The Trinity of Career Development
Career satisfaction comes not from effort alone, but from alignment. This essay introduces the Trinity of Career Development — a framework for designing work that fits who you truly are.
Editor’s note: This essay explores one of the central questions behind Cultivated’s work — how clarity about ourselves shapes the quality and direction of our working lives.
The Trinity of Career Development
Career development is a strange thing.
We are told we should be doing it, but rarely given a useful frame for how.
Even more rarely are we encouraged to ask the deeper question:
What kind of career actually fits who I am?
This framework — what I call the Trinity of Career Development — emerged when my own career stalled.
I was stressed, unfulfilled, and slowly burning out.
Not because I was failing — but because I was misaligned.
This is not a model for chasing titles or optimising salary.
It is a way of orienting yourself toward work that fits.
When Progress Stalls
Earlier in my career, I thrived in uncertainty.
Fast decisions. Rapid change. Building things from nothing.
Then the company matured.
Process replaced invention.
Stability replaced momentum.
The business was succeeding.
I wasn’t.
I felt bored, tense, quietly unhappy — and couldn’t explain why. Which made it worse.
Eventually, I saw the truth.
I understood what I was good at.
I did not understand why.
I had never learned the shape of myself.
The Insight That Changed Everything
What I discovered was simple, but transformative:
Career satisfaction does not come from a single insight.
It comes from the combination of several.
No tool on its own was sufficient.
But together, three perspectives created clarity:
How I naturally behave
What I am genuinely good at
What I need in life to remain happy and well
That became the Trinity.
The Trinity Explained
1. Behaviour — How You Show Up
Behavioural models matter because they describe how we act under pressure.
How we decide. Communicate. React.
Over time I realised that my role was asking me to operate against my natural tendencies.
That constant friction was exhausting.
Understanding behaviour does more than explain yourself.
It helps you understand others — and adjust accordingly.
It is a foundation of working well with people.
2. Strengths — Where You Add the Most Value
This was confronting.
The evidence showed that I was spending most of my time in areas that drained me.
That is a fast route to burnout.
We are told to fix weaknesses.
But lasting progress comes from designing work around strengths.
When strengths are used regularly:
Work feels lighter.
Progress feels natural.
Confidence grows quietly.
We win in life with our strengths.
3. Wellbeing — What Sustains You
The final element is not happiness as a slogan, but as a practical requirement.
The question is not:
Does my job make me happy?
It is:
What do I need in my life to remain happy and well?
For me, it included writing, learning, nature, family.
Most had quietly vanished.
Work cannot supply everything.
Expecting it to will eventually break both you and the role.
What Changed
Seeing all three perspectives together reframed everything.
I was not broken. I was not out of place. I was not irrelevant.
I was misaligned.
With that clarity, I changed direction within the same organisation.
Energy returned.
Stress dropped.
Work made sense again.
I still use this Trinity today — not as a rigid system, but as a compass.
How to Use the Trinity
This isn’t something to rush.
Take each element seriously. Sit with the data. Reflect on it. Write things down.
Here are the tools I use - feel free to seek alternatives. Note: The tools below are run by third parties. I encourage you to review their privacy policies and use your own judgement before sharing personal information.
- For DISC I recommend Tony Robbin’s free online survey.
- For strengths I recommend Strengths Finder 2.0.
- For happiness, (choose VIA Survey of Character Strengths) from Authentic Happiness.
I recommend pulling all three onto a single page so you can see yourself clearly:
- how you naturally operate,
- where you add the most value,
- what you need to stay happy and well.
Then use it as a filter.
When considering a role or change, ask:
Does this fit how I work best?
Does it play to my strengths?
Does it leave space for what sustains me?
Sometimes you will choose against alignment.
But you will do so consciously.
That makes all the difference.
Career Development, Done Properly
Career development is not about climbing endlessly upward.
It is about moving toward yourself, not away from who you are.
Titles fade. Salaries fluctuate. Alignment compounds.
Understanding yourself — honestly, structurally — is one of the most valuable investments you can make.
Better questions lead to better lives.
Video
Editor’s note: This essay grows from an earlier exploration in another medium. The thinking remains central, even as the format has changed.
