“La tête dans le guidon” is a French expression that means being too busy or focused on a task to see the Big Picture. This often happens during the course of a project, but what if it was also a metaphor for your whole professional life?
A client analysed his current situation: his career path had been a direct upward trajectory from the start. He always pursued the next success relentlessly and enjoyed every stage of his career, celebrating each achievement. Contemplating retirement, there was a real anxiety that he would miss that constant competitive challenge and need for success.
Yet, when we dug deeper and asked him to review his entire life and pick important moments (an exercise we call the ‘Hall of Fame’), what came through was a succession for key moments with his family. Not just the expected ones like births and graduations, but a succession of achievements done together, from the skiing contests to the cross country car rallies…
As our conversations progressed, he realised that he still wanted to be part of ‘business’ and carefully selected three Non Executive Director roles. But he became also clear that he wanted to focus just as much on challenges and goals he wished to pursue with his adult children, keeping himself healthy and active in preparation.
