The Career Model™ – what drives you?

We are all motivated by different things in our work life. Use the Career Model™ to gain insight into what drives you.

What does it mean to have a career?

“I am not a career person,” I solemnly declared to my parents’ friends when I was 20, as they asked what I would do with my philosophy degree once I graduated. I really just wanted to become proficient in philosophy and articulate the meaning of life, death, and love.

I used to perceive a career as something about being promoted and reaching the top of a company. I thought of a career as a ladder—a term often used in this context, and “career ladder” can even be found in the dictionary. However, the word “career” does not mean a ladder; it means a “running track,” and there are many other ways to be on that track than simply climbing upward.

The Career Model™

In the Career Model™ from Decision Dynamics, this way of thinking about one’s career as an upward climb is only one of four types. It is called the linear career type, which is motivated by results, authority, and power. This type is typically found among leaders, salespeople, and politicians. The three other types are “ Expert,” “Spiral,” and “Transitionary.” They can be symbolized as follows:

As individuals, we are composed of all four ways of thinking, but typically we are most influenced by two of them. Moreover, the model distinguishes between two perspectives or levels – a conscious directional perspective and a more unconscious motivational perspective, which are composed differently.

The test result is quite nuanced, but here it primarily concerns the types themselves.

As individuals, we are composed of all four ways of thinking, but typically we are most influenced by two of them. Moreover, the model distinguishes between two perspectives or levels – a conscious directional perspective and a more unconscious motivational perspective, which are composed differently.

The test result is quite nuanced, but here it primarily concerns the types themselves.

Insight into your own career direction

I am an episodic type in my career direction. This means I don’t follow just one path but switch between many and thoroughly enjoy the variety. That is why the icon for this type is depicted as a colorful zigzag. It is also the reason that, over the past week, I have conducted nine author interviews on BogForum, written an article on artificial intelligence, begun preparations for a workshop day for Sønderborg Municipality – and sat down with Annette Elgaard Bøttger from CfL, who explained to me what the Career Model™ is all about. I am a freelancer, and to thrive in that role, one must be somewhat episodic. Other typical episodic types include entrepreneurs, passionate visionaries, and change agents.

When we look at what, according to the test, motivates me, I am more of an expert type—and I indeed have an academic side, having been a lecturer and researcher at a university for many years before I switched to freelancing. Expert types are not only academics but, in general, specialists; those who are meticulous and passionate about deepening and honing their skills in a field, whether it’s the IT geek or the person who knows every cog in the company’s machinery.

The expanding career type typically changes job functions every 5–10 years and is more focused on broadening their field than merely climbing upward (although the two can certainly be combined). There is greater continuity here than with the episodic type, as the career is seen as a development and expansion rather than a series of leaps. The expanding type is typically a generalist who is dedicated to continuously learning and developing, preferably in collaboration with others.

The Career Model™ as a tool

Whether we use the Career Model™ as part of recruitment, employee development, or personal career counseling, we obtain a nuanced test result. Moreover, the counseling takes place in a thorough conversation with a certified professional who is trained to interpret the result in relation to the individual’s profile and personality.

We are motivated and driven by different factors, just as a company or a department is characterized by a specific career culture. The Career Model™ helps create a more diverse career culture that acknowledges employees’ different driving forces and career goals.

I truly meant it when, at the age of 20, I declared that I was not a career person—but I am, in fact, one. Most of us are career people in the sense that something drives and develops us in our work lives. It just isn’t the same—and thank goodness for that.