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Career path

Feeling stuck? Unsure of your next career move? Take a tip from the experts 

Published 13 January 2025 in Career path • 7 min read

Thinking about a career change? Keen to move industry or transition into a new role? IMD professors share the best advice they have received or gleaned over their careers.

With many of us using the start of a New Year to reflect on our career goals, we asked our faculty to share the best career advice they have received and what they’ve learned about maximizing their strengths to stand out from the pack and find fulfillment in their roles.

I felt like my work had no purpose or impact, and I wondered if I was on the right path.

Julia Binder, Professor of Sustainable Innovation and Business Transformation

As I was about to graduate from the University of Edinburgh, after five years of studying management with a focus on marketing, I found myself questioning everything. I felt like my work had no purpose or impact, and I wondered if I was on the right path. In a moment of frustration, I called my dad and told him I was thinking of switching to medicine. The impact of that work seemed so clear to me, and I thought maybe that was the change I needed.

My dad’s response was simple, but it stuck with me: “Use the tools you’ve acquired to create the impact you want to have.” I didn’t immediately know what to do with his advice; in fact, I was upset that he didn’t support my idea of studying medicine (even though he had a point that fainting at the sight of blood isn’t the best condition for success in this role). But as I reflected on his words, I began to realize that I didn’t have to start from scratch. Instead, I could use the skills I’d acquired to design a path that merged my purpose with what I was good at. That’s when I started focusing on sustainability, seeing an opportunity to apply my strategic thinking and communication skills in a way that could help move the topic into the mainstream business world beyond its niche.

If you feel your work doesn’t align with your purpose, take a step back. Assess your skills and experiences, and see how you can align them with what matters most to you. It doesn’t always mean quitting or starting over; sometimes it’s about tweaking your current path and activities to better match your values and aspirations.

To get ahead, influential people need to know who you are, what you offer, and why you’re relevant.

Michael Watkins, Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change

The best career advice I ever received came from a senior colleague when I was teaching at the Harvard Kennedy School who told me: “It’s not who you know, but who knows you.” It transformed the way I approached relationship-building and professional development. Why? Because I realized it wasn’t enough just to connect with others. To get ahead, influential people need to know who you are, what you offer, and why you’re relevant. Only then will they be willing to put you forward or, even better, sponsor you for good opportunities.  

So what if you change career tracks? So what if you want to try something new?

Alyson Meister, Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior

One of the most powerful pieces of career advice I ever received was: “Play the long game. Your career is a marathon, not a sprint.”  This has always stuck with me.

Early on, I felt immense pressure to know my purpose, what I wanted to be, and where I wanted to land in five or 10 years.  I felt stressed and lost. One of my early career mentors challenged that by asking the question: “So what…?”

So what if you change career tracks? So what if you want to try something new? So what if you have to go back to school again? So what if you just don’t really know right now?  I took that to heart and tried roles – some more successfully than others –  in sales, marketing, strategy, communications, and leadership development to figure out where I belonged and what I loved to do.  It took me 12 years of trial and error to uncover my ultimate career direction. More importantly, I learned about myself – what energized me, what drained me, and what kind of work gave me a real sense of fulfillment.

So, if you don’t have it all figured out yet, that’s OK. If you wake up one day and realize you want to pivot, that’s OK, too. Playing the long game means giving yourself the space to explore, learn, and grow in ways you never expected. Success isn’t about having a perfect plan – it’s about having the courage to follow what excites you, even when the path isn’t clear.

His reply has always stuck with me: "Focus on maximizing your strengths and creating environments where these strengths can shine instead of trying to compensate for every perceived weakness."

Robert Hooijberg, Professor of Organizational Behavior

In 1996, I was one of the editors of the Leadership Quarterly. For one issue, I interviewed Professor Fred Fiedler, one of the most famous leadership scholars at the time. At the end of a wonderful interview, I asked him what career advice he had for young professors. His reply has always stuck with me: “Focus on maximizing your strengths and creating environments where these strengths can shine instead of trying to compensate for every perceived weakness.”

If you don't like something, tell us, but come prepared with an idea, suggestion, or solution.

Stefan Michel, Professor of Management and Dean of Faculty and Research

My best career advice also happens to be a powerful leadership lesson. As Dean of the EMBA program, I led a team of incredibly talented individuals. Together, we established guiding principles that served us very well. One rule stood out: “If you don’t like something, tell us, but come prepared with an idea, suggestion, or solution.”

This wasn’t about discouraging feedback; quite the opposite. It encouraged everyone to think critically and consider the bigger picture. By requiring a proposed solution, we fostered a culture of constructive problem-solving. Team members had to move beyond simply identifying issues and instead consider the trade-offs and constraints that led to the decision in the first place. These discussions were incredibly valuable, always respectful, and resulted in a deeper understanding of each other’s perspectives. I learned a lot from my colleagues, and the resulting empowerment helped us to manage the COVID-19 crisis, create more impact for our participants, and emerge stronger as a team.

John Weeks, Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior

While I can’t think of the best career advice I’ve ever received, I do think that many career mistakes are made because we focus too much on what other people will think of us when they hear the news of our new job and too little on our understanding of when we are at our best and what makes us happy in a role.

Don’t bury the parts of you that seem strange or unusual – raise them high and celebrate them (even privately).

Howard Yu, LEGO® Professor of Management and Innovation

I recall interning at Goldman Sachs one summer in Hong Kong, my hometown, and feeling inferior as the local boy alongside colleagues from Europe and North America. I was clueless about the glamorous expat lifestyle and felt out of place in conversations about future careers or lifestyle choices I never knew existed. One day, I was invited to a breakfast meeting with an external consultant from Australia at the Mandarin Oriental. It was completely new terrain for me – a high-end buffet, pristine white tablecloths – and I was so young and green, I wasn’t entirely sure why she’d singled me out.

But she said something that’s stayed with me: “This is the best time to be an Asian.” We’re talking about over 20 years ago, when China was considered a backwater, and all major innovations came from the US or Europe. I think she saw my awkwardness and hesitation and wanted to reassure me that the world was changing. She wanted me to feel confident that my background – my supposed quirkiness – was a big advantage.

Over time, I’ve realized just how right she was. Each of us carries a unique perspective, shaped by our upbringing, culture, and the odd experiences we once thought made us “less than” or marginal. But that’s the stuff that sets us apart – our superpower. By holding up our quirks like a prism, we see things others might miss. We can spot opportunities that they overlook.

So, don’t bury the parts of you that seem strange or unusual – raise them high and celebrate them (even privately). They are the very lenses through which you’ll discover new possibilities. Embrace the strange mix because that’s how new doors open.

Authors

Julia Binder

Julia Binder

Professor of Sustainable innovation and Business Transformation at IMD

Julia Binder, Professor of Sustainable Innovation and Business Transformation, is a renowned thought leader recognized on the 2022 Thinkers50 Radar list for her work at the intersection of sustainability and innovation. As Director of IMD’s Center for Sustainable and Inclusive Business, Binder is dedicated to leveraging IMD’s diverse expertise on sustainability topics to guide business leaders in discovering innovative solutions to contemporary challenges. At IMD, Binder serves as Program Director for Creating Value in the Circular Economy and teaches in key open programs including the Advanced Management Program (AMP), Transition to Business Leadership (TBL), TransformTech (TT), and Leading Sustainable Business Transformation (LSBT). She is involved in the school’s EMBA and MBA programs, and contributes to IMD’s custom programs, crafting transformative learning journeys for clients globally.

Robert Hooijberg

Professor of Organizational Behaviour at IMD

Robert Hooijberg is Professor of Organizational Behavior at IMD. His areas of special interest are leadership, negotiations, team building, digital transformation, and organizational culture. Before joining IMD in September 2000, Professor Hooijberg taught at Rutgers University in their MBA and Executive MBA programs in New Jersey, Singapore, and Beijing. He is Program Director of the Breakthrough Program for Senior Executives and the Negotiating for Value Creation course.

Alyson Meister - IMD Professor

Alyson Meister

Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior at IMD

Alyson Meister is Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior and Director of the Future Leaders program and the Resilient Leadership Sprint, she is also co-director of the Change Management Program at IMD Business School. Specializing in the development of globally oriented, adaptive, and inclusive organizations, she has worked with executives, teams, and organizations from professional services to industrial goods and technology. She also serves as co-chair of One Mind at Work’s Scientific Advisory Committee, with a focus on advancing mental health in the workplace. Follow her on Twitter: @alymeister.

Michael Watkins - IMD Professor

Michael D. Watkins

Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change at IMD

Michael D Watkins is Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change at IMD, and author of The First 90 Days, Master Your Next Move, Predictable Surprises, and 12 other books on leadership and negotiation. His book, The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking, explores how executives can learn to think strategically and lead their organizations into the future. A Thinkers 50-ranked management influencer and recognized expert in his field, his work features in HBR Guides and HBR’s 10 Must Reads on leadership, teams, strategic initiatives, and new managers. Over the past 20 years, he has used his First 90 Days® methodology to help leaders make successful transitions, both in his teaching at IMD, INSEAD, and Harvard Business School, where he gained his PhD in decision sciences, as well as through his private consultancy practice Genesis Advisers. At IMD, he directs the First 90 Days open program for leaders taking on challenging new roles and co-directs the Transition to Business Leadership (TBL) executive program for future enterprise leaders, as well as the Program for Executive Development.

John Weeks

John R. Weeks

Professor of Leadership at IMD

IMD professor John R Weeks helps leaders understand how they can manage themselves to lead others more effectively and to have a positive and intentional impact on the culture in their part of their organization. Before joining IMD in 2007, he spent 11 years at INSEAD, France, where he was nominated three times as Best Teacher. An American who has lived on three continents, he served on the Board of Directors of LEO Pharma, and he has worked with clients in Europe, the Americas and Asia. At IMD, he is co-Director of the High Performance Leadership program.

Stefan Michel

Stefan Michel

Professor of Management and Dean of Faculty and Research

Professor Stefan Michel‘s primary research interests are AI’s impact on strategy, pricing, and customer-centricity. He has written 13 books, numerous award-winning articles and ranks among the top 40 bestselling case study authors worldwide by The Case Centre. He is currently Dean of Faculty and Research at IMD and is also Program Director of IMD’s Strategic Thinking program. This new 8-week online program with 1-1 coaching helps professionals become better strategists while working on a concrete strategic initiative for their organizations.

Howard Yu - IMD Professor

Howard H. Yu

LEGO® Chair Professor of Management and Innovation at IMD

Howard Yu, hailing from Hong Kong, holds the title of LEGO® Professor of Management and Innovation at IMD. He leads the Center for Future Readiness, founded in 2020 with support from the LEGO Brand Group, to guide companies through strategic transformation. Recognized globally for his expertise, he was honored in 2023 with the Thinkers50 Strategy Award, recognizing his substantial contributions to management strategy and future readiness. At IMD, Howard directs the Strategy for Future Readiness and Business Growth Strategies programs.

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