Yesterday I talked about what my new job is. Tomorrow I plan to talk about how I am managing my transition. So today, let me focus on why. Once again, I am sharing all of this in the hopes that it will inspire you to think through these kinds of questions yourself, should you find yourself in a funk with your current role.
That’s where I found myself, in a funk. Does that translate? It means to be in a bad mood. I was down in the dumps. I was fed up. Bored. Lacking oomph. Unmotivated and disengaged. It had been building for a few months, when I finally cracked. I got on the phone to my best friend in the company and just let loose with everything I didn’t like about my job; I wept and I hollered. (poor friend!) This was new to me, as I had loved my job just 6 months earlier. But things weren’t the same any more. I needed to put my finger on what was wrong in order to fix it. So I took some time to think. What did I love about my current job and what did I hate, plus what was I ambivalent about. I did this both for the tasks and for the environment.
I talked through the task list with my boss to see whether we could move any of the things I hated and the things I was ambivalent about to someone else who would enjoy them more. (just because I hated them didn’t mean that everyone hated them; it’s all about finding the right fit). Of course, some of the things were just part of my job and I had to suck it up. So that was the tasks, but then what about the environment?
It was then that I realised that I had been doing my job for SEVEN YEARS. Seven year itch maybe! I had simply gotten bored. I could do most of my job standing on my head; there wasn’t as much challenge any more. And I wanted to be more creative with how I addressed the business issues. Those of you who took part in the 30 day challenge probably recognised the kick I was getting out of that, as it was new and risky. I felt like I needed more of those kinds of things in my work. Knowing what was coming up in the next year for my role, I knew that wasn’t going to give me what I needed. If I stayed, I would remain in that funk and be going through the motions. That’s no good for me, and it’s certainly no good for the business, as my lack of engagement would lead to lower performance.
So that’s when I realised it was time for a change. Scary. I knew what I wanted though, by this time. I had it all worked out…I wanted to stay in the people developer space, as that’s my passion; I wanted to be known for doing pioneering work; and I wanted to keep all the great things that engage me (like working from home). I didn’t want to leave “Company Future”, but I was willing to do so if I had to.
As if by magic, with perfect timing, there was a role advertised in the Talent Development Innovation and Employee Experience. Tick- Talent Development. Tick – Innovation. Tick – global team. Then the ticks kept coming, fast and furious.
· Challenge to capture people’s imagination (heart not head)
· My belief in the long-overdue need to integrate Talent Development
· New area to explore, after 7 years in my current role
· Chance to define coaching and people development
· Working with Bob Gerard and the chance to learn from him
· Chance to learn about Human Centered Design – and to influence others to adopt it
· Chance to learn new skills in communication/comms vehicles/new technology, so I can keep up with the youngsters
I was sold on it. But was the business sold on me? Of course, I had to go through the normal selection process and was able to show how my past experience would bring the right skills and attitude to this role, and I got it. Yeah. Big celebration.
But let’s switch gear for a moment, and instead of focusing on me, focus on you. What do you want? Does your current role match with what you want? If not, what are you doing to do about it?
