***Hello newsletter subscribers, I’m sending out the December newsletter early as there’s a lot going on over the next 2-3 weeks, so enjoy and Happy Christmas….***
Have you been in the situation where you know something’s wrong with your job but you just can’t put your finger on it? Career coaching can help diagnose what’s out of alignment in your current role or it might help you identify what you need in the next one. So here are a few prompts, some of which might seem familiar or at least provide a health check on whether you’re thriving in your job.
Fulfilment – people often fall out of love with their roles because they’re no longer being challenged. Many of us need an intellectual or creative challenge that isn’t being met in our current career path. Once upon a time we had great aspirations, but we’ve settled instead for the same grade and the stability of the payslip at the end of the month…but is that all there is to the rest of our working life? Maybe so, but worth asking the question.
Recognition – we all have psychological needs such as being recognised for our accomplishments, but I’ve certainly been in ‘just do-it’ environments where, such is the pressure to keep the sausage-factory going, there hasn’t been enough reflection of what’s been done well. Or you might just not you’re being seen by the rest of the team – that might be for geographic reasons or age/common interest ones. The party’s going on elsewhere and you’re either not invited or would rather give it a wide berth.
Cultural Fit – you might have realised that you’re no longer a cultural fit for your company. Maybe the company’s values have changed to be more commercial (or less so) or the leadership team are making bad decisions. Or maybe your own values have changed, which can happen as we get older, and you need to move on. Sometimes it’s worth looking beyond company loyalty to what your own needs are right now (see above).
Work-life balance – this is related to the previous point about values, but as life evolves and we get to that mid-life stage of being pulled in many directions by school-age kids and ageing parents, sometimes the pull of work isn’t so strong. And swapping the commute for a Zoom screen isn’t all it cracked up to be – refer to those psychological needs again.
Self-Confidence – any of the above factors can start chipping away at your self-confidence and you start questioning yourself over decisions that your old chipper twentysomething self would have taken in their stride. Can I adapt to the new technology? Is anyone listening to my presentation? Does anyone value what I do any more? The answer to all those is probably yes, but because there’s a needs gap somewhere, you’ve convinced yourself into a negative corner.
Motivation – this often relates to lack of job fulfilment but if any of these other foundations are crumbling then the actual motivation to work will start to disappear too. If you have the Sunday night dread, that’s a good indication that something’s amiss and it’s time to evaluate what’s missing in your career. Motivation will affect productivity, for example you might find reasons not to take on a particular challenge, which will then have knock-on effects with decreasing recognition and increasing drift, leading to loss of self-confidence.
None of this might be obvious, and there might be other factors at play too but talking to a coach, who will ask some probing questions and hold you to account, can help if you’re feeling stuck and you need further insight and forward momentum. So let’s start the conversation, you can book in an initial free consultation call here.