2004 AGSM Conference: The Art and Science of Managing your career Filomena Leonardi

AUTHOR: Editor   DATE: 30.11.04   ISSUE 3, 2004

Leonardi was addressing the AGSM conference on the art and science of managing your career. She illustrated her discussion by holding a mock career interview with AGSM alumni Mark Compton MD of SciGen Limited, an international biotech company.

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"Getting a new job is easy, the real challenge is in knowing what job you want."

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PHOTO: David Smyth (Filomena Leonardi)

Leonardi argues that what sets high achievers apart from their equally talented, but less recognised, peers is passion. People who are passionate about their jobs are less stressed, happier and more effective. These fortunate few are dealing with issues that capture their imagination and reflect their true interests.

“Because their work is an expression of their true self, they can always be fully committed to it. No task can be too hard or too boring if we find our work meaningful and can engage in it,” says Leonardi.

As Partner in a leading search firm, Leonardi regularly advises senior executives searching for the next step in their career. And in an era of constant change, career transitions have become the norm.

While there is no magic formula, Leonardi has developed a powerful model to assist people through career transition.

The first and most critical step is achieving a very clear focus through self reflection. This stage can take time, possibly months. Some people can achieve clarity while working in existing careers while others may need some leave or even a ‘sabbatical’ to really clear the mind and get a fresh perspective.

Part of this process can include ‘letting go’ of your old roles, of the past, and moving forward. It should also include some time to create vision of where you want to be, and more importantly who you want to be.

As with any corporate strategy, only when you know where you want to be can you start to plan how to get there. The second stage of Leonardi’s model is about creating opportunities and evaluating them critically.

Leonardi recommends that you take an inventory of your personal networks. “Its amazing just who you find you know and how widely you are connected without realising it,” she says. If you are moving into a new profession or a new industry, and your personal networks are lacking, her advice is to immerse yourself by attending conferences and reading relevant publications.

When opportunities arise, evaluate them carefully. A common mistake is to leap at the first offer that comes our way only to regret it later.

To bring the challenges of career transition to life, Leonardi interviewed Mark Compton about his career path and transitions. Compton began his career as a pharmacologist and worked in clinical research and as an Academic for a number of years. He later transitioned into management through a number of roles in health care and an Executive MBA.

Compton’s advice is “Don’t put yourself into a box”. He argues that once you have found your calling, you can demonstrate you have the skills to do it.

“Take your experience and spread it all out on the floor in front of you. Identify what you are good at and where you have gaps. Fill in those gaps by building skills and experiences over time,” he said.

"Two key issues for me in the various positions I’ve held have been firstly, to try and identify where my strengths lie and play to those. Secondly, to build breadth and flexibility into career positions so that one can clearly demonstrate to current and future employers the ability to use skills and knowledge – the tool kit – in a variety of contexts,” he concluded.