For most of us, reinvention—of our careers and ourselves—is an extremely tall order. As London Business School professor Herminia Ibarra notes, you might know what you don’t want to do any more but be unsure what you actually do want to do next. People “don’t know how to search when they don’t know exactly what they’re searching for,” she says.
How to Think Strategically About a Career Transition
It starts with envisioning your possible future selves.
September 08, 2023
Summary.
Career transitions are tough. Many of us have trouble imagining a new role that’s dramatically different from the one we have. And once we make a move, it’s hard to do so smoothly. Herminia Ibarra is here to help. The London Business School professor has come to realize just how challenging career moves are, and she has ideas on how to improve the odds. Ibarra was our guest on an episode of HBR’s “The New World of Work.” A native of Cuba, she earned her MA and PhD at Yale. She was a faculty member at Harvard Business School and INSEAD before taking on her current role, as a professor of organizational behavior at LBS. The conversation focused on career transitions, which she believes have a far better chance of working out when people are strategic about them. Also discussed: networking and her somewhat controversial take on “authenticity” in the workplace.