What I learned from my career crisis
Originally published: August 20, 2019 · Updated: October 21, 2026
After a major career transition, five hard-won lessons: break through inertia, keep initiative of your career, invest in yourself annually, know your drivers, and take calculated risks.
The most dangerous moment in a leader’s career isn’t when the numbers dip or the market shifts—it’s when you realize your own motivation has quietly evaporated, and nobody else seems to notice.
In 2008, I began questioning the career I had spent nearly a decade building. Between 1999 and 2009, I worked with a team to launch and grow an American consultancy firm in the Dutch market. But the work was becoming less fulfilling. I was finding it increasingly difficult to bring the commitment the company deserved.
Key takeaways
- You owe it to yourself and your company to regularly step back from daily operations and ask whether your current role still aligns with your evolving motivations and the changing needs of your business.
- Leaders who take full ownership of their professional direction—using trusted peers as sounding boards—are far better equipped to make bold, timely decisions rather than waiting for circumstances to force their hand.
- Your market value is not static, so deliberately invest in your own growth through both formal education and informal learning to stay relevant and energized as a leader.
What should I do? My employer was happy with my performance. But deep down I knew something needed to change. The demands of daily work left little room to reflect or focus on my own development. Consultancy revenue can also fluctuate sharply. I felt I could not afford to lose focus.
Did I really want to leave the company that I had built? Could I let go of "my child"? I thought about starting my own business. But was that a wise thing to do? This entire process lasted more than a year.
Eventually, I made the decision to leave and start my own business. It made me happy to see the consultancy continue to perform well in the years after my departure. My ‘kid’ was an adult now.
Here are the five most important lessons I took from that transition.
1. Break through inertia
We are creatures of habit. But you change, your customers change and your company changes. Step back regularly and ask whether the role that once suited you still does.
2. Take ownership of your direction
If something needs to change, take the initiative. You do not have to make the decision alone. Find someone you trust to challenge your thinking and help you work through the options.
3. Keep investing in yourself
Past experience does not guarantee future relevance. Keep learning through books, podcasts and conversations, as well as courses and education programmes. Make room for your development before circumstances force you to.
4. Understand what drives you now
Do not assume that what motivated you at the start of your career still does. Although helping people understand their motivations was already part of my professional work, this crisis taught me more about my own.
5. Take calculated risks
Recognise opportunities and have the courage to explore them. You cannot know in advance whether you will succeed. Weigh the practical risks, prepare carefully and accept that some uncertainty will remain.
True leadership means having the courage to reinvent yourself before circumstances force your hand—because the hardest person to outgrow is the version of you who once succeeded.
If you are questioning your own professional direction, get in touch to discuss what a meaningful next chapter could look like for you.
Over to you.