Career Defining Moments: Why They Matter More Than You Think

Early in my career, working for a boutique consulting firm, I was asked to assess the break-up value of a multi-sector retailer. The client was exploring a merger, and I was tasked with unpicking the numbers.

I quickly realised it was far more complex than the assignment brief suggested. What I thought would be a short, contained piece of work became a sprawling puzzle. Time was against me. Long days bled into longer nights. On the weekend before the Monday 9:00 a.m. presentation in central London, I worked the longest hours of my life snatching only four hours’ sleep over the last 3 nights in total.

At 8:50 am., outside the client’s offices, I met my boss who had just flown in from New York. I gave him a quick flavour of my findings. He grilled me on the workings, nodded, and we walked straight into the meeting.

The presentation that changed everything

The presentation was delivered on acetates via an overhead projector – remember the rrrriiiipppp? – went well.  So well, in fact, that I was invited back the following week to present the same work to the Plc Board.

Stepping outside, my boss congratulated me. I told him honestly: “I’m dead on my feet.” He looked at me, paused, and asked what he could give me that I’d truly value. I spoke about how my partner and I were desperate to find a house in London, but my workload had left me no time to go house-hunting.

His response stopped me in my tracks: “Les, what happened in there was fantastic. Take the rest of the week off. Find your house. Treat it as extra week’s holiday. You deserve it.”

I was 25, exhausted, relieved, grateful. I broke down in tears on a busy London street as passers-by walked around us as the snow fell. My boss hugged me. It was a moment of humanity, generosity, and recognition that I will never forget.

Lessons that still guide me today

That experience taught me the power of freedom and trust. I was given exposure, stretched beyond my limits, and left to deliver something that mattered. I grabbed it and gave everything I had.

Later in life I saw senior people operate very differently. Some would take the work of juniors, re-present it as their own, and try to dazzle with quick wit or clever remarks. It rarely worked. Without a real grasp of detail, their lack of authenticity showed through. Clients could see it. So could the team.

Contrast that with my boss in London. He didn’t steal the moment. He let me own it. Then he rewarded me in a way that recognised me as a whole person not just an exhausted employee. That is leadership.

The ripple effect

The following week I presented again, this time to the Plc Board that included a colourful CEO who later went to jail, a future CEO of Marks & Spencer, and a future CEO of Kingfisher.  At 25, it felt surreal.  My career at the firm accelerated.  Within five years, my salary quadrupled. But more important than the financials was the inner shift: I now knew what I was capable of under pressure, and I knew the value of leaders who create space for others to grow.

Why career-defining moments matter

Over the years, my career has taken many turns: ups, downs, successes, and failures. But I look back on that freezing London morning as my launch pad. It taught me something essential which is career-defining moments are less about skills or titles, and more about values.

Growth is exhilarating and terrifying in equal measure. But it is in those moments of stretch when someone trusts you, when you back yourself, when you deliver against the odds that you feel most alive. Purpose. Pace. Passion. That’s what growth feels like. That’s why I am addicted to helping leaders and businesses achieve more than they imagine possible.

A challenge for you

As you read this, I invite you to pause. Reflect on one of your own career defining moments:

• What made it so important?
• What did you learn about yourself?
• How has it shaped the way you lead or work today?

And then ask the harder question:

• Who around you could you give that kind of opportunity to?
• Whose career could you change by offering freedom, trust, and recognition at the right time?

Career defining moments do not just shape individuals.  They ripple outward. They build loyalty, unleash hidden potential, and often define the culture of a whole organisation.

Give someone else their moment, and you will both be rewarded far beyond what you expect.