Throughout the professional corporate structure, motivation for success courses through the veins of entry level employees, and corporate executives alike. Within bustling high-rise office buildings, the flutter of determination reigns supreme, as laser-focused professionals seek advancement, acknowledgment, and overall tangible success. This dedication to professional betterment is a driving force for many talented leaders, and acts as an inspiration to younger talent. As a result of the individual drive for professional success, fulfillment within a professional sector accompanies the fruits of such motivated labor, resulting in a positive and meaningful professional experience.

On the opposite side of the existential spectre, personal fulfillment is often achieved through a motivation toward gaining new skills, devoting precious time and resources toward self-betterment or toward spearheading a successful cause, or creating tangible change within a meaningful space. Whether through participation in a philanthropic venture, or commitment toward mastering a new language, personal fulfillment is integral toward the individual’s sense of purpose, as well as toward humanity’s continued commitment to creating tangible change that helps the collectively inhabited world.

For many individuals, bridging the need for both professional and personal fulfillment can sometimes feel at odds. With demanding schedules, extraneous commitments and timelines, and a seemingly never-ending to-do list, many individuals find the notion of having personal and professional fulfillment to be vastly difficult. For others, however, following a few parameters has resulted in the successful and flourishing management of a professionally fulfilling legacy, and a personally fulfilling philanthropic journey. Clément Perrette, an Executive leader within the world’s most integral financial institutions, including RAM Active Investments and Barclays Capital, for over twenty five years, has successfully bridged his desire for professional fulfillment within the international financial sector, with his personal calling for spearheading ocean conservation efforts. With purposeful planning, Perrette has experienced meaningful long-term assignments within both realms of his existence, and has expertly navigated the desire for professional, and personal fulfillment.

What Fulfillment Looks Like

Highly individualized and bespoke, the concept of fulfillment will vary drastically for all individuals. Professionally, this can equate to the garnering of a desired position or level or responsibility, or may be driven by a desire to create forward-moving change. Personally, fulfillment can take on many forms, from the achievement of an individual goal, to the spearheading of a global effort. When considering the concept of fulfillment within both arenas, it is crucial to examine tangible methods of recognizing said fulfillment, what it would proverbially look like, and the ways in which to achieve said fulfillment. As a fluid and ebbing concept, the idea of fulfillment can even change, should be examined regularly, and given the breadth and importance to motivate forward movement.

For Perrette, his initial forays into the financial field left him interested in the dissemination of newly burgeoning financial products,  first in the STRIPS markets ,which were not yet readily available throughout major financial institutions in the early 90’s..Later on, , Perrette’s professional motivation swiftly led him to assignments where he would spearhead the development of EUR government bonds and swaps market making  desks within leading financial institutions. Tasks that require , forward-thought, team management of various talent backgrounds and a desire to create tangible changes. Personally, he combined his love for ocean conservation with similar motivations for creating tangible change, and began to partake in various large-scale physical projects dedicated to marine conservation efforts. In essence, the same motivations that allowed Perrette to succeed professionally were parlayed throughout his personal efforts, bridging the concept of personal and professional fulfillment through intertwining skills, motivations, and actions.

Setting Meaningful Goals

While achieving profound greatness in all arenas may be an ongoing desire for many individuals seeking both professional and personal fulfillment, setting tangible and meaningful goals may be a highly effective way to maintain motivation, focus, and commitment to all goals throughout busy time frames. Even for individuals with the best intentions for pursuing altruistic tasks, hectic schedules can sometimes push these “big picture” motivations to the back burner. Thus, it can be helpful to create concise professional and personal goals, rather than large-scale motivations without concrete timeframes. By having defined milestones to reach, and tangible assignments to complete, individuals can find increased meaning, and accountability within this methodology.

Within Clément Perrette’s ongoing desire to dedicate his energy toward ocean conservation efforts, he recognized the vast benefits of working alongside talented teams of like-minded individuals to accomplish bespoke portions of a larger goal. For example, through his participation as Co-Producer of the ocean conservation book “Call of the Blue”, Perrette joined forces with talented experts and friends within the realm of marine conservation, underwater photography, biologists and philanthropists to craft a meaningful publication. Lending his leadership and passion to help putting the pieces together, Perrette was able to find personally fulfilling and meaningful work  to participate in this powerful book.

Different Motivations, Intertwining Results

While professional motivations may differ vastly from personally gratifying ventures, both desires for fulfillment can employ similar tactics, utilize intertwining skills, and result in the self-betterment that ultimately aids both callings. By dedicating time and effort toward tasks focused on personal fulfillment, the individual can gain new insight and understanding, and become exceptionally well-rounded. These feelings of personal achievement, philanthropic assistance, and personal pride can then successfully translate within a professional environment, motivating the individual to utilize this personal fulfillment for the betterment of the professional experience. In essence, the concept of being personally fulfilled can make professional endeavors more meaningful, and vice versa. By understanding the ways in which these goals are not conflicting, and are potentially intertwining in a “big picture” sense, individuals can see both as forces that can work in conjunction, creating a symbiotic environment between seemingly different motivations.

            Balancing Both

            For any endeavor to be successful, time and effort must be employed. Thus, for the individual seeking both personal and professional fulfillment, time management is essential toward successfully navigating both endeavors. Through setting tangible goals, and following the timelines needed to achieve meaningful milestones on a professional and personal sphere, individuals can effectively pursue both ventures in a streamlined, cohesive, and successful manner. For Clément Perrette, pivoting his professional career from capital markets to asset management was a pivotal move toward engaging in new professionally fulfilling goals, and allowing him the flexibility and time needed to actively pursue ocean conservation, and personally fulfilling ventures. Through this small transition, Perrette was able to masterfully allow space within his existence for both ventures. For many individuals, finding a meaningful balance exists in dedicating time for both ventures.

            While finding time to seemingly “do it all” may feel impossible, consciously creating a few meaningful changes can parlay into an existence ripe with fulfillment within a professional sphere, as well as the professional arena. Through careful consideration, proactive planning, and a motivation to actively pursue engaging matters professionally and personally, individuals can successfully manage the call of the corporate ladder, and the call for philanthropic engagement.