It is human nature to jump into panic mode when something changes at work. Sometimes that panic prompts us to want to bolt from our current situation because it is uncomfortable or uncertain. Change can happen so often in the work place that workers become fatigued and long for something simpler and calmer. Professionals will scramble to update their resume or start to troll job boards.
Ask your self the following questions to help you ride the waves of change in the work place and help you approach career decision making during that time more objectively.
- What is the source of change? Is it something happening around you in the workplace, like the company being sold, or to you in the case of finding out you are losing your job? Or are you craving change because something is happening inside of you like you are feeling disengaged, bored or undervalued?
- If the longing for change has to do with change in the workplace, determine the root of the dissatisfaction. Is it that your role has changed and you longer are doing the things you are passionate about? Or have you gotten a new boss whose style is diametrically opposed to yours and every day feels like an uphill battle? Or has the organization changed in a way that the mission you were once able to get behind has shifted in a way that is counter to your values?
- Then ask yourself is this change temporary? Or is it a point in time? No need to make major career decisions if things will blow over.
- Is the source of change something you can control or impact? If you have a new boss is there a way to work on the relationship? Or if your role has changed how can you work to get back to what you love?
- Lastly, what do you ultimately want to have happen? Defining what “better” looks like helps gain perspective of the situation without instinctively bolting out the door.
I recognize that some of you may embrace change, you love the energy and get intoxicated by the adrenaline. But some of you may be overwhelmed by it, exhausted by trying to keep track of all the moving parts – feeling uncentered, untethered, and aimless.
Regardless in dynamic times, change can be laced with uncertainty. My hope for you is that the questions I have provided help you feel empowered by the choices you have during this time.
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