How to Navigate the Newer, Bigger Box in Your Career Path

When I was a child, I wanted to be a social studies teacher. Living on a farm, the boundary walls of my knowledge form a very small box. I knew that cattle were hard work and social studies was my favorite subject, so I went with my best option.

As I exposed myself to more of the world, that box grew and my career goals changed: first in psychology, then business and, finally, technology. I learned more, traveled across the country and other parts of the world, and the walls around my understanding grew. I was recently invited to give the commencement speech for the graduating class of 2024 at the university where I studied marketing as an undergraduate. Forty years later, my box had grown to include titles such as CEO of a technology company and the 2023 national winner of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

Looking back, I see my path to leadership more clearly, not as a line, but as a series of navigating growing boxes. Every new experience can be scary at first, but as we learn and explore that space, we grow more confident in it and better prepared to navigate the next one. There is always a big box of information to open, and when we see it, we are faced with a choice: to stay in the safe, small space we know or to adapt to a bigger space and grow.

Related: 10 Best Career Tips To Achieve Your Goals

Stay the course

My first job out of grad school was at a software company, and I was hooked – nothing moves faster than technology, and I knew that’s where I wanted to grow my career. However, I never intended to move from cattle to computers and I have a lot to learn from this information box with so little experience working in the field. I thought my boss would appreciate my initiative when I go to my peers first and then to my employer’s bosses for help when I have a problem. Instead, I lost my job.

Undeterred despite this difficult start, I continued to work for years at another software company as a marketing manager. I always followed the line of managing this department when I heard the leadership of the company saying that a woman will never manage marketing because women only know how to use money. The next day I was fired.

I could have gone after that company for what happened, and maybe I should so that the women who came after me would have a better chance, but I was in a small town and a small industry. I had to navigate this little box before I got to where I wanted to go, and talking felt like a huge risk to the course I had set for my work. Therefore, I do my best to learn from the disappointing moments and move forward instead of letting them discourage me from finding my next opportunity.

Related: How to Cultivate a Growth Mindset and Turn Challenges into Opportunities

Adjust for passing squalls

Even the best plans need course corrections along the way. Like the rudder of a sailboat, setting the main goals of a career can steer us in the right direction, but there will be bad weather and ever-changing seas. At my next job, an engineer wasn’t willing to work with a woman or believe they had a place in technology. When I went to him with problems, he would try to talk to the circles around me rather than help me understand. I adjusted, went to his staff for support so I could still be successful in my role.

When I was promoted and became his boss, we needed a better solution. I was entering the leadership box and I had to realize that although I disagreed with his behavior, he was a great engineer whose work benefited the team. So, we agreed on what I needed from him and I gave him a lot of instructions to do it. I may not have won him over completely, but I made the most of that relationship while fixing up a large area.

Today’s obstacle is not always an obstacle to moving forward. There will be bullies, bad bosses or ex-husbands who may stand in the way, but men are not always obstacles. In my next three jobs, I discovered that some of them could be my greatest champions. By always being curious to learn from everyone, my box of understanding expanded. I have learned to identify supportive, protective people, to nurture those relationships and to decide when to compromise or take the opportunity to learn and move on.

Related: 7 Steps to Push Your Work Outside Your Comfort Zone

Make time to care and celebrate

We started Clearfield at a time when large manufacturing companies were designing the largest broadband service providers and we saw the benefit of creating innovative, scalable products for small companies building in rural areas. After Covid-19 sent everyone home and high-speed internet became a necessity, public and private investment in fiber installation skyrocketed. Sales have exploded. The industry was moving faster than ever, and I was running to keep up with its new challenges, until I needed back surgery.

The drive to learn more and take on greater responsibilities can carry us to the heights of leadership, but we limit ourselves when that desire causes us to sacrifice celebration and self-care. Taking the time to show appreciation to others for their efforts reassures them that we recognize their value and fuels their continued contributions to the team. In the same way, regular self-care renews our spirit and dedication as we do the heavy lifting of moving into the big boxes: overcoming fear, learning from mistakes and developing confidence.

From the box I’m sitting in now, I can see that taking care of myself and enjoying myself is how we and our team members sustain ourselves for a long time and set ourselves the goal of achieving. That’s the good thing about getting into a bigger box: Each moment is an opportunity to look back at our previous worldview with greater clarity and learn to do better.