Getting Free and Getting High

I recently completed an online survey on Career Anchors that my Organizational Behavior professor from XLRI, Dr. R.K. Premarajan asked his former students to do.

According to his conclusion my top two career anchors are:

Getting High - High career anchor indicates a passion for solving the unsolvable –a constant drive to take on challenge.
Getting Free – People with autonomy as career anchors cannot stand to be bounded by rules. They tend to do it in their own way, their own time and their own standards. They prefer work where the goals are defined but the means of accomplishment are left to the person.

Hmm, explains quite a lot about why my career has gone the way it has until now :-)

Which are your primary career anchors amongst the following?

• Getting Ahead – People having an overriding interest to influence, manage and lead others. They value positions and power and prestige and possess a range of competence required for general managerial roles.
• Getting Secure – People have an overriding need to feel safe and secure and have a predictable future. They may prefer stable predictable work with low risk.
• Getting Free – People with autonomy as career anchors cannot stand to be bounded by rules. They tend to do it in their own way, their own time and their own standards. They prefer work where the goals are defined but the means of accomplishment are left to the person.
• Getting Balanced – These people believe in integrating the professional life with the total lifestyle. They enjoy working for organizations that recognize personal and family concerns.
• Getting High - High career anchor indicates a passion for solving the unsolvable –a constant drive to take on challenge.

Edgar Schein did a lot of work with career anchors. Here is what he came up with:

1. Autonomy/independence - wanting to be self reliant - useful with today's contracting out.
2. Security/stability - wanting to remain with one employer for life - not so likely any more.
3. Technical/functional competence - to identify with a professional discipline.
4. General management - having a broad, overview, facilitating role, not a specialist.
5. Entrepreneurial creativity - a premium wherever innovation drives competitiveness.
6. Service - dedication to worthwhile causes ranging from the environment to poverty.
7. Pure challenge - just solving difficult problems - no pattern necessary.
8. Life style - disinclination to sacrifice life style solely for career advancement.

Also take a look at Life Interests and Job Sculpting.