Can a Village Unleash Your Potential?

Finding your dream job.

Mark Cohen

Most of my working life I’ve been a career coach in one form or another. In that role, I’ve seen that many of us are unhappy in our work. It doesn’t have to be that way, but one reason it’s true is we’ve received many subtle and not-so-subtle messages from parents, schools, colleagues, and the job market in general that as long as we’re paying the bills and living a tolerable life, we’re doing okay and okay is good enough.

There are deep and enduring consequences for setting a standard that says good enough is enough. Most damaging is that we set ourselves up for a life of disappointments and missed opportunities. If that’s true, why do we do this? Searching for the right job can be a soul-absorbing, tedious, and disappointing experience. For many, self-confidence (a good thing to have when looking for the right job) is not at the top of the list of our best skills. And often we don’t really understand the intersection of what we like to do and what we’re good at, so we’re not sure what the right job looks like.

The fix is alarmingly simple. Recruit a team of people made up of – friends, relatives, parents, teachers colleagues, and perhaps even a career coach. Intentionally envelop yourself with your job search team. You then have to allow them to be on the path with you; to endure the ups and downs with you. To be a good team member, each must:

  • Be ready, willing, and able to be direct with you
  • Know you almost as well as you know yourself
  • Be willing and ready for this hard task (middle-of-the-night calls may well be part of this process)
  • Care about you deeply

Once you’ve assembled your team, there are guidelines. They have to understand that you’ve recruited them to be your support team and that you will call on them often for support, guidance, encouragement, a shoulder to cry on, accountability, and the push to press on. When you’ve created this village, finding the right job becomes a team sport and you no longer walk alone. The job search may be the loneliest, saddest, hyper-challenging, and potentially most rewarding roller coaster ride of your life. At the same time, taking control of your future might allow you to live your dreams and feel fulfilled by your work.