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Getting unstuck in a time of flux

Feeling stuck or restless in your career? Now's a good time to explore new horizons, but make sure you know your options for career change.

4 min read

By John Baldoni 09/17/21

CareersLeadership

Getting unstuck in a time of flux

Pixabay

Feeling stuck where you are?

I don’t know if you should go or stay.

Well, you are not alone. According to a Achievers Workforce Institute study,  more than half of all employees surveyed are considering changing jobs. It’s part of a trend called “The Great Resignation.”

As a result of pandemic restrictions, the unsettling feeling people have about where they are now and where they might want to go, many employees are considering changing jobs. A key reason is burnout and the sense that they are stagnating in their current position.

Additionally, according to the 2021 Edelman trust survey as reported by Axios, employees have “considerations such as the company’s stance on social issues, or its policies on employees’ ability to express their political beliefs.” Additionally, more than three-quarters of employees say they feel “more empowered now to take action within their organization, either by working within the system or taking issues public via whistleblowing, strikes or leaks.”

And employers know this, with 60% saying workers have more power now than before COVID-19.

Making your choice

On the plus side, it’s an excellent opportunity to consider your options. There are many unfilled vacancies, and companies are engaged in a war for talent like never before. Bonuses are not uncommon.

Before you leap, however, consider where you are now. Making a move for money may be tempting. Still, if you are trading one position for another, you may soon be disappointed without an increase in responsibility or change of culture.

You have three choices. The first two are obvious: leave or stay. The third requires some forethought: change.

Leave

Consider your next position. Ask yourself why you are leaving: more pay, bad boss, bad culture, change of scenery? All of these are valid reasons. What is not so obvious is what will be different. Yes, you make more money, which is a good thing, but if the only thing other is the scenery, you may become frustrated quickly.

When leaving — assuming it is your choice — you want to make sure you will have the opportunity to pursue your skills and broaden them. You will want more responsibility as well as new challenges.

Stay

Remaining in place is what most people do. Saying you want a new job may be a matter of thinking out loud. It’s a response to a flavor of the month, a kind of restlessness.

When you consider your options, you might realize that the grass appears greener on the other side of the proverbial fence, but you have all the “green” (income, benefits, seniority) where you are now.

Change what you are doing

Rather than thinking about jumping ship, consider rocking the boat you are already in. Consider what you could do differently. You know the system, and as such, you may know ways to change things. You know the players, too.

Whom can you enlist to help you make changes that would benefit the organization?

Leave, stay or change are three options. The answer to each may require deep thinking. And in itself that is a good thing because you know what you do will be better for you. You may not be participating in the Great Resignation. But better yet, you will not be resigned to your condition.

You will have made a decision, and that is a positive step. Your career depends on what you do, when you do it, and how you do it. You will have made the first in a series of changes that work best for you.

 

John Baldoni is a globally recognized leadership speaker, certified Master Corporate Executive Coach, and author of 15 books that have been translated into 10 languages. In 2021, the International Federation of Learning and Development named Baldoni a World-Class Mentor and named him to its Hall of Fame. Also in 2021, Global Gurus ranked him a Top 20 global leadership expert, a list he has been on since 2007. In 2018, Inc.com named him a Top 100 speaker, and in 2014 Inc.com listed him as a Top 50 leadership expert.

Baldoni’s books include “Grace Notes: Leading in an Upside-Down World,” “GRACE: A Leader’s Guide to a Better Us,” and “MOXIE: The Secret to Bold and Gutsy Leadership.” For more information about Baldoni’s speaking and coaching, please visit his website.

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