When you role ends your experience goes with you....

For much of my career, I helped people see what they were ready for before they could see it themselves. I built leadership programs for people stepping into bigger roles and worked with managers as they led teams through change. Then, after more than 30 years in learning and talent development, my own role was eliminated in a restructuring. I found myself facing a question I’d helped others work through for years. What do I want to do next?

There’s a moment from early in my career that I come back to. I was working in retirement education at Cigna when September 11 happened. I spent days supporting our call center as people phoned in, worried about their savings and unsure what to do. What I remember is how much people needed someone to listen before they could think through a decision. They had big questions about the future, and we could help them work through the one in front of them.

I think about that now when I feel pressure to figure out my entire next chapter. I can ask a smaller question. What part of my work do I still want to do? For me, the answer keeps coming back to helping people recognize what they bring and build the confidence to use it.

If you’re between roles or wondering what comes after a long career, try this. Think of a time someone came to you because they trusted your judgment. What did they need, and what did you do that helped? Write it down the way you’d tell a friend. Then ask yourself where you’d enjoy doing more of that. Your answer might give you a person to call, a kind of work to explore, or someone you could mentor this week.

Some days, perseverance is making that call. Other days, it’s telling a friend you’re having a hard time and letting them show up for you. I’m learning to give myself room for both.

I still have questions about what comes next. I also know that, even while I’m figuring it out, I have experience that can help someone else. If you’re in the middle of a transition, you probably do, too.