That’s less a hypothetical question and more a reality for IndyCar driver Pippa Mann, who could have taken the easy road and chosen a career much “safer” than the male-dominated sport of professional racing. Mann’s professional passion pulses through the phone as she brings me up to speed on how she knew she was destined for life in the fast lane. Mann was born in London and knew from an early age she wanted to race. She started competing in karting as a teen, which fueled, rather than fanned, the flames of her career passion. While her peers were planning for secondary school, she was mapping a path to the wide-open road of realizing her dreams. Whether you feel like your career is on track right now or not, Mann offers three questions to help you shift gears and get back in the driver’s seat:
What did you “always want to be when you grew up?” Childhood interests reveal your passion and can guide your strategy to change lanes.What limits you from pursuing your dream? Whether it’s a lack of role models or predecessors who look like you or self-limiting beliefs, explore what’s keeping you idle.How could you run a time trial? Take your aspirational idea or career intention out for a test spin. Just like a time trial, your only competition is the clock. Mark time on your calendar – even 15 or 30 minutes a week – to connect with resources that can help you move your career forward.
“Just because you have a career dream or goal in mind doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy,” Mann empathizes. “You still have to hustle. To stay hungry. To navigate the obstacles and setbacks that you will inevitably encounter.” Mann’s journey from kart racer to become the first British woman to qualify for the world-famous Indy 500 car race wasn’t easy. Through triumphs and tragedies, she discovered that talent and training are not enough. You also have to tap your inner drive and tune up your differentiators regardless of your win-loss record. Whether you’re feeling career sidelined or ready to accelerate, Mann offers five savvy strategies to win at work. What are the strategies that you use to drive your career success? We welcome your insights here or by joining us on Twitter at @karenmangia and @ValaAfshar. This article was co-authored by Karen Mangia, vice president, customer and market insights, at Salesforce. Karen engages customers globally to discover new ways of creating success and growth together. From Executive Advisory Boards to strategic consulting engagements, her insights are central to Go-to-Market strategy, product development, marketing, and branding. In addition, Karen influences industry thought leadership in her role as Chair of the Customer Experience Council for The Conference Board. Formerly responsible for Insight Innovation at Cisco Systems, she led a global team with oversight into Customer Satisfaction and Experience, Diversity Business Practices, and Global Offset and Countertrade. Karen is also the author of Success With Less and a TEDx speaker.
