You Don’t Want Your Boss’s Job… So Why Are You Still Climbing the Corporate Ladder?

Transcription:
Second Act Success Podcast
Season 1 - You Don’t Want Your Boss’s Job… So Why Are You Still Climbing the Corporate Ladder? | #242
Episode - #242
Host: Shannon Russell
Transcription (*created by Descript and may not be perfectly accurate)

Shannon Russell: [00:00:00] If you don't want your boss's job, why are you still climbing the ladder?
Let that sink in for a second, this is something I see all the time with my clients and even my friends. Honestly, it's something I also had to confront myself at one point in my career.
Why are we working so hard? Those late hours, those long nights travel, et cetera. If we don't want that next level, why are we working so hard? Hello, my friend and welcome back to the second Act Success podcast. I am Shannon Russell, a business coach for women and the author of Start Your Second Act.
Let's talk about this ladder that we've been trained to climb since we were very, very young. We've been told, work hard, be responsible. Say yes, get promoted. Climb that ladder and don't complain. Especially as women, women are just told to keep quiet, look pretty, and do the work follow along. Be that team [00:01:00] player, and keep going.
And maybe for a while, that ladder made sense, right? You're going to go to school, you're gonna get those good grades, you're gonna go to college, you're going to get that degree, you're gonna get that internship and then that first job, and you're going to keep going,
You start out, you learn, you grow, you gain that confidence, you get the raises, and then you wanna keep going, right? You get that respect and you become ambitious. And women we are ambitious. We want that success. And if you put a goal in front of us, we're gonna work towards it and we're gonna achieve it.
Uh, a lot of times better than those around us. But I guess the question I've been thinking a lot about is the world has changed, the workforce has changed. We are not in our parents' generation. This is where things get interesting because when you stop and you realize that we don't have to be on that same trajectory, and you look up at that ladder and you say, Ooh, I don't really like what I see. That is when things change and that's when we can give [00:02:00] ourselves permission to follow a new path if we want to. We don't have to keep going on that ladder, that hamster wheel, whatever you wanna call it. It doesn't have to be for us.
Think about where you are in your career. have you ever thought about your boss's job? And if you really want that next title, that next level, that next promotion, do you want that corner office? Is that what you want? Or is that what you were told to strive for? I have had conversations where a client or a friend would say, you know what?
I really don't want my boss's job. I don't want her schedule. I don't want that stress. I don't want that lifestyle. I don't wanna be in charge of everyone. I don't wanna be on call 24 7. That's when you can start thinking, well then what am I working for? What am I working toward?
Yet oftentimes these same women are still climbing. Because they're just in that motion we all start off and we're just [00:03:00] going and we're doing our thing. I could even argue that sometimes it's easier and more comfortable to stay the track. To say yes to that responsibility. Chase that next title. Even if you don't want it, stay doing the work, even if it doesn't feel aligned with you. Not because you want that, but because it's what you've always done. This is what I call climbing on autopilot. You don't realize you're doing it. You're just doing the work, head down, focused, and you're doing what you've always done because that is what is expected of you.
I've been there too. There was a point in my television career where I looked ahead and I realized something that was very uncomfortable. I did not want to be the head of a studio or the head of a production company. I didn't wanna be hobnobbing rubbing shoulders with people at parties late into the night, seven days a week.
I had achieved what I wanted to achieve in my career. And when I looked up and I looked around and I saw that [00:04:00] there were people in a higher up position, living a life that I didn't want, is when it really hit me, well, what am I working towards?
If you can look at the women ahead of you, or the bosses or managers that you would be promoted into their positions if time allowed. Do you like the way that they're managing? Do you like the lifestyle that they're living? Is that work that you'd want to be doing? For me, it wasn't, that's when I realized, okay.
Yeah, between that and the fact that I'm away from my kids a lot, it all made me realize, there has to be something else I can do with my skills and my experience. And that's when I leapt into entrepreneurship and now coaching, I didn't want to just get stuck on that hamster wheel and wake up. At retirement age and say, what was I doing? it was my wake up call so I ask you if that destination that you are working towards, if that doesn't align with the life that you want, [00:05:00] then why are you walking towards it? Just an honest question for you, my friend.
Why are you working so hard and walking towards this end goal? If it's not what you want, it is okay to make a pivot into a different direction.

Speaker 2: If this episode has you thinking about starting a business or growing the one that you already have, I offer free second ACT strategy calls. This is where we map out what makes sense for your business and your life. You can book yours now at second act success.co/strategy, or grab the link in the show notes below.
Now let's get back to the show.

Shannon Russell: I have a recent client of mine, and actually I can think of a family member that I know obviously very well, and both of them have chosen to say no to promotions because they didn't want to be in charge of their team. They didn't want the extra headaches, they didn't want, that extra stress, they [00:06:00] were content with where they were.
That's a great realization to have that you know, that you don't want that next promotion for the family member that I'm talking about, this person is going to keep on going at their job because they don't wanna think about anything else. It's just easy.
It's steady and it's what this person wants to do, which is fine. This client of mine realizes, if she doesn't want to move up to that next position, then where else can she go? That's when she came to me with a business idea that we have been growing because that business is going to give her that opportunity to give her notice, to leave that job and to move into a direction where she can create her next opportunity.
She can create her promotion. She can be in control of what's next instead of following that ladder to what's next in the order of sequences at that current job.
let's talk about this hamster wheel climbing. The ladder effect. here's what happens when we don't stop to [00:07:00] question the ladder, we stay busy, we stay productive, we stay successful, but we also stay tired sometimes, right? Disconnected. We're just going through the motions, and you can often be restless.
Maybe you're not being challenged, and if you don't accept that next position or you don't get that promotion, you're just even keeled. You're just walking the line, you're doing the work, but you might not be sure of your why anymore. And then that ladder becomes that hamster wheel where there's lots of movement but no fulfillment.
You might feel incredibly accomplished in your role, but you can still feel misaligned. Here's my challenge for you, instead of asking what's my next promotion, because every rung of that ladder comes with a trade off. You get the promotion, you get extra money, but you might often have less time. You might get more status, but it might mean that you have more stress.
you may have more responsibility, which [00:08:00] often means less flexibility. And none of those things are necessarily bad, but it all depends on if you want those trade-offs that might come with accepting that next role. As you climb the ladder, you wanna make sure that what you value in your life comes along with that next opportunity.
While you're thinking about that and taking part in that challenge, I want you to also understand that if you don't want what's next on that ladder or at the top of that ladder, then you are allowed to step off.
It. It's not quitting. It's not failing, and it's most definitely not wasting your skills and your experience. You're just taking all of that and redirecting it. You're taking your skills, your knowledge, all of that, and using it in whatever you want to do next. That can be your second act. However you see it.
Maybe it's a business, maybe it's a consulting role, maybe it's a new career. Maybe it's writing a book or doing something in the creative [00:09:00] field. You just don't have to keep climbing that ladder because you thought you had to. I'm giving you that permission this is where your second act comes in,
a lot of women think that, you know, changing a direction means starting over, but it doesn't. It's taking what you've done and molding it into what you can do next. how can I use everything from my past in a way that fits my life the way I want it now?
As we wrap up here, I'll leave you with this. If you picture yourself in your boss's role next year, five years from now, does it energize you or does it drain you?
Do you get excited about it, or do you get worried and apprehensive? If it drains you and you're feeling apprehensive, that's information, right? You can use that information in your next step, and this information gives you that permission to change.
Alright, my friend. Thank you for listening. Thank you for spending a part of your day here with me. And I'll [00:10:00] remind you that you are not behind, you are not stuck. You are ready to start your second act, whatever that looks like.
And I'm always here to help. You can click on that button in the show notes below to book a free strategy call with me. We can talk about your career path, what you're thinking about doing next, and what will work best for you. And until next time, make it a wonderful day and I will talk to you on the next episode of the second Act Success podcast.
Speaker: Thank you for joining me for another episode of the second Act Success podcast. If this episode has you thinking about starting a business or growing the one that you already have, I offer free second ACT strategy calls. This is where we map out what makes sense for your business and your life. You can book yours now at second act success.co/strategy, or grab the link in the show notes below.
As always, thank you for being here. Until next time, I'm your host Shannon [00:11:00] Russell wishing you the best day ahead as you plan your second act. I'll see you on the next episode.