As a career coach I have now worked with more than 7,000 clients, one-on-one, in a variety of fields—From neurosurgeons to movie stars to those who feel lost in their search for their dream jobs—yet two questions that come up during many of my coaching sessions that require a more authoritative response than I am able to provide. Now I have found that authority and am presenting it in this blog.
These are questions on two different fronts: One comes from women in their respective professional field, who feel constantly undermined, slighted, ignored, or even gaslighted despite their stellar contributions. Although I go through exploring all the details of the different players involved in their work and the dynamic that exists among them, vis-à-vis my client, and provide them some guidance on how to overcome this adversity. Many deal with it and make some progress and come out better than before; others change jobs only to repeat the same treatment in a different context, despite my urging for them to learn how to develop the countermeasures to deal with these bullies and to build your confidence muscle.
The second front is about how to pursue their career when they are in their early phases of their professional evolution. My singular advice has been to develop mastery on the topic of their choosing and to become the go-to person in their area. Once they achieve that level of recognition, they can either move up in that area in a managerial role or they can stay as an individual contributor (IC) and continue to enjoy the status of a guru. Here, the process of mastering some topic is at the heart of their professional evolution, not so much what they decide to master.
By serendipity I found two videos that are each a Masterclass in these topics. I am providing links to these for those who are interested in learning from them. If you are bothered by these same questions, you may find these invaluable. If you are not, they are worth watching anyway to learn about human struggles and glory!
The video below captures the life story of Jocelyn Burnet Bell, who discovered pulsars in the early 1970s, yet the Nobel prize was given to her two bosses. Burnet Bell herself narrates her story and how she dealt with it throughout her life, only to be recognized for her contributions in the past decade. This video is 16 minutes, yet it is worth watching.
The second video captures the interview by Donald Knuth who pioneered computer programming as a science and authored five books on the Art of Computer Programming. His books are considered the vade mecum of computer programming and every serious programmer refers to them as their Bible! In this interview Knuth provides career advice to young professionals, who are just starting out on their careers. It is the same advice I have been giving my clients and now I have a great authority to support that advice!
Good luck in your career and life!
