As the head of a leadership assessment, development, and coaching firm, I spend a lot of time with successful executives talking about their work lives — and in the past few years, many of those conversations have centered on an increasingly popular, and increasingly idealized, imagined next step: the so-called “portfolio career.” Leave behind the strain, messiness and day-in, day-out concerns of full-time corporate life for a curated and interesting medley of part-time roles — board seats, adjunct professorships, consulting roles, some lectures, some writing, maybe even a book contract —and you’ll still be in the career game, still earning money, but happier, more intellectually fulfilled, and with infinitely more flexibility… or so the thinking goes.
How to Launch a Successful Portfolio Career
Portfolio careers have been increasingly popular. Leave behind the strain, messiness and day-in, day-out concerns of full-time corporate life for a curated and interesting medley of part-time roles — board seats, adjunct professorships, consulting, some lectures, some writing, maybe even a book contract — and you’ll still be in the career game, still earning money, but happier, more intellectually fulfilled, and with infinitely more flexibility… or so the thinking goes. But the transition can be much more difficult than most anticipate. There are several things you can do to make the move smoother. For one, have a clear, articulated view on why you’re going plural, and what you want to achieve. Is it flexibility and less travel? The opportunity to give back? And then be prepared to compromise.
HBR Learning