Tips for Making Career Moves That Lead to Long-Term Satisfaction

Most people think career success comes from making the perfect decision. It doesn’t. It comes from making timely, values-aligned ones. Especially when the next step feels unclear. One of my clients, a brilliant VP, spent 3 months stuck on a single choice: “Do I speak up about being overlooked, or wait for my work to speak for itself?” She called it strategic patience. But it was really fear disguised as overthinking. We ran it through this framework. She made the call. Six weeks later, her promotion was fast-tracked. She was finally seen, heard, and most importantly, included. Because here’s what I tell every high-achiever I coach: You don’t need more time to decide. You need a better way to decide. Try the 2-Minute Decision Framework™ (Career Edition): 1. QUICK DECISIONS → Handle it NOW For low-stakes tasks that clog your mental bandwidth: → Can you respond to that email in < 2 minutes? → Is the request low risk and easily reversible? → Are you spiraling on something that just needs action? ✅ Do it. Momentum builds trust and confidence. (Your career doesn’t stall in the big moves, it drips away through tiny indecisions.) 2. TEAM DECISIONS → Resolve it TODAY For collaborative work or project bottlenecks: → Who’s recommending this approach? → Who’s doing the work? → Who’s accountable for the final call? ✍️ Assign roles. Align expectations. Move forward. (Most team confusion comes from no one knowing who’s driving.) Use this anytime you’re: – Leading a cross-functional project – Navigating performance reviews – Building team trust through shared clarity 3. CAREER DECISIONS → Make it THIS WEEK For decisions that affect your growth, visibility, and voice: Use the 3–2–1 Method: → 3 options: Brainstorm career paths, scripts, or solutions → 2 perspectives: Ask two mentors, not the whole internet → 1 call: Choose the path aligned with your long game 🎯 Clarity > complexity. Every time. This works for: – Deciding whether to advocate for a raise or promotion – Considering a lateral move for growth – Navigating visibility or speaking up on tough issues The truth is: courageous careers aren’t built on perfect plans. They’re built on small, aligned decisions made with intention. That’s C.H.O.I.C.E.® in action. So here’s your coaching moment: 🔥 Pick one decision you’ve been avoiding. Run it through the framework. Make the call within the next hour. Then ask yourself: What changed when I finally decided? ❓ What’s one career decision you’ve been sitting on too long? Share it below, or DM me, and we’ll run it through together. 🔖 Save this for your next “Should I…?” moment 👥 Tag someone who needs this framework in their toolkit Because alignment isn’t found in overthinking. It’s built through C.H.O.I.C.E.®. ➕ Follow Loren Rosario - Maldonado, PCC for tools that actually work in real life. #CareerCoaching #LeadershipDevelopment

“I don’t want people to micro-manage me” Defining our next role is often about what we 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 want 🙅♀️. But how can we figure out what we actually DO want? My coaching clients have found this approach effective: 🔍 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟭 Reflect on your most and least satisfying jobs. Focus on your personal experience, not what ‘should’ make a job satisfying. 📋 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟮 Identify what specifically made those roles satisfying or not. Make a list. 🔎 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟯 Compare your list with the 7 factors that research supports as leading to job satisfaction (see below). 💡 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 “𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁” 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵. 📚 The 7 factors that tend to lead to higher job satisfaction: ✅ 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣-𝙅𝙤𝙗 𝙁𝙞𝙩: roles that match your strengths, values, and where you can be yourself. ✅ 𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙢𝙮: meaningful control over your work, like flexible scheduling or choice in projects. ✅ 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙜𝙪𝙚𝙨: a team that shares your values and goals. ✅ 𝘿𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙊𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨: growth opportunities aligned with your interests. ✅ 𝙏𝙖𝙨𝙠 𝙑𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙩𝙮: What keeps you engaged? Identify the level of variety that suits you. ✅ 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨: both the physical workspace and the company's culture. Does it foster creativity, trust, etc.? ✅ 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙡𝙤𝙖𝙙: a balance – not overwhelming but enough to keep you engaged. 🤔 What qualities will you look out for in the next role? Reach out if you're looking for guidance on this path.

5 rules that will drive a long, healthy career My latest article is out, organizing much of the career advice I’ve given in the past, plus shed light on future topics. https://lnkd.in/gjtEe_4h In it you’ll find five primary rules that I believe will unlock your career. And though this has been written with product managers in mind, these suggestions can guide anyone determined to forge a long and healthy career. Think of this set of rules, or deep insights, as a type of decoder ring that you can turn to as you press forward in your professional life. Here's quick summary: 1/ Product manage your career like a product - Avoid short term optimizations when careers are decades in duration. - Just like products have a roadmap and vision, avoid short term thinking and focus on the long term "skip job". - Products go through phases from early product market-fit to hypergrowth to market leader. So do careers, shifting from Act I (Learning) to Act II (Leading) to Act III (Giving). - Products use customer data to drive growth. Ensure you are using peer feedback, coaching and self-awareness to advance. 2/ Ensure each transition is career additive - Promotions advance you at the company while stories of what you built and what challenges you overcame advance you in career - Your growth rate will matter more than how senior you are today - Culture & learning is more important that company mission, product. So avoid eliminating “boring” companies or products you don’t personally love or use. 3/ Whom you know will matter as much as what you know - First arc of career it’s what you know, second arc it’s who you know - Avoid: "networking". Instead find 30 mins a week to build meaningful relationships with the best you encounter. - Connect with peers, leaders, new hires, up-and-comers, cross-functional teammates - Over time, you and your acquaintances will help each other as you spread to other companies 4/ Find a strength area and try to build a superpower in it - Caution against spreading yourself too thin. Becoming world-class in one area is more valuable than being average in many. - Avoid just fixating on managing people (team skills). The market today requires ICs and builders more than managers. 5/ Bet on yourself - Avoid outsourcing your career to your manager or your company. They will always prioritize the business needs above your career. If you like this article, you might enjoy the podcast episode on the same topic. https://lnkd.in/gRVS4cbx Wishing you clarity, growth, and fulfillment in your career ahead!