Have you reached a point where doing a good job isn’t enough anymore.
You can perform. You can deliver. You can check every box.
But something is off.
Not wrong. Just not right.
You start noticing: What gives you energy. What drains it.
For me, it showed up clearly.
I loved working across teams. Different disciplines. Different ways of thinking.
I especially love if tech is involved.
I wanted to understand how things worked. And then explain it.
That part came naturally.
Breaking down a process. Translating a solution. Adjusting the message depending on who was in the room.
Executives. Engineers. Customer.
Different language. Same idea.
That became a strength.
But there was another side.
Managing a team.
The structure. The documentation. The measurement. The constant feedback loops.
Necessary work. Important work.
But for me, it was a huge drain.
Not because I couldn’t do it. Because I didn’t want to keep doing it.
The theme in this phase was, “What am I supposed to be doing?” and “What do I want to keep doing?”
It’s hard to be real with yourself sometimes. Here’s the trap:
A lot of people ignore this internal voice.
They stay on the expected path. They take on career roles that look like progress.
More responsibility. Bigger team. Cushy office. Better title.
But further away from the work that actually fits.
The shift happens when you get honest.
About what you’re good at. And what you want to be known for.
For me, that clarity changed everything.
I stopped trying to round out every skill. And started leaning into what felt best for me.
- Collaborative problem-solving
- Working with technical teams, not managing them.
- Turning complexity into something people could understand
Not a job title. (Not yet!) A path.
But here’s the reality:
You don’t always know what roles exist that match the path.
Especially now. Careers aren’t linear. Organizations don’t map it out for you.
So you have to find it another way.
You reach out. You compare notes. You listen to how other people built their careers.
You start connecting the dots through conversations.
At the time, I didn’t call this mentorship or networking.
It just felt like asking smart people for perspective.
But that’s exactly what it was.
Your network becomes your visibility.
They see patterns you don’t. They name roles you haven’t considered. They open doors you didn’t know were there.
This phase isn’t about proving yourself anymore; it’s about leveraging that foundation.
Pay attention to what pulls you in.
Be honest about drains your energy.
And use both to shape where you go next.
Be courageous. Take the risk. Trust the foundation and reputation you’ve built to get you through.
