If you’ve started wondering whether your career still suits the life you want now, you’re not alone. Many senior HR professionals reach a point where the traditional measures of success – job title, salary, seniority – don’t quite reflect what matters anymore.
In the first article in this series, we explored the idea of building a flexible HR career that fits around your life, not the other way round. But if you’re thinking about stepping into something new, there’s an important next step: redefining career success in HR on your terms.
Because unless you’re clear on what you’re working towards, it’s all too easy to stay stuck in what you’ve always known.
Letting go of old definitions of success
For most of us, our early career years are shaped by external definitions of success: promotions, appraisals, salary bands, annual bonuses. There’s structure and validation – and it works. Until it doesn’t.
When you’re considering a different kind of HR career, especially something self-employed like consultancy or freelance work, the first challenge isn’t the practical stuff. It’s the mindset shift.
You’re no longer chasing someone else’s idea of achievement. You’re creating your own. That’s the heart of redefining career success in HR – deciding what success really means to you now, not what it meant a decade ago.
The identity shift that comes with change
One of the reasons redefining success can feel difficult is that our identities are often wrapped up in our roles.
You might be “the fixer”, “the safe pair of hands”, or “the person who always gets things done”. You might have spent years building credibility as a senior HR leader – and walking away from that traditional structure can feel like starting again.
But here’s the truth: you’re not losing your identity – you’re evolving it. The skills, experience and professional wisdom you’ve built up don’t disappear. They travel with you into whatever you do next.
From autopilot to intentionality
Many of us have been on career autopilot without even realising it. Performance management frameworks, promotion pathways, competency models – all of these things shape your direction.
When you step away from that structure, you get to build your own compass. But to do that, you need to get really intentional.
Here are some practical ways to begin the process of redefining career success in HR:
1. Conduct a “career values” audit
We talk a lot about organisational values in HR – but what about your own? Take time to write down the values that feel most important to you now. (Not what looks good on paper, but what genuinely matters.)
These might include:
- Freedom
- Impact
- Simplicity
- Stability
- Creativity
- Learning
- Recognition
- Autonomy
Then ask: does my current role allow me to live by these values? If not, where’s the tension?
2. Write your personal success statement
Try this exercise: write a short paragraph (or even just a few bullet points) that describes what success looks like for you over the next 2–3 years.
- What are you doing?
- Who are you helping?
- How do you feel at the end of a typical day?
- What does your week look like?
This is where redefining career success in HR becomes real – you’re moving from vague dissatisfaction to a more personal, intentional definition.
3. Ask yourself: what’s the legacy I want to leave?
Legacy might sound like a big word, but it simply means the difference you want to make – whether that’s through mentoring others, helping businesses grow through good people practices, or showing your family that work can look different.
For many HR professionals, success now feels more about contribution than career milestones. And that shift can be the spark for something really powerful.
This isn’t about giving up ambition
One of the most common fears we hear is, “if I choose an easier pace, am I giving up?”
But this isn’t about settling. It’s about redefining career success in HR to include the things that matter most to you – whether that’s flexibility, purpose, creativity, or freedom.
Maybe your ambition is to:
- Work part-time and still make a real impact
- Help small businesses embed great HR from the start
- Create a consultancy that reflects your personal values
- Do high-quality work without being constantly exhausted
That’s not giving up – it’s levelling up in a different direction.
You don’t need all the answers to move forward
Redefining success isn’t a tick-box exercise. You won’t find a single moment of clarity where everything clicks. What you will find is a growing sense of alignment when you start asking better questions and exploring new possibilities.
Start small:
- Talk to someone who’s done it
- Reflect on what energises you
- Look at how you’re spending your time now – and what’s missing
- Experiment with a side project or consultancy client
- Seek support and structure if you’re ready to build something new
Success is what you say it is
Ultimately, redefining career success in HR means stepping away from outdated rules and towards a version of working life that reflects who you are now.
Whether your next chapter involves full-time consulting, a portfolio of projects, or simply more control over your hours, what matters most is that it’s on your terms.
Download our prospectus to learn more about how flexible HR consultancy could support your version of success – or get in touch for an informal chat about your options.