A major career transition can make even an accomplished leader feel like a beginner. The title that opened doors is gone or no longer fits who you want to be. Familiar measures of success lose their appeal. An identity that once held such importance feels like it’s being stripped away. At such times, the temptation is to move quickly – update a résumé, call a recruiter and seek a role that looks like the last one, only bigger.
But there is a different and perhaps more rewarding route. After more than 15 years in the pharmaceutical industry, my client, CJ, began asking what kind of work would make the fullest use of his experience and who he had become. That question took him beyond a search for his next position and led him toward building a company of his own.
I’ve had the opportunity to talk with CJ about that journey. What stands out is the inner work behind his decision. He examined what had motivated him in the past, what he wanted to contribute now and which conditions would allow him to do his best work. For organizations seeking leaders who can navigate uncertainty, there is much to learn from the way he approached his transition.
From proving to learning
CJ recognized he was demonstrating a pattern many successful leaders will find familiar: entering conversations with the need to demonstrate intelligence and capability. It’s an understandable behavior, especially when a career change puts your professional identity in question. It can also make every meeting feel like an audition.
As CJ reflected on that habit, he chose a different approach. He began meeting business leaders and investors with curiosity. “What I found to be consistently true is that people were willing to help if I just asked,” CJ shared. Instead of trying to persuade them that he had all the answers, he asked how they had built their businesses or achieved their goals and what they had learned along the way. In seeking advice, he allowed himself to be new at something.
It was a change that eased some of the fear surrounding his transition. It also fostered more genuine relationships. People could share what they knew because CJ was ready to listen and valued their input.
Consider what that quality offers an employer. A leader who knows when the urge to prove themselves is getting in the way can ask better questions, seek expertise sooner and give others room to contribute. That is valuable in any organization facing change, especially when yesterday’s experience offers only part of the answer.
Looking inward to move forward
CJ’s confidence did not arrive all at once. He spent time journaling and recalling earlier transitions, including an international move and a change of industry. Those experiences had demanded courage, and he had found his footing each time.
Looking inward gave him evidence he could use in the present. He could acknowledge the uncertainty of starting a business while also recognizing the skills and resilience he had built over the years. Reflection helped him see the difference between a risk worth taking and a fear that might otherwise hold him back.
Leaders often tell themselves they are too busy for introspection. Yet a transition forces questions that busyness can conceal. Which parts of my work give me energy? What have I learned about how I respond when plans change? Where do I need help? Who am I learning from? What do I want my experience to make possible for others?
CJ’s answers helped him make a deliberate choice. He had considered entrepreneurship for years; both his father and grandfather had built businesses, so the example had been set early. When a severance package gave him room to explore the idea, he was prepared to use that opening. He began consulting, listened to prospective partners and found encouraging signs of demand for the work he hoped to do.
For organizations, CJ’s story offers a useful lesson in hiring. Ask leaders how they have navigated change, what they learned about themselves and how they tested a new direction. Their answers may reveal the judgment, resilience and curiosity they will bring to challenges your organization has yet to face.
Purpose gives ambition direction
CJ’s interest in bringing patients and biotech companies into closer partnership grew from both professional and personal experience. His years in the industry showed him opportunities to bring patient perspectives into decisions, but it was his mother’s experience with Parkinson’s disease that made the stakes deeply personal.
That connection clarified what he wanted to do — work that could help companies understand the people their innovations are meant to serve. It also helped him decide which opportunities were the best fits for his talents and intentions. He considered leadership roles within established companies, but the freedom to work across organizations and keep learning mattered to him. He chose a path that could accommodate both his purpose and his appetite for exploration.
There is a practical lesson here for hiring organizations. A leader with a clear sense of purpose can explain why a challenge matters to them and how they hope to contribute. That clarity can sustain attention when progress is slow. It can also prompt honest conversations about fit before either side commits. If you want to hire strongly driven leaders like CJ, you need to highlight the connection between the role and what gives that person a sense of purpose. It begs for a deeper interview discussion in which you ask: “What is the process that led you to be sitting here with me today?”
Purpose alone, however, is not a business plan, so CJ tested his ideas through consulting and conversations with potential partners. His conviction prompted him to act, but his curiosity helped him check whether the opportunity was real. Employers should value that combination: a leader who cares enough to persist and is open enough to revise an approach.
Hire the whole leader
During our conversation, CJ described himself as both a teacher and a lifelong learner. He enjoys making ideas understandable and is passionate about sharing what he discovers. He also knows that autonomy matters to the way he works.
These insights are useful to any organization considering a leader in transition. A résumé can show the scope of someone’s experience, but a thoughtful conversation can reveal how that person uses it. Ask candidates what they learned about themselves during a difficult change. Invite them to describe when they sought help, what gives them energy and what conditions help them lead well. Then listen for reflection supported by examples.
Organizations also have a responsibility to be candid about the role they are offering. If a leader thrives on building partnerships and trying new approaches, will the role allow for that? If teaching is a source of energy, will there be opportunities to develop others? Good hiring decisions depend on understanding the person and the work they will actually be asked to do.
CJ’s journey is still unfolding, which is part of what makes it instructive. He did not wait for certainty before taking a step, and he did not treat uncertainty as a reason to ignore what he had learned about himself. Great job candidates like him will reflect, test ideas and move toward work that provides meaning. If you want to attract such candidates before they take their talents elsewhere, look beyond their résumés to discover who they have worked to become. The questions they have asked of themselves, and the choices those answers have shaped, will tell you how they will lead and contribute. The future of your organization depends on finding unicorns like CJ before someone else does.
This article was first published in SmartBrief, September 2026.