Imagine you’re standing on a lookout, scanning the horizon with a pair of binoculars.
At first, everything looks a bit blurry. So you adjust the focus. Suddenly, certain things become sharp and clear… while others fade into the background.
Now here’s the interesting part: What you see isn’t just about what’s out there. It’s about how you’ve adjusted the lens.
The same landscape… but a completely different view.
When it comes to their career, many public sector leaders don’t realise they’re looking through a default lens. One they didn’t consciously choose. They don’t realise that they can adjust their lens.
So they keep seeing the same kinds of roles. The same organisations. The same options.
In this episode, I want to show you how to adjust your lens by creating your own career decision metrics. So you can evaluate your options with clarity and confidence. And notice new ones you might not have spotted before.
How Public Sector Leaders Create Their Own Career Evaluation Metrics
Many leaders I speak with struggle to see alternative options. They are looking through a default lens, more often than not without realising it.
In the public sector, you’re trained to assess policy, programme, and investment options using certain criteria. Those criteria are your lens.
When it comes to your own career and life, you do the same. The question is, what lens are you using to evaluate your options?
Instead of asking: “Is this the right job? Ask: “Right according to what?”
This is where EVERYTHING changes.
Because once you define your metrics – your lens – your decision-making becomes easier.
It becomes clearer because your decision is grounded in your values and what matters to you. AND it becomes more strategic. Because it is aligned with who you are now, and how you want to evolve in future.
4 Questions to Develop Your Own Evaluation Criteria for Alternative Career Options
This is how you create your personal evaluation criteria for career options. Think of this like designing your own framework for your career.
You’ve likely considered the obvious ones so far: salary, working hours, holidays, insurance, other perks. And they are important elements to include in your metrics.
But there are other factors too that many leaders overlook. They don’t realise that they can actually have them on their check list – that they can ‘ask for them’.
Let’s dive into 4 powerful questions to develop your own metrics.
1. What gives you energy?
Does what you’ll be doing in this role energise or drain you?
This is not about what you are good at. Don’t get me wrong, that’s important too, so feel free to include that in your metrics as well.
But this is about what actually gives you energy in your day-to-day work. And knowing what doesn’t.
2. What kind of impact do you want to have, now?
As a public sector leader, you have a strong sense of purpose. You want to make a difference. That’s what drew you into the public service in the first place.
But your purpose can evolve over time. So, what matters to you now? And how do you want to contribute going forward?
I have two episodes on this question, so if you want to go into more detail on this, go and find episode 8 called ’What matters most in your career shift’ and episode 14 called ‘What Will Your Future Contribution Be?’.
3. What environment helps you do your best work?
Think beyond the role itself.
- What Pace: fast-moving or considered?
- What Structure: clear processes or more autonomy?
- What Culture: collaborative, political, innovative?
The environment can make or break a role. It impacts whether you are drained or thriving.
4. What are your non-negotiables – and your flex points?
Be honest here. What must be present for this to work for you? And where are you willing to compromise?
Without this clarity, everything becomes negotiable. And that’s where misalignment creeps in.
This can be the common things around: salary, working hours, flexibility, holidays, etc.
I invite you to expand this list to also include: your energy, the impact you’re after, and environment you need to thrive.
That’s how you sharpen your lens. And spot which career options no longer fit, and which alternative ones become clear.
These are the kind of questions I help my clients get clarity on in my 90 minute Jumpstart Session.
You’ll get a customised pre-session questionnaire to feed into our conversation beforehand. Then in session we clarify your motivators and deal breakers. You’ll get a session recap with key points and your next steps.
You can find more details about it here:
Why Does This Matter?
Without clear criteria, your brain defaults to: overthinking, risk avoidance, and other people’s expectations.
With clear criteria, you make aligned decisions and feel more confident in your choices. And you can explain your decisions with more clarity to those you care about most.
A Practical Way to Use Your Personal Metrics
Once you’ve defined your own criteria – and created your personal lens – you can take a new role or a new career path you’re interested in and assess it. Not just on one dimension (the default one) but across ALL of them.
You’ll quickly see:
- Where it aligns
- Where it doesn’t
- And whether those gaps matter
That’s how you move from confusion… to clarity.
You don’t need the perfect job description to make the right decision. You need the right lens to evaluate it.
So before you swing into action, doing ALL the usual stuff – you know, start updating your CV and applying for new roles – STOP and PAUSE.
Take the time to define what “right” actually means for you now, at this stage in your career and life.
Until next time: make space, rediscover YOU, and then take action.