
What Driving Teaches Us About Navigating Our Careers
I was chatting with Andrea, a senior director at a major corporation in Seattle. Brilliant and hardworking, her resume spoke volumes about her accomplishments. Yet, in this new role, she was hitting unexpected roadblocks. The feedback she received was clear: people didn’t understand the value she was bringing to the organization, and her contributions were flying under the radar.
Andrea believed the solution was simple—if only she could be more vocal in meetings and better at promoting her achievements. But deep down, she wasn’t confident in her contributions either. Most of her time was spent stabilizing her team, handling layoffs, and navigating an organization with shifting priorities and limited resources. Despite her years of hard work and success, she felt like an underperformer.
Andrea’s story isn’t unique. I hear variations of it all the time, especially from smart, accomplished women. They excelled in school, their competence unquestioned, their futures bright. I was no exception.
Early in my career, I believed that no matter how hard things got, I could figure it out if I worked harder. And for a while, that belief held true. After finishing school, I landed great jobs and built a family. By all accounts, I was a successful professional woman.
Over time, I realized that maintaining this success felt overwhelming. Despite my achievements, fulfillment seemed elusive, and new challenges kept piling up. I felt drained and disappointed and began doubting my competence.
During those pivotal years, I was determined to find answers—ways to bridge the growing gap between my expectations and reality. I didn’t have a clear mentor or guide, but through my experiences as a coach working with high-achieving leaders and professionals, I began to uncover valuable insights. One of the most powerful tools I discovered was using the driving analogy to navigate our careers—an approach that resonated deeply with many facing similar challenges.
Shift to Higher Gears as You Speed Up
Think of your career like driving a car—specifically, a manual transmission. When you start a car, it requires a lot of power to get moving. But as you gain speed, you need to shift into higher gears to harness the engine’s power efficiently.
If you keep driving in first gear, you’ll overwork the engine without gaining much speed.
Similarly, in our careers, what worked in the early days won’t necessarily drive success later on. Early on, hard work and individual contributions often yield results. But as we advance to mid-level or senior roles, growth comes from team success—partnering with peers, cross-groups, and leadership.
Shifting gears in your career also means transitioning from waiting for instructions to becoming a proactive partner to your leadership. One common roadblock is a “permission-based” mindset—the belief that we need approval to share ideas. But at higher levels, we need to become idea generators and collaborators.
Know the Destination
This shift becomes natural when we understand our purpose and how it aligns with the organization’s direction. In driving terms, it’s about knowing or sometimes figuring out the destination.
When we’re clear on where we’re headed, roadblocks become detours, not dead ends.
It’s about being aware of and aligning our goals with organizational values and goals.
Be Comfortable with Unknown Terrains
Imagine being in a new town where your GPS isn’t working. What do you do? In the past, we’d stop at a gas station, ask locals for directions, or consult a paper map. Sometimes, we’d even embrace the detour and enjoy the unexpected scenery.
Our careers today are like that—constantly shifting landscapes where old plans quickly become obsolete. That’s why staying attuned to our environment and adapting accordingly is crucial.
Learning agility is essential for thriving in today’s dynamic professional world.
Do Regular Maintenance
Even when a car cruises smoothly in fourth or fifth gear, it still needs regular maintenance. Fuel alone isn’t enough—you need to maintain the recommended tire pressure, change the oil (for gas engines), and ensure everything’s in top shape. Neglecting maintenance leads to breakdowns.
The same applies to ourselves. High-achieving professionals often overlook self-care, leading to burnout. In emotional intelligence (EQ) assessments, I often see one typical outlier: low emotional vitality. According to The Emotional Energy Factor by Mira Kirshenbaum, 70% of our total energy comes from emotional energy.
Navigating a demanding leadership role with low emotional vitality is like driving off-road with low tire pressure—exhausting and unsustainable.
Many don’t make time for activities that recharge us—fun, hobbies, or simple moments of joy. 12 years ago, when I noticed low emotional vitality in my own EQ profile, I made intentional changes. Taking a Zumba class brought unexpected joy into my life. Hiking in nature, spending quality time with friends and family, and indulging in hobbies also helped replenish my emotional energy.
The Bottom Line
Adulthood, and especially life in the corporate world, is vastly different from our school experiences. If we expect the same rules to apply, we set ourselves up for frustration. While systemic changes are essential, we can’t ignore the personal strategies that help us thrive.
Treating ourselves and our careers with the same care and attention we give to driving our cars is a great place to start. Shift gears based on the situation, know your destination, embrace uncertainties, perform regular maintenance, and remember that sustainable success isn’t just about hard work—it’s about being mindful of the bigger context and caring for the driver behind the wheel.
