Should you stay or should you go?
There’s something about this time of year that prompts many to reassess their lives. Despite the January blues and the miserable weather, there’s the prospect of change in the air; a sense of possibility, new beginnings and a fresh start. There’s an invitation to hit pause and to consider if you’re on the right path to pursuing what success really means to you.
Perhaps after some much needed time out, you’ve returned to the (home!) office and the weekly rhythm has kicked in again. You’re remembering all of the frustrations, that sense of unfulfillment and dis-satisfaction. Perhaps you don't feel valued or recognised for your work. Maybe you never get to do the work that really energises and excites you. Maybe you feel bored, drained or stifled.
In recent months, you might have come across the terms, The Great Resignation or The Big Quit referring to the large numbers of people across the UK & US experiencing ‘pandemic epiphanies’ and quitting their jobs to pursue alternative career options that better meet their values and life goals. Are you amongst those fed up with their work life? Are you thinking of finally quitting your job to pursue a new career?
So, what should you do if you find yourself in this season of limbo? There’s a brewing sense of dissatisfaction and unfulfillment in your professional life but you have no idea what you want next and what exactly needs to change. The prospect of making the ‘big leap’ feels overwhelming and full of risk without a clear game plan and a certainty that what will come next will be better than what you have now.
If you’re pondering whether you should stay in your current role or go, let me offer you my top tips on how to go about reaching a decision.
Carry out a Career Audit to determine what is and isn’t working for you right now (you can download a free tool on my website to help with this)
Consider the impact your current career challenges are having across your whole life (are you battling stress, fatigue, anxiety, low confidence? etc) and what the likely prolonged impact might be if it goes unaddressed.
Weigh up the motivating factors for leaving - what will it achieve and what will you gain from an alternative role or career?
Set aside some time to conduct an energy audit to assess how excited and enthused you are by the activities within your working week. Note down your key tasks and give each of them a score out of 5 to determine what brings you the greatest joy, fulfilment, and sense of achievement. If you’re doing more of what drains you than energises you, this may be a sign that something needs to change.
Identify whether you’re in need of a total career change or a change of context (ie if it’s the culture, environment, lack of support, working conditions then this might indicate it’s a context change you need but if it’s the work itself, then it might be time for an even bigger shift. This is something I often address with my prospective clients during our FREE Strategy Sessions.
If you were to wave a magic wand, what would your ideal working week look like? Pinpoint the things you’d like to change in order for it to be more fulfilling. Are there tweaks that could potentially be made to your current situation?
Then use these insights to approach a conversation with your employer to see what changes are possible (with regards to working conditions, changes to your role & responsibilities, opportunities for development and progression). Increasingly, more employers are utilising a retention tool called the ‘stay interview’ when you’re invited to share what would make the difference between staying and going. I’ve contributed to a recent article in The Metro on this which you can read in full here). Take up the opportunity to explore all avenues before you reach the decision to go and before you head into the meeting go with a clear sense of your non-negotiables and what would make the biggest difference for you.
Consider your practical needs and review your finances to help inform your next steps. If you are planning to move across to a similar role, the suggested safety net is 3-6 months living costs, but if you're considering a career change or setting yourself up in business, plan for at least 12 months expenses plus start-up costs.
Gather objective voices - seek out the support of others, ideally qualified Career Specialists, who can guide you through the process without judgement or agenda on the outcome of your decisions that can help you with your next steps and all of the practicalities and actions involved in your next career move.
Be pro-active - let your dissatisfaction motivate you to explore new avenues and opportunities so that you can feel more in control during an unsettling season. Why not get curious and push some doors, dip your feet into the water and carry out some mini projects to take some tentative steps in the right direction. Many think of career change as one big substantial and quick change but it can actually be the culmination of many small steps; a process over a period of weeks and months. So give yourself the gift of time if you can to reach a conclusion that’s right for you.
If you would like professional guidance and in-depth support in figuring out what you want from your next career move to go from confusion to clarity, from overwhelm to action and to pursue your new career with confidence, then book in for a completely free strategy session to explore the support options available.
We'll identify where you want to get to in your career, we'll dive into what's going on for you right now, what is and isn't working and we'll identify the challenges and obstacles that are preventing you from making more progress, so you can put in place a plan of action to move forwards.
I offer a range of support options to help you find work you love, why not take a look at the various services on my website
If you want 2022 to be the year when you finally get to do work that really matters to you and you're ready to make a change, do book in for a completely free chat to figure out your next steps.