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Table 1 Career anchor descriptions [20]

From: Factors associated with staying or leaving a dentist leader’s position – a qualitative study

Technical and Functional Competence

This kind of person likes being good at something and will work to become a guru or expert. They like to be challenged and then use their skills to meet the challenge, doing the job properly and better than almost anyone else.

General Managerial Competence

These people want to be managers. They like problem-solving and dealing with other people. They thrive on responsibility. To be successful, they also need emotional competence.

Autonomy and Independence

These people have a primary need to work under their own rules and ‘steam’. They avoid standards and prefer to work alone.

Security and Stability

These people seek stability and continuity as a primary factor of their lives. They avoid risk and are generally ‘lifers’ in their job.

Entrepreneurial Creativity

These people like to invent things, be creative and most of all to run their own businesses They differ from those who seek autonomy in that they will share the workload. They find ownership very important. They get easily bored. Wealth, for them, is a sign of success.

Service and Dedication to a Cause

Service-orientated people are driven more by how they can help other people than by using their talents. They may work in public services or in areas such as human resources.

Pure Challenge

People driven by challenge seek constant stimulation and difficult problems that they can tackle. Such people will change jobs when the current one gets boring, and their career can be varied.

Lifestyle

Those who are focused first on lifestyle look at their whole pattern of living. Rather than balance work and life, they are more likely to integrate the two. They may even take long periods of time off work in which to indulge in passions such as travelling.