Adam Grant posted the following on social media.
The evolution of self-esteem in a career:
Phase 1: I am not important
Phase 2: I am important
Phase 3: I want to work on something important
The sooner you get to phase 3, the more success you achieve and the more impact you have.
– @AdamMGrant on Twitter
Three phases in the evolution of self-esteem are:
Phase 1: I am not important
As you begin your career, you realize the level of your ignorance. This ignorance is not apparent when you complete your education with flying colours.
Your ignorance makes you dependent on others to complete your tasks and activities. The same others have to review your outputs you to ensure quality.
All this may have a bearing on your self-esteem. You may feel unimportant given you are at the lowest step of the ladder of knowledge and experience.
Phase 2: I am important
As you build your knowledge and experience with time, you become independent and step up the ladder of self-esteem.
People trust you to complete your tasks with little to no one looking over your shoulders. You are also expected to help and review the work of others who are in Phase 1 and so look up to you.
All of this does wonders to your feeling of being important.
Phase 3: I want to work on something important
As you continue growing, the business as usual work and the feeling of importance no longer excites you.
You seek meaning in your work. You aspire to do work that is important and you feel a need to stamp it with your unique signature.
This drives you to look for career opportunities that enable you to obtain the meaning you seek.
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