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Some people talked about putting their heart and soul into their work, and also described the often gruelling journey they had undertaken to achieve a particular outcome. Whilst work was rarely pursued to the exclusion of all else, it was nonetheless a central part of their existence. Many of them found that it gave them a clear sense of purpose and was fundamental to their sense of who they were. Work was almost always seen as a core part of the participants’ lives.
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“My previous jobs had always been ‘just a job’, but I feel that the role I hold now is more important than that it has purpose and gives me a lot of satisfaction.” It was clear that they had an appetite to keep learning and developing throughout their careers.
SOUL 4 REAL FOR LIFE RARELY PROVIDES PROFESSIONAL
Participants talked about becoming part of a wider intellectual or professional community, which then became a source of support, acknowledgement and stimulation. There was an awareness of the world beyond Cambridge, and many people talked about wanting to connect, using everything from blogging, lecturing and conferences, through to the more conventional route of publication. If they got external recognition, these achievements became even more tangible and helped to build self-confidence. Many participants still seemed to retain a sense of ‘wide-eyed wonder’ in relation to their work, and talked about the enduring memories of early breakthroughs. Work was particularly prized if it demonstrated a creativity that took people or ideas to the next level and raised the standard of what was possible. The women we spoke to took great pleasure in the quality of their work, whether that meant pride in the elegance and clarity of a piece of research or reorganising an administrative system in a way that actively contributed to the effectiveness of a department.
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“There is nothing more exhilarating than to find out something for the first time – something that may have existed for over a billion years, but was never known before.” Constructing careers in which it was possible to have the freedom and autonomy to pursue work that mattered was an achievement in itself. The vast majority of participants wrote about the importance of having interesting, stimulating work that gave them a sense of pleasure, pride and even joy. As such they indicate areas that organisations might want to consider if they are interested in developing a more sophisticated and gender-inclusive sense of what it means to be successful.īeing able to pursue interesting, high-quality work that has a positive impact These patterns, which are outlined below, point to potential mismatches between the achievements that are traditionally viewed as markers of success and the ones that participants valued the most.
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There was also a recognition that achievements could be ephemeral, highly personal and evolve over time or in relation to context. Achievements also provide tangible evidence that colleagues, competitors and the wider world use to judge a person as more or less successful.ĭifferent people find different evidence compelling, so it is no surprise that there was variance in the achievements that were seen to hold greatest weight for women at Cambridge. The achievements that matter most combine to form a version of success that has meaning and substance for the individual. Achievements are the building blocks that enable someone to construct a sense of themselves as a success.