Decisions are certainly the critical element leading to career successes but they are not the essence. Stating that decisions are the essence of career success is being too general. There are many types of decision and each of them leads to a different outcome. Making the same decision in a different situation or at a different time often leads to a different result as well. It is almost impossible to discuss which decisions are valid and which are not without a scenario to work with.
Hence, let's consider the following scenario:
Peter is a managing director of a multinational company in the engineering industry. He has worked in this organisation and industry for over 25 years and is a renowned figure in this field. However, Peter is beginning to feel frustrated as there's less opportunity for him to develop his skills in his current job. Career advancement is also slim. What's making him stay in his current position is merely due to the high monetary remuneration that he is receiving. Just at this point in time, he found another job that satisfies his need for personal development and achievement but the pay is not as high. Ultimately, Peter decides to move out of his comfort zone and take on the new job. While the going was tough initially, Peter managed to deal with any arising issues well and was soon coping well with his new responsibilities. At the same time, he finds personal fulfillment in contributing to the company and becomes a happy person as a result.
In this scenario, Peter has chosen happiness through personal achievements (which is a form of intrinsic motivation) over financial security (which is a form of extrinsic motivation). This is considered a wise and strategic choice since career success usually stems from personal fulfillment of one's goals in life, and not so much through monetary remuneration (although it is important as well).
Now, let's take a look at another scenario:
John is a branch manager of a customer service department. He is informed that his employer is offering him an opportunity to work overseas for five years. Being an adventurous individual who feels that getting more work experiences in a different culture is always a good thing, John immediately seizes this opportunity by informing his supervisor that he is interested in working in a foreign land. John was subsequently asked to submit his request and he did so as requested. Soon, he was informed that his application was accepted. Jumping for joy, John immediately gets ready for a new life in a foreign country. However, things are not as rosy as it looks. After a year into the job, John experienced difficulty in coping with the foreign culture. His request for a personnel replacement was constantly delayed as the company requires time to find a suitable candidate to replace him. John soon becomes frustrated at his own predicament. Although John was eventually allowed to fly home after a long delay, he was both mentally and physically exhausted after this ordeal. However, this experience has taught John a valuable lesson: It's important for one to plan before embarking on a course of action.
Thus, while decisions play an important role in determining how one's career will play out, foresight is the determining factor to one's career success. We need to examine the various possible scenarios that will happen based on the various possible decisions that we may be making, assess our strengths and weaknesses as well as risks and opportunities (the SWOT [strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats] business model should be useful here, except that it's applied to an individual rather than an organisation), make a sound judgment and once we have decided on a course of action, be ready to move out of our comfort zones. While moving out of our comfort zones may not be the best of options at times, this is one instance where doing so may be advisable. One needs to take calculated risk at times in order to achieve career success.
Indeed, success comes to those who dare to brave the storm.