For many emerging leaders, passion, dedication and boldness drive the race to the top. But maybe the "get ahead fast" approach to landing a head leadership role is misguided.
When it comes to fulfilling long-term career goals and professional satisfaction, patience is a key asset, Karen Firestone, president and CEO of Aureus Asset Management, wrote in the Harvard Business Review.
Many young professionals are restless in their endeavors to ascend the leadership ladder, but as many senior executives know, most career paths include detours, delays and obstacles.
To understand how common it was for senior executives to experience a career delay, Ms. Firestone surveyed a group of 45 male and female executives, with both sexes representing relatively equal halves. Most were CEOs or managing directors of their organizations. Women's average age was 50 and men's was 42.
Ms. Firestone found almost all of the women said they experienced periods when their careers were delayed or put on hold, often related to family responsibilities. Despite this, most of these women attained senior level jobs between their mid-40s and early 50s.
Just 43 percent of men said their careers ever slowed down or shifted directions, with just one man citing family responsibilities as the reason for a pause in his career. Most men attributed slowdowns in their careers to shifting sectors or periods of unemployment.
She also cited more scientific findings, such as a McKinsey survey that found women tend to be promoted based on achieved results, whereas men are often promoted based on perceived potential. While disparity between professional men and women is certainly an issue, Ms. Firestone said she prefers to focus on how patience is rewarded in the end.
For instance, a longitudinal study of working mothers found although women with children climb the corporate ladder at a slower pace than those without children, the gap shrinks over time for women who remain in the workforce, ultimately disappearing by age 50.
Many people Ms. Firestone interviewed in her informal survey said the traits they picked up as a result of a flatter career trajectory — patience and restraint — have even benefited their careers. Other individuals in the survey described their slower career journeys as more deliberate and considered, using words like "resilience," "perseverance," "determination" and "dedication."
For a lifelong career, the old saying still rings true: It's a marathon, not a sprint.