Worried about taking a wrong turn in your career?
I expect many of us will face career decisions in 2020, so over the next couple of blogs I'll be sharing mindset hacks and practical tools to help you decide your own next step, and as a leader, how you can support your team to do the same.
Some scenarios you might encounter :
- Should you apply for/ accept voluntary redundancy if given the option
- Your role has changed significantly during Covid and you're wondering if you still enjoy it/ want to stick at it or would rather be doing something else- You expect your role won't exist for much longer and need to start exploring other options for income
- You have a decision to make between two different career options and don't know which to pick
- You've just started a new role and need to decide on your team strategy/ resource plan/ create staff engagement etc.
This week I have a couple of mindset hacks to help your perspective. Firstly, when we're faced with a career decision, in that moment it feels like the biggest decision we'll ever make. And that we'll be full of regret if we make the wrong choice. And I get it, because I've had those moments too.
One mental re-frame that helps me on this point is to remind myself that there's no such thing as a wrong turn. What might appear to be a wrong turn might actually just be a diversion, a ring road or a different routes. Ultimately it's about the journey and some unexpected twists can create even better experiences than the ones we had planned.
It's worth reminding yourself that if there is something we really want, we will find a route to it.
The second mindset hack is a tweet I read last week from Steven Bartlett, owner of The Social Chain marketing company (I like it so much that I'm writing it out in full!):
"You wouldn't plant a seed and then dig it up every few minutes to see if it has grown. So why do you keep questioning yourself, your hard work and your decisions? Have patience, stop overthinking and keep watering your seeds."
In short, I agree with his statement. I see a lot of good intent, ideas and creativity (seeds planted) and then messed about with through self-doubt and second guessing e.g. 'was that really the best decision I could have made?' If we invested as much time taking action as we did questioning ourselves I expect more of us would be in our dream jobs. So don't underestimate the importance of your mindset and attitude during a career transition. It impacts your end result as well as your happiness along the journey.
P.S. You're not making the wrong decision and you're not taking a wrong turn. I know this because making a decision is progress in itself and you always have the option to choose again. Managing mindset at critical career moments is the single biggest factor I see in client success.
P.P.S. There's 2 ways you can currently work with me: 1) a 2 hour breakthrough NLP session (great for dealing with any mind chatter getting in the way of making decisions) or 2) a 4 session coaching programme over 2 months. All phone based. When you're ready, hit reply and we'll agree which approach best serves your goal.
