MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors

Six Career Lessons that Changed My Life

Six Takeaways:

Written upon retirement from a 40 year career in executive and marketing management, Kathleen Schaub reflects on 6 surprising, refreshing tactics that she believes changed her career and stand to change yours as well. We found them refreshing and motivating, and thought you would as well. The lessons are:

1. Spend some quality time on the front line
   • Schaub spent time early in her career as a retail employee at Macy’s and notes that early jobs in retail or service work teach you how the world of business actually works—how to be managed, how to manage others, and how to navigate workplace politics while earning your first real independence.
   • Why? Serving customers directly gives you grit and empathy, shaping the way you approach every job that follows. Those who’ve done frontline work tend to lead with a more grounded, human perspective.
2. Bad experiences can open up new doors
   • Even a frustrating or uninspiring role has value, because it forces you to get clear on what you don’t want to spend your time doing. It opens your eyes to hidden possibilities or avenues for development that you might have overlooked.
   • For Schaub, a disappointing design job gave her time to reflect, experiment, and ultimately stumble into marketing and technology—fields that matched her strengths and launched a far more fulfilling career.
3. Skate to where the puck is going
   • Success often depends less on how hard you work and more on where you place your effort—those who step into fast-growing industries ride the rising tide while others fight over scraps. Working to understand the direction that industries are heading in can guide your development.
   • By moving into technology and marketing, Schaub found herself surrounded by ambitious, creative people building something new. This fueled her growth, expanded her network, and kept her instilled with purpose.
4. Choose the bigger life
   • The scariest, hardest jobs often become the most transformative, stretching your skills and confidence in hugely unexpected– and beneficial– ways.
   • At her hardest job, a highly technical design firm, the steep learning curve in an intimidating, rocket-scientist-filled environment pushed her into global projects, pioneering innovations, and a vibrant network that continues to enrich her life today. She adapted to the demands of the role, learning skills that helped her for the rest of her career.
5. Maintain a beginner’s mind
   • Becoming “the expert” can be dangerous—once you assume you know everything, you risk missing the subtle shifts and unexpected changes that can redefine the game. Keep your basic fundamental skills sharp.
   • At enterprise software company Sybase, she saw firsthand that curiosity propelled turnarounds and key developments. Remember: ideas that shouldn’t work sometimes soar, and safe bets sometimes flop. Staying curious and humble keeps you open to the opportunities hiding in the weird and unpredictable.
6. Enable the next generation to take big dreams forward
   • The most meaningful work is not about personal achievement alone but about using your strengths in service of something larger than yourself, something that will outlast you.
   • As an analyst at IDC, Schaub leaned into her long-honed superpowers— being intentional about asking sharp questions, making complex ideas understandable, and reminding herself to remain endlessly curious. This helped organizations, teams, and leaders grow in ways that continue to ripple beyond her career, and into the development of others.

By Kathleen Schaub
Read the whole story.