How to shape your career path – Alison Flower

 

Alison Flower is an experienced executive leadership  coach in both the private and public sector.  She has had a long and rewarding career in the energy sector, both in the UK and internationally. She is currently working as Senior Energy Advisor at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK Government, advising on international energy policy. She is also a volunteer coach for Smart Works, a Trustee of Henley Youth Festival and a very much valued POWERful Women Ambassador.

 

This blog is based on a coaching and career insight webinar that Alison kindly provided to our network of women in energy in October.

 

 

 

 

We currently have a wealth of talent in the energy sector, but we need even more for the challenges and opportunities of the energy transition. Organisations and leaders will need to create agile cultures that attract and retain the best and diverse talent that can deliver at pace.  But how do we shape our own career paths to take advantage of these opportunities?

 

A good starting point  is to look back at the past and ask yourself: what has worked well and not so well?

 

 

Mapping your satisfiers and dissatisfiers

 

A useful technique is to map your career by using a simple template that shows the timeline of your studies and employment. For each key milestone note:

  • focus
  • activities
  • responsibilities
  • highs and lows (it’s likely to create a wiggly line!); and
  • the reason for change (leaving or joining a new employer or area of study).

This process will help you to see on paper what it was about each role – the environment, the level of responsibility, and so on – that made you happy or unhappy.  In other words, it identifies the ‘satisfiers’ and the ‘dissatisfiers’  – what it was about the role that made it work or not work for you. This will then help you understand what you really want in your next role and help shape a clear goal.

 

I realised I thrived in roles that gave me independence and the opportunity to lead teams, and that stretched me on that learning curve. The low points in my career have been when I had poor leadership, I wasn’t empowered, or when I was no longer on a learning journey.

 

 

Keep learning

 

My 34-year career started in in the City, and then, via a project finance route, transitioned into the energy sector, which looked much more exciting at the time! Between these two periods I took time out to study for an MBA. This was a conscious decision to build on my Economics degree and cement my knowledge and skills. I did it full-time, but it was an investment. And I just loved going back to University – I am a perpetual learner!

 

When I finished my MBA, the most attractive job offer came from BG Group. They gave me a car, an attractive salary and within a couple of months I found myself in Egypt, leading the financing of a project. The job ticked all the boxes – learning and travel in a small company with big ambitions on the crest of new beginnings, with the opportunity to move into interesting roles supported by great leaders and technical people.

 

Over my 20-year career I felt empowered. I led the strategy team for the Mediterranean basin and led a team of five in the development of a large LNG project, which was exhausting but great fun. But married life and the arrival of children meant fewer opportunities to travel. So, my advice would be: keep learning to gain the experience you need to move to your next role, and do it as quickly as you can before you have children.

 

 

Changes of direction and space to grow

 

A couple of times in my career I have made side steps from my core expertise for a while, which have been important for my skills and leadership development.  One catalytical time was when I spent a few years creating a learning and development curriculum for the commercial talent.  This time was the start of my  journey as a coach, and I was able to be develop the softer leadership skills.

 

I took a couple of years out to do some consultancy and spend time with my family at critical times for them. I believe it’s good to take time out at important junctures to build resilience and energy for next phase of your career.  For me it was super important that I had the space and energy I needed to focus on loved ones.

 

I was fortunate to join the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and move seamlessly from a corporate world into the public sector.  Similarities between working in international energy and the international side of UK Government made this easy.  As an international energy expert, I found a role that had purpose, allowed me to grow around my expertise and travel! The bonus came when I found that The Civil Service and FCDO  also welcomed  me as a coach, and they have recently supported me in attaining a Diploma in Supervision of Coaches.

 

 

The value of networking and mentoring

 

My current role brings together the three things that I am most passionate about: international energy, engagement with a diverse range of stakeholders and development of people through coaching.  It was energising to work on the Russia/Ukraine crisis, but there have been low points too, like the Covid-19 pandemic. You never know what life will throw at you, so you must be agile and draw on your whole career experience to maintain your resilience.

 

There are times and places where I have been proactive in my career and known what I wanted to do, and others where I have drifted, allowing opportunities and challenges to come along and deal with them, when they do.

 

What has really helped me has been the guidance of mentors, something that I sought before I took the FCDO role.  That turned out to be a good move, but even now I am still learning and taking advice from others about my next steps.

 

 

Being agile and taking risks

 

The key thing is recognising where you are in your growth cycle and when it’s time to move on when the dissatisfiers become too strong. I’m a good example of a non-linear career, with five different types of jobs over 35 years. Unlike my father and grandfather before me, I didn’t climb a ladder in one direction within one organisation. But the next generation is likely to have many more jobs over their lifetime.

It’s important that we have these conversations about non-linear careers, that we stay open to learning and try to shape how we can make the most of the exciting variety of opportunities our industry – and the world – offers.

 

 

So, in summary, here are my top tips for how you can shape your career path:

 

  • Review your career to identify your satisfiers and dissatisfiers
  • Craft a career plan with a clear goal defining your ideal job
  • Keep asking questions and learning – and stay agile
  • Find a good mentor
  • Keep a wide and growing network of interesting people
  • Believe in yourself and take risks
  • Look after your health and wellbeing
  • Consider coaching – it’s short, it’s fast and it’s flexible

 

Do connect with me on LinkedIn.

 

A few books that have inspired me in my career and coaching:

‘Your Loss: how to win back your female talent’ by Christina Ioannidis and Nicola Walther

‘Purpose & Impact: how executives are creating meaningful second careers’ by Anita Hoffmann

‘The Squiggly Career: Ditch the Ladder, Discover Opportunity, Design Your Career’ by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis