Careers are like carpets
If you visit my offices in Durbanville, Cape Town, you’ll meet our stunning handwoven Shiraz carpet in the entrance area, with its bold images and jewel colours. And it’s not merely decorative. In all my years of consulting, I’ve not found anything that explains careers better than this special carpet.
Shiraz carpets are woven in families, young and old alike, which explains why the edges are not absolutely straight, why the many images are not identical, and why some of the borders are more expertly woven than others. But then careers don’t have perfect trajectories and predictable outcomes either.
A family might start weaving a carpet with a design in mind, but the pattern emerges as they weave. We too may start off with a clear picture in mind, only to discover new patterns and ideas as we learn more about ourselves and the world around us.
Just as Shiraz carpets are woven in families, we don’t weave our careers alone either. I don’t believe there can ever be a self-made man or woman. We’ve all had people who have helped, guided and taught us along the way. Some people may have been examples and others warnings, but that’s still our story and we’ve not done this alone. Nor do you have to do it alone from hereon.
In the middle of my carpet are two warriors with swords. Since Persia has a long history of wars, images of war are often woven into Shiraz carpets. We too will face wars along the way, life is not always easy. Sometimes the war is with ourselves, sometimes with other people, and sometimes with the world as we tackle issues that matter to us.
I believe we all need to become warriors; to sharpen our weapons of choice, to stand up for things we believe in, and to have the courage to take action even when the road ahead is not clear. In the changing world of careers and business, it’s not enough to be passionate; we also have to be brave.
The largest area of the carpet is however filled with images of life. A family member might see a bird, a deer or a flower out of the window and weave it into the carpet. I love that life is also woven into this carpet, a reminder that our careers are only a part of our lives, not the sole purpose of it.
My carpet carries the energy of the people who wove it, how could it not. That might include the prayer of a grandmother for a child, or a young person’s dream for their future.
The night we brought our carpet home, my son Sam lit candles all around the room, and we had a picnic around it, enjoying its warm and inviting energy. It has shared its energy in conversations with corporate groups, in auditoriums, and in more desperate times draped over my desk with clients. It continues to radiate the energy of the people who wove it, as will each of our stories.
We’ve all been weaving our carpets since we were young without perhaps thinking about it. Every part of our life and schooling has helped us weave our carpet. Every border and image is woven from knowledge we have gained, skills we have mastered and the life lessons we have learned.
Which means no matter where we are on our life and work journey, we never start from scratch; we start from what we’ve already woven. Which also reminds us how far we’ve come and what we’ve learned along the way.
Some of the gold medallions on my Shiraz carpet are noticeably narrower than others, reflecting perhaps difficult and less abundant times in our lives. These too have a purpose, teaching us new lessons and often preparing us for the next part of our journey. The tough times on my own journey have taught me valuable lessons I might not have learned elsewhere.
The orange-red is also a lighter shade at one end of my carpet. That’s not because it’s been lying in the sun. A family might create a colour dye that runs out as winter sets in. They would need to travel further south towards the ancient city of Shiraz, where it’s warmer, and look for pomegranates in the mountains, which they will grind to create a similar colour dye. We too will have areas of vibrant colour and times we too may need to head for the hills to find new energy and inspiration.
Careers like handwoven carpets take time and effort. Factory carpets are produced quickly, every image identical. But they are cheap to buy and worth very little thereafter. Anything worthwhile takes time and effort. There is no need for a personal crisis because you haven’t changed the world by 28, 38, 68, or 78. Our own Navi Pillay has just won the Nobel Peace Prize at age 85. Keep weaving, your story has its own time and its own purpose. You also don’t need to win the Nobel prize to make a difference in the world. We can all make a difference in our own way.
My Shiraz carpet is a reminder that we don’t have to be perfect. We don’t have to make perfect choices. We don’t have to know it all to get started, and we don’t have to see every part of the plan before we start weaving. We can give up demanding the path ahead be predictable; instead stay open to new designs and opportunities that present themselves along the way.
A handmade carpet is unique, just as we all are. We don’t have to look like anyone else, speak like anyone else, say what everyone else is saying. It invites us to celebrate our differentness, to use whatever we have, to do whatever we can, and to make the world a better place in our unique way.
Our carpet also invites us to think differently about making new choices. Instead of asking whether a new job or position or promotion is good for us, or is right or wrong, we might ask how it helps us weave our carpet. Sometimes the harder choice, or the one that pays less, sets you up for success in a way that a lucrative job never could. It also takes you closer to what you want to achieve, and isn’t that the point?
None of us can change what we’ve woven so far, but we can decide how we want to weave our carpet from hereon. The good news is we don’t have to do it all at once, just one stitch at a time. It may take years, or even decades, but that time will pass anyway. It seems to me we may as well be weaving a life that matters to us.
©Andrew Bramley 2026, All Rights Reserved