The term "midlife crisis" has carried a negative connotation for far too long. Typically known and defined as a period of doubt, regret, and drastic (sometimes reckless) changes. I’m no stranger to it, especially when I was in my early 30s.
Fast forward to today and having worked with millennials going through career transitions and changes, it’s time we re-framed what previous generations donned upon us with the term ‘midlife crisis’.
Let’s stop calling it a crisis and reframe this old-school term for the modern world we live in today.
Let’s look at this phase not as an identity breakdown, but as an opportunity for reinvention.
Millennial leaders and professionals in their 30s and 40s are entering a stage where career challenges evolve. Some feel stagnant, wondering if they have reached their peak. Others have outgrown their current roles but are uncertain about their next step. Some are considering a complete career pivot but feel restricted by financial responsibilities and external expectations.
Instead of a crisis, it is a midlife transition, a midlife pivot, or even a midlife awakening. Call it what serves you best positively and optimistically.
It is not the end of the road, it is a turning point toward something new.
When Success No Longer Feels Fulfilling
For many professionals, early career success follows a linear path: work hard, get promoted, increase salary, and build stability.
At some point, external success stops feeling like enough. You might start asking:
- Is this the career I want for the next 10 to 20 years?
- Am I truly using my strengths, or just going through the motions?
- What is next? Do I climb higher, switch lanes, or start fresh?
These questions are not signs of failure, in fact, look at them as signs of growth. Let these be signals for a transition, a purposeful exploration. Not a crisis.
Reframing the Midlife Pivot. From Doubt to Purposeful Progress
Instead of seeing this as a career dead-end, shift the mindset to career reinvention. Here is how:
Accept That Transitions Are Normal and Necessary
Careers are no longer linear. They are fluid and evolving.
- More than half of professionals will change careers at least twice in their lifetime.
- Leadership roles increasingly seek multi-industry experience, leading and influencing people and stakeholders, not just deep specialisation.
- The skills built in one industry can often transfer to another.
A shift in mindset is needed: This is not being stuck. It is about evolving.
Find Clarity Before Making a Move
Before making drastic changes, pause and assess strengths, values, and aspirations.
Ask:
- What activities bring the most energy?
- What skills bring the most fulfilment?
- What kind of impact do I want to create in the next five to ten years?
This is not about quitting but more importantly, it is about aligning work with who you are today.
Explore Without Pressure to Have It All Figured Out
A fully mapped-out ten-year plan is not necessary before making a move.
- Take on projects outside of the job that align with your interests.
- Expand your network and have conversations with professionals in roles or industries that seem exciting.
- Invest in coaching, mentorship, or courses to gain clarity and direction.
You need time to gain insights and expand your horizons. This is an exploration, not an all-or-nothing decision.
Leverage Strengths for the Next Chapter
Instead of focusing on what is missing, recognise the strengths already in place.
Leadership skills can enhance decision-making, team dynamics, and influence at higher levels. Industry expertise can lead to roles that require strategic insight, operational excellence, or innovation. A strong problem-solving mindset can be applied to complex challenges, process improvements, or new initiatives.
It is about maximising existing strengths to step into a more fulfilling and impactful career path.
Often we focus on fixing what we are not good at but imagine if we could really anchor on your unique strengths instead. Leveraging tools like CliftonStrengths® can help identify your strengths and aim them to help shape your career path.
The Path Forward
A midlife pivot is not about escaping discomfort. It is about moving toward something that excites and challenges you.
- If feeling stuck, start exploring possibilities.
- If unsure, invest in clarity through coaching, mentorship, or personal reflection.
- If afraid, reframe fear as a sign that growth is on the horizon.
The next chapter of a career is not something to fear.
It is something to design with intention, purpose, and clarity.
Love to learn more about what you think! Let's grab a coffee or a beer and talk about it. Maybe we can even collaborate on something cool.
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Shared Goals Are Not Enough: Why Teams Break Without Shared Behaviours
During my years working in MNCs, leaders often say, “We’re aligned on goals.”
But when I work with these teams, what I often see is this: misalignment on behaviour.
Teams may agree on the destination but no one’s aligned on how they’ll get there. That’s when performance stalls, tensions build, and collaboration quietly breaks down.
Shared goals don’t mean much if they’re not backed by shared behaviours.
What Behaviour Has to Do With Performance
According to Gallup’s 2024 meta-analysis of 183,000+ teams, those in the top quartile of engagement were:
- 23% more profitable
- 18% more productive in sales
- 66% more successful at employee well-being and retention
And what drives engagement?
Not just strategy, not perks, not offsites. It’s day-to-day interactions, how team members communicate, challenge, support, and follow through. The things that live in your behaviour, not your business plan.
Gallup also found that 70% of team engagement is driven by the manager. That means leadership behaviour isn’t just influential, it’s actually pivotal.
Cultural Nuances in Asia: Why Shared Behaviours Matter Even More
In Asia-Pacific, shared behaviours can be harder to surface because of cultural dynamics like hierarchy, deference to authority, or avoiding conflict.
Studies across Singapore, India, and China show that in high power-distance environments, team members are often less likely to challenge ideas or speak up when there’s tension. But in today’s complex environments, psychological safety and collaborative culture are make-or-break factors for innovation and speed.
Without shared behaviours, even the smartest people play small, and creativity suffers.
What Can You Do?
The smartest leaders I work with aren’t the loudest in the room. They’re the ones still learning. The ones willing to pause and ask:
- How are we showing up for each other?
- Where is behaviour holding us back?
- What do we need to name in order to move forward?
This is where CliftonStrengths® and coaching can play a game-changing role, not just as tools, but as facilitation spaces. Real conversations. Practical alignment. Working agreements that stick.
Because until your team agrees on how to behave together, goals are just words on a slide.
The New Age of Creativity
In today's evolving creative landscape, there's a delicate balance between honouring the dedication required to master artistic crafts and embracing the new possibilities that technology offers. True artists and creators know that exceptional work comes from years of practice, discipline, and commitment.
The Enduring Value of Artistic Mastery
While Helen Cammock, a Turner Prize winner in 2019, notes that "just because you can't draw something in a representative, representational way, it doesn't mean that you're not creative," this doesn't diminish the importance of developing genuine artistic skill. Cammock's work across "film, photography, print, performance, writing and text" represents years of dedicated practice and refinement.
Professional artists understand that mastering their craft requires countless hours of focused work. The digital revolution hasn't changed this fundamental reality. But it has provided established artists with powerful new tools to enhance their already formidable skills. For serious creators, technology doesn't replace craft; it extends and amplifies it.
The Rise of Artistic Consumption
The recent sensation of Pop Mart and similar artistic collectables demonstrates how today's consumers are increasingly drawn to artsy, cute items with emotional appeal. People aren't just buying products; they're collecting art pieces that speak to them on a sentimental level. This trend guarantees a growing appreciation for art collections, further blurring the line between consumer products and artistic expression.
This shift toward art appreciation is evident in prestigious auction houses as well. At Christie's Bangkok, a renowned global auction house, Prapavadee Sophonpanich has witnessed this transformation firsthand during her seven-year tenure. She has successfully guided collectors who initially focused exclusively on luxury items to develop a genuine enthusiasm for art.
"We have observed a significant growth in art appreciation among collectors," Prapavadee notes. "While the proportion between luxury goods and artwork sales varies annually, Christie's has seen a substantial increase in revenue from art sales. Currently, luxury items represent approximately 50%-70% of our revenue, with art sales contributing a remarkable 30%-50%—a considerable improvement from previous years. This positive trend is particularly encouraging for the art market."
Creativity Across the Lifespan
The idea that creativity declines with age is a harmful myth. Many of history's most revered artists produced their greatest works after decades of refining their skills. Claude Monet's late-career paintings came after a lifetime of studying light and colour. Folk artist Grandma Moses may have started painting in her 70s, but her work reflected decades of observing and understanding rural life. Georgia O'Keeffe's later works demonstrated the culmination of a lifetime of artistic exploration.
Professional artists understand that their craft deepens with time and experience. Each year brings new insights that inform their work, creating a richness that can only come from sustained practice.
Commitment to Continual Growth
Cammock began studying art formally at 35 after a decade as a social worker, but this represents a shift in focus rather than a beginning from zero. Many established artists explore new techniques or mediums throughout their careers, building upon their existing foundation of skills.
Successful artists recognise that growth never stops. Anne Ryan, an Irish artist with years of experience in painting, ceramics and sculpture, has taken up tap dancing not as a beginner's hobby but as a way to bring fresh energy to her already-developed artistic practice.
Here are ways to help you become more creative:
- Finding Your Creative Space
Establishing a personal space for creativity is essential. Cammock refers to this as finding your "container." For her, walking serves this purpose: "It is a way of being in a particular space, emotionally, psychologically and intellectually."
This container might be as simple as "a desk that you have in a busy house, or it could be a window, or it could be lying in the bath." The key is "affording yourself time and space where you are somehow in your own head."
- Get Moving to Get Creating
Physical movement often catalyses creativity. Babak Ganjei, an east London artist, prefers walking to generate ideas for his text-based paintings. "All the thinking happens while moving," he explains. "I actually find it really hard to sit still."
Similarly, Anne Ryan describes being "very physical" in her studio: "It's like music goes through my body." When inspiration is lacking, Barbadian-Scottish artist Alberta Whittle recommends dancing: "Sometimes, I really need to move my body and shake things up, so having a solo dance party can really help."
- Embracing the Creative Process
Successful artists share certain habits that nurture creativity:
- Work at your peak hours: Identify when you're most productive. Some artists are morning people, while others find their creative flow in the evenings.
- Create consistently: As experienced artists suggest, "Try to sketch each day. Within the visual arts, that is a very good discipline."
- Disconnect to connect: Put away digital distractions. Carrying a sketchbook/ iPad can help capture inspiration throughout the day.
- Embrace doing nothing: Sometimes creativity emerges from stillness. As seasoned creators note, "Sometimes, to make you have to do nothing... and then suddenly something is happening."
Today's most innovative artists aren't abandoning traditional skills, they're integrating new technologies into practices built on solid foundations. Digital tools offer established artists new ways to express their vision, streamline certain aspects of production, and reach wider audiences. For the dedicated artist who has invested years in developing their craft, technology becomes not a shortcut but a powerful extension of their artistic voice.
Reference: The experts: artists on 20 easy, mind-expanding ways to be much more creative
Why Leaders Need a People-First Strategy
Leaders face a unique challenge. That is, balancing performance expectations with human energy, innovation, and team engagement. Especially in hybrid or high-output environments, creativity can’t be forced, but it can be fostered.
Why the People-First Approach Matters More Than Ever
Whether you're running a global creative team, building an agency, or leading innovation in-house, your greatest asset is not your product, it’s your people.
A 2023 Gallup report showed that only 21% of employees feel connected to their company’s mission, and even fewer feel engaged. That’s a huge problem in industries where passion, originality, and trust are essential to performance.
So why does this happen? Because many leaders default to measuring output, chasing deadlines, and micromanaging delivery, while missing what truly drives creative performance: clarity, autonomy, and purpose.
Three Ways to Build a People-First Strategy That Drives Real Results
Here’s how creative business leaders can shift the way they lead without compromising on performance:
1. Redefine What Performance Looks Like
Not all performance is visible or easily measured. In creative work, performance often looks like collaboration, emotional investment, or even taking risks that might fail.
Instead of only focusing on deliverables and timelines, ask:
- Are people aligned on what matters most?
- Are they working from their strengths, or burning out trying to meet unrealistic expectations?
- Are your leaders clear on how to support, not just manage their teams?
Using strengths-based conversations (like CliftonStrengths®) to help individuals and teams understand what energises them and how they naturally contribute is a great foundation for teams to learn more about themselves and each other.
2. Start with Clarity, Not Control
People don’t need micromanagement, they need clarity, trust, and space.
If your team lacks clarity, they’ll overwork to compensate. If they don’t feel trusted, they’ll under-deliver. Performance suffers either way.
The best creative leaders lead with context and vision, they provide a strong direction, then get out of the way.
Ask yourself:
- Am I giving enough context for people to make smart decisions?
- Does my team know how their work connects to the bigger picture?
- Do my people feel safe to test, question, and create?
3. Coach, Don’t Just Manage
The shift from managing people to coaching them is what separates good leaders from great ones.
Performance thrives when people feel seen, challenged, and supported, not just checked on. This is especially true for high-potential creatives and future leaders who need space to grow, not just be told what to do.
Coaching-style leadership means:
- Asking better questions instead of giving all the answers
- Recognising effort and potential, not just results
- Helping your people set meaningful goals they actually care about
Final Thought: Your People Drive the Numbers
It’s easy to default to KPIs, deadlines, and targets. But if you really want performance—real, sustainable, high-impact performance—start by investing in your people.
Because the teams who feel valued, connected, and led with intention are the ones who will bring their best thinking, creativity, and energy to the work.
Lead the people well, and the numbers will follow.