25: Develop Your Own Metrics to Evaluate Alternative Career Options

Find the full transcript at https://spacetoshiftyourcareer.com/25

Imagine you’re standing on a lookout, scanning the horizon with a pair of binoculars.

At first, everything looks a bit blurry. So you adjust the focus. 

Suddenly, certain things become sharp and clear… while others fade into the background.

Now here’s the interesting part: What you see isn’t just about what’s out there. It’s about how you’ve adjusted the lens. 

The same landscape… but a completely different view.

When it comes to their career, many public sector leaders don’t realise they’re looking through a default lens. 

They don’t realise that they can adjust their lens. 

So they keep seeing the same kinds of roles. The same organisations. The same options.

In this episode, I show you how to adjust your lens by creating your own career decision metrics. So you can evaluate your options with clarity and confidence. And notice new ones you might not have spotted before.

Other episodes mentioned:

- Episode 8: What Matters Most in Your Career Shift  

- Episode 14: What Will Your Future Contribution Be? 

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Yvonne Davidis helps public sector leaders develop exciting career options that align with who they are now and how they want to evolve in future. 

With 20+ years of moving countries, working for the UK and Denmark across three continents, plus professional coaching certifications, Yvonne is a unique specialist for leaders in the public sector considering their next chapter.

Book a 90-minute Jumpstart Session to clarify your deal-breakers and must-haves for a more satisfying work experience.  

For step-by-step support on your career change journey apply here for Yvonne's 5-month Find Your Career Space programme, and she'll be in touch to invite you to a free discovery call. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Imagine you're standing on a lookout, scanning the horizon with a pair of binoculars. At first everything looks a bit blurry, so you adjust the focus. Suddenly certain things become sharp and clear, while others fade into the background. Now here's the interesting part. What you see isn't just about what's out there, it's about how you've adjusted the lens. The same landscape, but a completely different view. When it comes to their careers, many public sector leaders don't realize they're looking through a default lens, one they didn't consciously choose. They don't realize that they can adjust their lens. So they keep seeing the same kinds of roles, the same organizations, the same options. In this episode of the Space to Shift Your Career Podcast, I want to show you how to adjust your lens by creating your own career decision metrics so you can evaluate your options with clarity and confidence, and notice new ones you might not have spotted before. You are listening to Space to Shift Your Career, a free resource for leaders in the public sector wondering what's next. I'm Yvonda Vidis and I've created this podcast to invite you to explore new paths that reflect who you are now and how you want your career to evolve in the future. I have a talent for creating a high trust space so you can reflect, think out loud and test your assumptions. And I love helping you explore, dream and discover new possibilities for yourself. I moved country several times and I know what it's like to change careers, both within and out of the public sector. And I'm a trained career change and executive leadership coach. I've been working with career shifters as a mentor since 2013 and as a coach since I started my business in 2022. Now subscribe so you don't miss any new episodes. Now let's go. Many leaders I speak with struggle to see alternative options. They are looking through default lens, more often than not without realizing it. In the public sector, you assess policy, program, and investment options using certain criteria. Those criteria are your lens. When it comes to your own career and life, you do the same. The question is what lens are you using to evaluate your options? Instead of asking, is this the right job? Ask right according to what. This is where everything changes, because once you define your metrics, your lens, your decision making becomes easier. It becomes clearer because your decision is grounded in your values and what matters most to you. And it becomes more strategic because it is aligned with who you are now and how you want to evolve in future. This is how you create your personal evaluation criteria. Think of this like designing your own framework for your career. You've likely considered the obvious ones so far salary, working hours, holidays, insurance, and other perks. And they are important elements to include in your metrics. But there are other factors too that many leaders overlook. They don't realize that they can actually have them on their checklist, that they can ask for them. Let's dive into four powerful questions to develop your own metrics. Question number one. What gives you energy? Does what you'll be doing in this role energize or drain you? This is not about what you're good at. Don't get me wrong, that's important too. So feel free to include that in your metrics as well. But this is about what actually gives you energy in your day-to-day work and knowing what doesn't. Question number two. What kind of impact do you want to have now? As a leader in the public sector, you have a strong sense of purpose. You want to make a difference. That's what drew you into the public service in the first place. Your purpose can evolve over time. So what matters to you now? And how do you want to contribute going forward? I have a whole episode on that question. So if you want to go into more detail on this, go and find episode 8. And question number 3. What environment helps you do your best work? Think beyond the role itself. What pace? Fast moving or considered? What structure? Clear processes? Or more autonomy? What culture? Collaborative, political, innovative? The environment can make or break a role. It impacts whether you are drained or thriving. Question number four. What are your non-negotiables and your flex points? Let's be honest here. What must be present for this to work for you? And where are you not willing to compromise anymore? Without this clarity, everything becomes negotiable. And that's where misalignment creeps in. This can be the common things around salary, working hours, flexibility, holidays, etc. But I invite you to expand this list to also include your energy, the impact you are after, and environment you need to thrive. That's how you sharpen your lens and spot which career options no longer fit and which alternative ones become clear. These are the kind of questions I help my clients get clarity on in my 90-minute jumpstart session. Check that out at spaceto shiftyourcareer.com slash jumpstart. So why does this matter? Without clear criteria, your brain defaults to overthinking, risk avoidance, and other people's expectations. With clear criteria, you make aligned decisions and feel more confident in your choices. And you can explain your decisions with more clarity to those you care about most. Once you've defined your own criteria, created your personal lens, you can take a new role or a new career path you're interested in and assess it. Not just on one dimension, the default one, but across all of them. You will quickly see where it aligns, where it doesn't, and whether those gaps matter. That's how you move from confusion to clarity. You don't need the perfect job description to make the right decision. You need the right lens to evaluate it. So before you swing into action, doing all the usual stuff, you know, start updating your CV and applying for new roles. Stop and pause. Take the time to define what right actually means for you now, at this stage in your career and life. Until next time, make space, rediscover you, and then take action. Thank you for listening today. You care about solving real problems and making a difference. And you feel it's time to figure out in what way you can do that in the next chapter of your career. Learn more about how I help leaders in the public sector break through four limiting beliefs about shifting their career. It's space to shiftyourcareer.com. And if you're getting value from this podcast, please do share it with other public sector leaders who are considering what's next for them.