Is it time to change jobs, change firms or leave the industry?
By NIcki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organisational Psychologist
Image provided by Shutterstock.
If you have been feeling like you need a change of scene for a while or even if that feeling has just begun then you have to firstly listen to it and then secondly distill what is really going on.
This series of three posts over the next three weeks discusses the triggers that can make us want to leave and they are worth understanding for each of you if they are just triggers or actually accurate instincts that you should follow. Often when I am coaching there are three scenarios that are happening when someone comes to me with a “ I want to leave my job” instinct.
Scenario 1: You do not see a path for promotion at your current job
Scenario 2: There is a lack of trust in the people in your team/your boss to do the right thing or be competent.
Scenario 3: The company and /or industry is in flux. Let’s discuss this scenario this week.
The thought of yet another reshuffle or round of layoffs have my coachee anxious and they want to pre-empt being on the receiving end of an HR conversation by finding a new job first. The politics involved in surviving can be exhausting and some people have the right personality to ride it out without it eating them. The reality is that most people do not have quite the capacity for not getting sucked into the politics at play when the heat is on. In fact sensitive people can be worn out to a point of burnout so it is absolutely necessary to know oneself and your endurance levels. All my long term coaching clients do a personality test called the Hogan which does give us an indication for their natural ability to ride out these messy company restructures and mergers.
However, I think that sometimes it is perfectly valid to leave when you want to leave and get a head start on your vision for your next career job before the market is flooded with laid off employees. To this end, it is fairly important to understand the external environment and your specific industry niche or job niche so that you do not end up wondering what happened to the segment. Keep thinking about the transferability of your skills and update them regularly as well as keeping your network strategic and up-to-date.
Finally, if you do decide to go, know that proactivity and first mover advantage is always rewarded and with the element of choice on your hands you can choose your next job wisely since you have a job and therefore in a position of strength in the talent pool.
If you are looking for an executive coach to help you navigate your career contact nicki@theglasshammer.com for a no obligation conversation to discuss how we may help
