In my over 2 decades in leadership and executive roles in the IT industry, I’ve had a chance to lead, work and collaborate with scores of driven and successful women across the globe. Climbing to the top of an industry that continues to be male dominated not only requires intelligence and valued skills, but also takes grit, focus and determination.
Most of these executive positions are all consuming and often don’t leave a lot of room for taking a time out to figure out if the path you are on is still right for you.
In many cases:
- The work is no longer challenging in a meaningful way.
- Or there isn’t enough space to pursue and develop the areas of your life which have become important to you.
And that’s why I decided to devote this episode to share the journey I took in starting Living While Leading. This story is a classic case of someone putting off the pursuit of what they wanted for years.
Relocation and an IT Career Reinvention
I’m a native New Yorker and relocated to Europe just as the world was entering the new millennia.
The relocation meant I had to leave a career I really loved as administrative director at one of the most prestigious hospitals in the United States.
Working to provide healthcare to a diverse population was never boring. It was always very obvious how the services we provided contributed to the betterment of society. I had 53 direct reports. I collaborated with the clinicians and had daily interactions with patients and their families. I was in my element.
Moving to Austria presented me with a set of challenges I had never imagined being confronted with:
- I couldn’t speak German.
- The healthcare system in Austria was so different from that in the US, that my skills and experience were redundant.
- I had no friends and no network.
I had to find a way to establish myself and reinvent my career and that’s exactly what I did. I joined English speaking women’s groups so I could meet people. I took a job teaching business English to executives and started to learn German.
In less than a year, I had secured a full-time position at the Eastern European headquarters of IBM and was an adjunct professor at an American university with a campus in Vienna.
The Importance of Self Reflection for Female Leaders
I learned a few things about myself during my first years living abroad:
- When I’m clear about what I want, I’m able to get there. The path may not be linear, but linear is boring anyway. Isn’t it?
- When I told my story to people, I found allies and friends. People were genuinely interested in helping me.
- I was able to leave my ego at the door, repeatedly. Let’s face it, I earned a fraction of my US salary as an English teacher and in the entry level position at IBM, but I wanted to work.
But a strange thing happened over the course of the years and I was hardly aware of it …
I found myself being offered and agreeing to every promotion or new challenge put in front of me. The job titles, the expanded territory, the salary increases and financial incentives where all very compelling.
But, if I’m being honest, not all of these roles where right for me. Not all of the organizations I joined were right for me. Not all of the people I reported to were right for me. I increasingly found myself uninspired by the work and the people around me.
I came to the realization that there was a single throughline that made each of these positions either enjoyable or tolerable, and that was always the people development aspect of my roles. I enjoyed:
- One-on-one coaching and career development discussions.
- Training and facilitation of employee learning.
- Mentoring and supporting women at various stages of their careers.
An IT Executive Redefines Success
I knew that I needed to reinvent myself again. But that was scary. I’m risk adverse by nature. The sheer notion of starting a new career was terrifying to me.
Like everyone, I have financial obligations. I couldn’t imagine starting at the bottom of another company. I was too old to be the new kid on the block again. What would I reinvent myself as? How would I start?
My fear was real. It was paralyzing and prevented me from doing what I knew was the logical next step in my career. My fear caused me to waste precious time.
These concerns played repeatedly in my head and kept me from taking action for years.
But there is good news. I overcame my fear. I wish I could say that I did this alone, but I didn’t. I‘ve been lucky enough to have some amazingly supportive people in my life who patiently listened to me complain about my plight over the years. They listened to my vision of my fantasy job. They encouraged me to take the leap. And so, I did.
But this time, I decided to leap big!
This time my reinvention was about me starting my own company — Living While Leading —where I help women executives gain more control over their careers and carve out time to care for themselves and their family.
Being a solopreneur is not for the faint of heart. It’s hard work. Heck, I’m probably working harder now than I have in a long time.
But you know what? I no longer suffer from Sunday jitters or the Monday blues. I don’t get triggered when I hear an email land in my inbox. I have no guilt when I close my laptop and take an afternoon walk.
I know that being in service to others is what I’ve always enjoyed and this is what I really want.
I’ve shared this story with you because I know many of you have a vision for your life that you continue to delay.
- You’re ambitious but you no longer want to consistently work long days and weekends.
- You want to be more active but can’t figure out how to squeeze it into your busy schedule.
- You know you need to establish firm boundaries, but worry how others will perceive them.
You worked hard to get to where you are. You deserve to pursue whatever it is that will support you moving through your career with intention and living a fulfilled and more balanced life. Remember, you are the solution to claiming what’s important to you!
