Specialised Coaching for Careers, Leadership, and Teams
The Research Behind Transition Expertise
Uncovering the strategies and skills that enable individuals to thrive through change.
Understanding Success in Transitions
We wanted to identify what differentiates individuals who succeed in making repeated, successful transitions in their careers and lives from those who struggle or fail.
What We Did
To explore this question, we embarked on a wide-ranging research study to understand the nature of career transitions and the expertise required to navigate them successfully.
Our research examined individuals from diverse fields who had made these challenging transitions:
In business, we studied traders who became group vice presidents, engineers who became CEOs, and scientists who became division heads.
In sports, we looked at football players who became premiership team managers, athletes who became national directors, and Olympic team leaders.
In music, we explored how musicians transitioned to roles as faculty heads, conservatory principals, and university vice-chancellors.
We sought to understand the shared traits, behaviours, and strategies that enabled some individuals to thrive repeatedly in new environments while others faltered.
The Study Produced Unique Insights
Our research revealed what it takes to repeatedly navigate career changes with success, resilience, and adaptability. Over the years, our work has spanned many high-stakes arenas.
Rigorous Research
Our findings are grounded in thorough, evidence-based research.
Scientific Foundations
We analysed the data through the lens of proven theories on human performance—drawing from cognitive science, motivation, resilience, intelligence, and identity formation.
Cross-Domain Expertise
We leveraged our experience working with elite performers in sport, business, and music to identify commonalities and differences.
Real-World Testing
Importantly, these theories weren’t confined to the lab. We tested and validated our insights in real-world scenarios to capture the essence of why some people excel in career transitions.
The Building Blocks of Transition Expertise
Transition Expertise is the unique set of innate abilities, acquired skills, and fundamental self-beliefs that help you navigate career transitions with confidence, resilience, and authenticity. It enables you to move smoothly into new and unfamiliar territories, master the domain into which you enter, and develop the appropriate skills and understanding necessary to succeed.
The Four Cornerstones of Transition Expertise
Cognitive Flexibility
Mental Adaptability: Think on your feet and approach challenges creatively. Break free from unconscious habits, biases, and limiting assumptions.
Generative Thinking: Use inference and analogy to apply what you already know to new and unfamiliar situations.
Motivation
Extrinsic Motivation: Early in your career, external rewards like money, security, and status drive your efforts.
Intrinsic Motivation: As you advance, your focus needs to shift to:
Autonomy: Control over your choices and actions.
Competency: Growing your skills and realising your full potential.
Satisfaction: The pure joy of doing work you love.
Relatedness: Building meaningful connections with others who inspire and support you.
Personal Intelligences
Intrapersonal Intelligence: Reflect on your strengths and weaknesses, learn from experience, and embrace feedback to grow.
Interpersonal Intelligence: Understand and connect with others, building positive relationships that foster teamwork and leadership.
Contextual Intelligence: Adapt to new environments by understanding their culture, norms, and resources, enabling you to navigate with ease and effectiveness.
Personal Robustness
Resilience: Bounce back from setbacks, persevere through challenges, and stay grounded in your authenticity.
Self-Efficacy: Develop self-belief through conscious self-regulation, positive feedback, role models, and past successes
The Two Keystones of Transition Expertise
Agentic Action
Move from simply reacting to the world around you to choosing your path consciously. As you deepen self-awareness, you align your actions with who you truly are and who you aspire to be.
Purposeful Motivation
Connect with what matters most to you. Purpose brings meaning to your life and helps you make choices that reflect your values and your vision for the future.