So far, I had lived with the – limiting – conviction that a manager must advance upwards. This belief was strengthened while speaking to other managers, during interviews, talking to headhunters or even career advisors.
I was inspired to honestly look at myself, my overall development and realized that there’s a lot going on “laterally”: I do additional projects outside of work, volunteering. And even when being a manager, I’d spend more time on non-managerial tasks with a particular focus on broadening and deepening my know-how. The meeting on “Do you manage your career or does your career manage you” made a particular impact on me.
Some time ago, I correctly interpreted company signals that a restructuring was imminent – incl. the inevitable lay-offs.
With those two things happening parallel – my being more aware and the restructuring – I realized that I would rather be doing something else and that there indeed was – potentially – a place for me in the company, but not as a linear manager. I approached the board with a well-prepared pitch and voilà: I’ll start my new role – that will be created for me – in August.
[…]
Our small community is very important to me – as are you – my Angels!
Thank you for organizing these meetings, and for the energy and know-how!
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A quick comment: This person has not paid for any of our services. He attends our Challenge Accepted meetings and reads our materials. Everything is absolutely free of charge. What he does well: he applies what he learns – which makes us, Career Angels, very happy!
More about Challenge Accepted here.
If you want to read more about: “Do you manage your career or does your career manage you”.
If you’d like to discuss your career confidentially, book a free career consultation. Send an email to Bichl.Sandra (at) CareerAngels.eu or click here. Please note: the Skype call of approx. 45 min is confidential, non-obligatory and free of charge.
