How to Lead, 5th Edition

Chapter 42

Careering versus careers

As leaders, we are discovering that leadership is both a verb and a noun.

Once upon a time career was a noun. It described the process by which a young graduate might start work with a paternalistic employer and expect to leave 45 years later with a carriage clock and a pension. The loyal employee would often then loyally die promptly so that the pension fund was not over-burdened.

The good news is that we no longer expect to die shortly after reaching pension age. The bad news is that our loyal employer has gone the way of the unicorn and disappeared into the land of myths.

Nowadays, career has become a verb that describes how we have to slalom from one role to the next, and from one employer to the next. ...