Here's what's really holding you back from gaining career clarity
5 Steps to Gaining Career Clarity
As individuals with an athletic background, we need to be rooted in something to better understand what it is that we’re trying to achieve & why it is that we’re trying to achieve it. Let’s take hockey here as an example: the overall objective is to score as many goals on your opponent while protecting your net. How do you do that?
You have offensive-based plays that are designed to outsmart your opponent, designed to get into their territory and score on their goalie. That would include concepts like winning a faceoff, stick handling, trick plays, passing, types of shots, rebounds, etc.
You have defensive-based plays that are designed to protect the net. That would include concepts like killing a power play, protecting the net, blocking shots, positioning, checking, etc.
Sports Professional
If you have an athletically inclined mind, you’re used to training in that way. It should also be applied in career planning and goal setting for your future. The more specific you are in your objective, the more clarity you have, the easier it is to craft a plan that can help get you to where you desire to be.
You need to have an idea of where you’re wanting to go to figure out how to get there. Then you can start creating your legacy.
Step 1 - Go back to being a kid
As a kid, everything is within grasp. No dream seems too big or too unrealistic. We lead with what we like (or don’t like), passions take the driver's seat. As we age, that ability to believe full-heartedly in leading with our passion starts to diminish. We start thinking about the “shoulds” or what’s “realistic” and our dreams can seem further and further away.
Here’s the truth. You spend the majority of your life working. Typically, that would look something like this:
You spend 40 hours a week at work.
That’s roughly 160 hours a month working.
2,080 hours a year working.
If you spend 30 years in your career, that’s about 62,400 hours.
That’s a long time to spend doing something that you don’t like. It’s a lot of time to spend doing something that doesn’t move you. It takes an emotional and physical strain that bleeds into different components of your life.
It’s like trying to fit on a shoe that’s the wrong size. Or drinking the same (incorrect) coffee order from your local coffee shop every day. You can try to fit into the box, the mold, that isn’t meant for you. But what do you ultimately get out of that?
Go back to your passions, your strengths, the things you love.
Grab a pen and a paper and let’s break this down, shall we? Start by brainstorming the following prompt:
What do you love?
Is there anything that you gravitate towards in your free time? Something that you spend countless hours researching? What is it that lights you up? You can also reflect on the things that you did as a kid before “life” got in the way.
What skills do you have?
Think about your natural talents. Is there anything that people typically come to you for? What compliments have you gotten in the past? What is your superpower?
What weaknesses do you have?
Is there anything in your current role that you would delegate if you could? Is there anything that you’ve avoided?
Once you get a good handle on the above, it’s easier to figure out how to merge your natural talents with your passion. The most successful networkers or community builders are those that know themselves very well.
“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes.” —Andrew Carnegie
Work in Sports
Step 2 - Look into the future
Don’t worry, you don’t need a crystal ball for this exercise.
Think about life in 3, 5, or 10 years - what vision would light you up? What goes beyond your wildest desires?
Are you standing on Wrigley field organizing a player's post-game press conference?
Are you starting your non-profit to enhance support for grassroots sports?
Are you working across different leagues as a sports psychologist?
Are you working in an agency, helping sports brands amplify their message?
What comes to your mind when someone asks you that? Don’t overthink it, the more you overthink it the more likely you are to start justifying what’s logical & why it “can’t happen”.
Reflect on the way that you’ll feel when you wake up in the morning. What things do you do? Are you in your element? What’s feeling super aligned for you? Who is this future version of you that you’re aspiring to be?
5 Steps to Gaining Career Clarity
Step 3 - Get honest with yourself
You need to get crystal clear with yourself about what’s been coming up for you. Mindset plays a massive role in our success. Limiting beliefs show up subconsciously every single day. Up until this point, what’s been holding you back?
What coded beliefs do you have? What is the voice in your head telling you? Is there negative self-talk? Are the “shoulds” piling up? Do you feel like it’s “too late in the game”?
Write out a brain dump. Pen to paper. Get honest with yourself.
When we start to understand the things that are coming up, we can tackle them and reprogram our thoughts.
Step 4 - Reverse engineering your future
Go back to the future that you dreamed about, the one that you desire. Break it down into smaller chunks.
What are smaller ladders to climb to make your dreams a reality? Having “small” wins is going to keep you motivated. It’s going to keep you engaged. It’s going to keep you pushing through to the next level.
Start creating the ladder - what steps do you need to climb? How do you need to show up to climb it?
Take action every day.
This is a marathon and not a sprint. If you haven’t run in 5 years you can’t expect to suddenly show up for a marathon (without practicing, resting, eating well) and do well. That’s just not going to happen. Similarly, writing out your vision for the future isn’t going to happen if you don’t take action to get you there. Start with a walk around the block before you dive into running.
Start small. The point is to start.
...And give yourself grace on the days when you need to listen to your body and slow down.
“Continuous effort—not strength or intelligence—is the key to unlocking our potential.” —Liane Cards
Here’s what’s holding you back from gaining career clarity
Step 5 - Pick the outline of your team
Who do you need on your team to help you get there? You don’t need to write down specific names for this, but if certain people come to your mind then you’re more than welcome to.
This is your future and you’re in the GM’s seat. What position players and support staff is your team going to need?
What skills do you lack that someone else can come in and strengthen? What holes can they fill? In what ways do you need to be pushed and motivated? Who can help you with that?
Your team is your community. It’s your network. It’s your trusted board of advisors. It’s your mentors. Your team is filled with people in your corner.
These are the people that you can pour into and better and vice versa.
Here are things to consider with this:
What positions are they in?
What qualities do they have?
What are their strengths?
What are their weaknesses (that you might be able to help strengthen)?
What about them motivates you?
We’re going to use the outline of your team in the future when we start building and enhancing your network. So more coming on that later.
When I dive into working with a new client, the first thing we go over is career and future vision clarity. It’s a foundational piece to diving into the work of making that sports leadership role a reality.
If you’re sitting at your desk, waiting for the next thing, it’s time to take action. If you’re daydreaming about what could be, it’s time to take action. If you’re counting down the hours to leave the office and clock out, it’s time to take action.
I clearly remember what it feels like...
Carrying a huge weight on my shoulders
Dissatisfaction from work bleeding into other areas of my life
The frustration from knowing that I wanted more, but not knowing how to get it. Or even if I could
The time is now. Those feelings aren't going to go away.
Let’s explore your options:
Sit around waiting (hoping) for something to change
Take a chance and a step towards making something happen
Here’s the truth…
You deserve to be in your dream career - a career that combines your passion for sports with your business knowledge.
You deserve to have an engaged community - people that you can lean on and turn to, that assist in opening doors for you.
It’s not too late in the game. You aren’t too “old”. You aren’t stuck.
You’re staying stuck in the comfort of what you know. The truth is, it’s never too late to advance your career (I’ve seen people in their 30s-40s break into and advance in the sports industry with no prior industry experience). It does happen. It can happen to you.
Explore your options now.