The majority of U.S. workers do not feel they are successfully making the progress they want in their careers. But who does feel successful?

If we want people to feel more successful — which translates into being more engaged workers — then we have to understand what success looks like. So, let’s look a little deeper at the demographics, priorities, attitudes, and behaviors of those who are highly successful in the State of Work and Career Success 2022.

The Demographics

U.S. workers who feel highly successful are a more ethnically diverse group than the overall population, they are more likely to be married, they are more likely to have kids, they are full-time employees earning $50k+ in income, and nearly half of them are Millennials (ages 25-40).

U.S. workers who feel unsuccessful are comparatively less diverse, have a greater propensity to be in smaller companies, and are more than twice as likely to be working part-time. Only 39% are making $50k+ and over a quarter are between the ages of 55-65.

Those workers who feel unsuccessful more closely reflect the most recent U.S. census bureau data, while those who feel highly successful more closely reflect predicted demographic shifts over the next couple decades (i.e. more diverse, younger).

A Difference in Perspective

Workers who feel highly successful have stronger attitudes and beliefs related to career-life integration, flexibility, individuality, and ongoing development. But we also see a dramatic difference in how people perceive their job and career fitting into their life. 

• Most of the workers who feel successful have a career plan that they’re following, but about half of those who feel unsuccessful are just working a job for the paycheck.

• 67% see their job aligning perfectly with their career path vs. 29% of those that are unsuccessful.

• Those who feel unsuccessful are 5x more likely to see their career as just a job for an income/paycheck.

Accomplishments & Priorities

We also wanted to look at what people want, what people have already achieved, and what people are prioritizing.

We define an accomplishment as a goal that has a strong positive relationship to career satisfaction, and someone considers themselves to be successful at completing. A priority is a goal with a strong positive relationship to career satisfaction but that most people do not consider themselves to be successful at completing.

When it comes to their careers, those that are highly successful have been able to be promoted to the position that they desire and have attained a leadership role. It’s in fact the career goal that has the strongest relationship with career progress for this group. They have also been able to achieve their goals of doing interesting work, fully developing and using their skills, and are passionate about their field. In short, they feel fulfilled at work.

Establishing that portfolio career (i.e. ‘Successfully managing multiple careers simultaneously’) is their key priority, but this is where highly successful workers are struggling most.

When it comes to their personal life, those who are highly successful have been able to find purpose in their life, while those that are unsuccessful are still looking to achieve it.

Everyone is prioritizing creating wealth and being on track for retirement, but no one feels particularly successful in achieving these goals. So, these are the biggest life priorities for everyone.

Where Do Highly Successful People Work?

Those who are highly successful in their career are significantly more likely to work in environments that invest in the development of their people, possess shared values, encourage mobility, have transparency, give them the right tech, tools, and deliver processes and policies to help them work best. They are also more likely to be working in companies that are growing (82% vs. 54% overall) and are more likely to be supervising large teams (43% vs 21% overall)

However, it’s important to note that work environments are still lacking across all areas. 

Out of the 27 workplace characteristics addressed in the survey, ‘staff who are easy to get along with’ is the most common, with 40% reporting that they like the people within their organization. There isn’t a single positive company characteristic that even half of those surveyed believed to be present in their organizations.

So, there is a huge gap here between what people want and what organizations offer.

But one of the most important points I wanted to highlight in this newsletter is how our collective failure also presents our greatest collective opportunity. I’ve mentioned in previous newsletters and articles that mentorship and sponsorship have a very strong positive relationship with career progress — those who engage a mentor or sponsor regularly are significantly more likely to feel highly successful — yet this is an area where nearly every organization falls a mile short.

Only 13% of workers reported that their organization has a ‘formal and active sponsorship program (someone who champions you who’s not your boss)’ and only 11% reported that their organization has a ‘formal and active mentorship program.’ That’s compared to 24% and 19% of the organizations that highly successful people work in, respectively.

So this is an area that every organization can put their attention towards that will make a huge difference in the lives of their people and the outcomes of their company — because workers value and, frankly, need support and guidance.

This article was originally published on LinkedIn as part of Connie Steele’s monthly newsletter, The Human Side of Work. You can find the original article and subscribe to the newsletter at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/profile-success-who-feels-successful-career-2022-connie-wang-steele.