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Many of us entered work in the public sector with a strong sense of purpose and duty.
We measured success by impact: how well we serve the public, support our teams, or uphold fairness and accountability.
Over time, those external measures became deeply internalised: performance reviews, recognition, pay bands – they started to define us.
And yet, the longer we stay, the more we notice a dissonance: that our own definition of success hasn’t been updated in years.
If you’ve been in your public sector career for a while, this might be the moment for a “success definition review”.
A chance to ask: Are the measures you set for yourself when you first started still the right ones for who you’ve become today?
In this episode, I’ll share 6 powerful questions designed to help you re-define success in a way that honours your public sector background AND opens up new possibilities.
The Inherited Definition Of Success In The Public Sector
I once worked with a public sector leader who said:
“I long believed ‘success’ means: getting the next job title, above the line, more money. But then I saw what that actually means for the way you live. I realised, I’m not prepared to sacrifice that anymore. I realised that is NOT the kind of life I want to lead.”
“I want to have a life outside work too, I want to actually see my family and my friends. I want to be healthy, have time to exercise. Not only eat out or have take-away.”
“Time for a hobby, to explore things I’m interested in. Or just read a book or watch a movie. Without having to give up on sleep to fit it all in.”
“I realised success for me is the freedom to choose how I spend my time without burning myself out.”
That reflection hit home for many of my clients.
Because so often, success gets defined by the system you work in. Not by who you are or what actually matters to you.
For public sector leaders considering a career change, re-defining success for themselves is the core of the transition:
It’s the bridge between your old identity (often centred around service, structure, and duty) and your new identity (for many leaders it’s about purpose, autonomy, authenticity).
So today, I want to offer you 6 questions to help you review what success really means to you, now.
6 Questions To Re-Define Success
1. What fulfils you when no one is watching?
When you strip away titles, job grades, and public recognition, what actually leaves you with that deep sense of satisfaction?
Maybe it’s bringing people together to co-create solutions to a common challenge, or working by yourself to resolve a tricky systems problem, or creating calm in a moment of chaos.
These are clues to what matters most intrinsically, beyond performance measures.
This is your “intrinsic success indicator.”
2. What trade-offs have you made – and are they still worth it?
Many public sector leaders trade autonomy for security. It can be a worthwhile exchange.
But sometimes the balance shifts. Or the security is more fragile than you think. I’m saying this in the light of layoffs across public sector organisations in different parts of the world.
Ask yourself: What’s the cost of staying “safe”? What might be possible if you re-defined what safety means for you now?
3. Who are you beyond your role?
It’s easy to become the job title.
But imagine separating the person from the position: WHO are you then?
You might realise that your best qualities (perhaps they are empathy, analytical thinking, diplomacy), aren’t owned by your organisation. They BELONG to you. They’ll travel with you wherever you go.
This is your “portable identity.”
4. What will you carry forward – and what will you leave behind?
Every workplace culture leaves its mark.
The public sector offers incredible values: service, integrity, stewardship. But it can also bring burnout, bureaucracy, and over-responsibility.
Redefining success includes deciding which values, habits, and assumptions you want to keep – but also, which ones to release.
You’re allowed to take agency. To evolve and decide what still fits. In fact, that’s part of your own development and growth.
5. What if success didn’t require sacrifice?
So many leaders believe they can’t have both, impact AND wellbeing. But what if success felt lighter? More spacious?
Imagine success as a balanced ecosystem: where energy, contribution, and renewal coexist.
What would your ecosystem look like? What would it need more/less of? What would the balance be?
6. What would success mean if it included you?
Public service often centres on others — the community, the cause, the outcome.
But redefining success means expanding the circle of care to include yourself.
What would shift if your own needs, joy, and authenticity were part of the success equation?
Defining success for yourself isn’t self-indulgent – it’s self-leadership.
Because when you know what success truly means to you, you lead from alignment, not expectation.
And that’s the kind of leadership the world needs most right now.
So, as we close today’s episode, take a moment to consider: What would success look like if it was guided by what truly matters to you?
Until next time: make space, rediscover YOU, and then take action.