Leadership Lessons from Ajax the Seeing Eye Dog #5: What’s Your Career Path?

“Seeing within changes one’s outer vision”

Joseph Chilton Pearce

Our guide dog puppy in training named Ajax is still growing and expressing all aspects of his personality and interests (e.g., pushing rocks around our deck, finding joy in pulling down toilet paper rolls from the bathroom, exploring things in the sky that fly, and wanting to play with other dogs that walk by while he is working).

We can’t help but wonder if he will emerge to become a leader and become an official guide dog.

One earlier guide dog puppy named Elmo was unbelievable but made a career change from majoring in “special education”  to “recreation” after he wasn’t able to handle the stress of being a guide dog.  His career path preference was clearly to be more of a devoted “stay at home” pet (specialist) then to enter the leadership track and become an official guide dog.  Other guide dogs also become “specialists” and are kept for breeding while others go on to other service dog positions using their initial guide dog training (generalists).

If leaders truly understood the pre-wiring of the interests, values and motives of talent and tried to use this information to lead them more effectively they would be able to unlock some of the mystery surrounding effective leadership.  Our interests, motives and values seem to be set at late teen age years (in most of us!) and remain stable for the rest of our life.

Understanding the Four Career Path Preferences

MANAGERIAL — This career path preference is best characterized by those interested in continually moving vertically up the organizational ladder into traditional supervisory and managerial positions with increasing spans of control, responsibility, power, and authority.

Typical career anchors and motives of these individuals include power, influence, leadership, control, task accomplishment, status, managerial competence, and directing others. Appropriate organizational rewards for these individuals might include: upward mobility, promotion, special perks, titles, and organizational symbols of success (e.g., profit sharing incentive plans, company car, stock options, financial planning, expense account, club memberships, etc.).

SPECIALIST/INDEPENDENT CONTRIBUTOR — This career path preference is best characterized by those interested in remaining in one career field or profession for much of their working life. Along the way, these specialists are able to highly refine their technical knowledge, skills and abilities. These individuals are less interested in moving up as they are in becoming the expert and having autonomy to do things their way.

Typical career anchors and motives of these individuals include technical and functional competence, expertise, skill mastery, service to others, independence, affiliation and security. Appropriate organizational rewards for these individuals might include: job enrichment, continuing education, membership in professional associations, recognition, motivational programs, organizational benefits, sabbaticals, tenure and job security.

ENTREPRENEURIAL — This career path preference is best characterized by those interested in rapid job, career, and occupational changes over short periods of time. These individuals enjoy working on diverse projects, tasks, assignments, and business ventures with measurable and visible outcomes.

Typical career anchors and motives of these individuals include: entrepreneurship, achievement, autonomy, variety, risk, challenge, change, freedom from organizational constraints, flexibility, creativity and diversity. Appropriate organizational rewards for these individuals might include flexible schedules, short-term projects, independent contracts, consulting assignments, start-up operations, job sharing, and bonuses.

GENERALIST — This career path preference is best characterized by those who gradually change jobs and career over time but utilize the foundation of previously acquired skills, knowledge and abilities. These generalists generally move either laterally or upwards increasing their breadth of knowledge and experience along the way. Individuals who follow this career path tend to prefer new challenges and assignments that will enable them to grow and develop professionally. This career path preference is particularly well suited for project and program management assignments within organizations.

Typical career anchors and motives of these individuals include professional growth and personal development, learning, coaching, developing others, and innovation. Appropriate organizational rewards for these individuals might include cross training, job rotation, project management, tuition and educational reimbursement and coaching and mentorship assignments.

Of course we find combinations of these drivers.  For example those of you high in both “specialist” and “entrepreneurial” anchors are likely to be attracted to external consulting.  Others with a combination of “managerial” and “generalist” love “fix it” assignments and short term challenges before moving on to another leadership opportunity.

So, stop teasing that specialist/independent contributor about leading–they really just want to practice their craft and be left alone.  Oh, and stop trying to lead them too!  You will only frustrate yourself and drive key talent away.

We hope Ajax will have a strong proclivity towards both the Managerial and Specialist career paths to guide the way for someone lucky enough to be his partner….Be well….

[tags] career paths, specialists, project managers,interests, entrepreneurial behavior, coaching, leadership, talent management, kenneth nowack, ken nowack, nowack[/tags]

Ken Nowack

Kenneth Nowack, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist (PSY13758) and President & Chief Research Officer/Co-Founder of Envisia Learning, is a member of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations. Ken also serves as the Associate Editor of Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research. His recent book Clueless: Coaching People Who Just Don’t Get It is available for free for a limited time by signing up for free blog updates (Learn more at our website)