The surprising joy and liberation of knowing your career limits

"IF I stay in this job any longer, I'm at risk of becoming more senior than I should be."

The words were muttered in a rush, but I caught them distinctly. That day, a colleague had arranged a meeting with me to tell me he was quitting. I was gutted - we'd just gotten a major project off the ground together. He was important to the team.

I asked him to elaborate. He'd been with the organisation for well over a decade and had leadership responsibilities, but no longer felt he was growing, he explained. Sure, he would probably be promoted. But that wasn't the same thing. He wasn't getting better at his job.