At Agile2019, I was asked what my three pivotal moments in my career where thus far. The specific answer doesn’t really matter. However, this generated a few conversations about people’s pivotal moments. Then I noticed a few common patterns – usually at least two (most of the time all of them) were present in every instance:
- I was exposed to new learning concepts. This could be a small bit of information that invokes your curiosity. Or something that knocks you out of your chair because it explains so much and/or scares you completely.
- I was emotionally challenged. Sunshine and rainbows would not be the description to describe myself at these moments. Usually, I was either sad – frustrated – bored – questioning if I’m adding value or a combination of many things that didn’t make me feel like I was on top of the world.
- Someone one else believed in me. This one I thought was more of my crutch. I tend to be able to get myself into a growth mindset with encouragement and support from others. Yet, in many of the stories there is always a “hero” that helped with the first step.
- I took a risk. With the other three in place, the confidence to take the risk is there. I’ve taken plenty of risks that don’t pay off, but when they do – my life changes enormously for the good.
What are your pivotal moment patterns and what was common behind them?
