mindshift fiveGet a move on! Use movement to stay energised and thrive
Lisa Wang, a 30‐something Chinese‐American from California, has had a somewhat nonlinear career path, moving from job to job and location to location. ‘I changed all sorts of functions and jobs and worked in big and small companies. I was prioritising gaining new experiences that were fulfilling to me as an individual’, she says.1
As she got older, she began to worry about all this movement. Was it really so wise? ‘I would see other people who I had worked with previously, who had more direct paths, and they seemed to get promoted faster.’
In her late twenties, still prioritising adventure over acceleration, she moved to Asia. This move meant putting aside an interest she had in product management because most of the opportunities in Asia were in sales. She worked for me in Singapore (and was befriended by another young woman from San Francisco, Emily Huo, from chapter 1).
After working in sales operations in Asia for a few years, Lisa returned to the US to pursue an MBA at Harvard University. She graduated, took a job — and then quickly left it when she realised it wasn't for her.
Suddenly, faced with a break in employment, she stopped to think about her direction. She'd done so many things, yet never focused on moving toward her long‐standing interest ...