Need to Change Jobs? Or, Are you Just Restless?

There are times when we find ourselves in a space that doesn’t quite fit who we are.

When your routine is mundane, your rewards seem flat, you grow restless as time passes, and you become increasingly uncomfortable. Nothing we do seems to fill the void and relieve our stress. Time for a change? I call this scenario ‘voting with your feet,’ which usually means leaving your current job and searching for a new one.

After blaming your boss, the lighting, the team, the weather, the time of year, the economy, the family, and the lack of fashionable clothing, the truth always (without exception) arrives. Removing the layers of excuses and carefully examining the ugly, unadorned truth, we realize our restlessness is warranted, and we mumble to ourselves, “When is it my turn?”

Here is a step toward your much-needed new clarity: Begin by creating an inventory of your skills, talents, abilities, and contacts to determine where you are now and list what you offer an employer. Be brutally honest, and don’t lie to yourself. Remember, companies hire employees, and people show up to do the job, and both parties are surprised.

Maybe it is time to change how you see your current job, or maybe it’s time to change jobs.

What must happen for you to make your current position fun, exciting, rewarding, and worth showing up again?

**Spend at least two hours with your phones turned off and write down what must happen for your current position to fulfill your life again. This exercise cuts through the crap, the feelings, the searching, and the guilt and lays bare a few of your choices. Honesty is your friend; writing out what you need, want, and desire takes courage and grit.

**On a different day, spend two hours writing a full description of your perfect job. Dedicate yourself and be specific in your description of the type of position you want along with its duties and responsibilities, the industry, the make-up of your team, your future boss and what you expect, the range of remuneration, and the working environment. Base your outcomes on what you can deliver to the new company upon arrival. Write, write, write, and list all the skills your direct reports need to possess to step up to do their jobs and meet your expectations.

If you have not done either exercise yet but still want to know the next step, read on. Working with a therapist and good medications may soften your anxiety for a while, but eventually, the pressure slips out, and people act out or lash out. Here are some symptoms of severe anxiety:

• • • • Taking unnecessary risks.
      • Extramarital affairs.
      •  Doing or saying something stupid.
      • Drinking too much or using recreational drugs.
      • Not sleeping or sleeping too much.
      • Contemplating divorce or harming oneself.
      • Talking too much.
      • Losing your keys.
      • Chronic lateness or forgetfulness.

      Here is the fast, easy solution to your terrible and growing itch. [Spoiler: Sales pitch follows.] Talk to an executive business coach with a long successful track record. If the coaches you interview have canned presentations and formulaic methods of following a script they bought from some coaching organization, thank them for their time and find a better one.

      When you find an experienced coach you can work with, they will push you and explore ways to move your life and career forward. Hire them. Tell your new coach exactly what you want for an outcome and ask them what must happen for them to help you get there. Top-level coaches are expensive, so prepare yourself for sticker shock. You get what you pay for, and coaching is no different.

      Here is a tip-off for screening the coaching candidates. Ask for referrals from their clients who are in similar positions to yours, who make more money than you do now, and who have found a landing zone better suited for them and their talents.

      Keep in mind; the coach is not there to make your decisions. Their job is to help you make the right decisions at this point in your career. Use their skills, talents, and abilities to ferret out your best choices based on who you are, what you offer, and what you want in life.

      For the quickest, easiest, and least expensive next step, call me 804-467-1536. Our initial conversation is free. Your first session is my gift to you, and I promise not to try selling you anything. The coaching, the outcome, and the interaction must be something you want; hiring me is your decision. Coaching is something you buy, not something you are sold.

      

      Book a free session with me, and I guarantee you will learn one valuable tool for influencing people—all that in thirty minutes or less. Sign up today. Set up a complimentary meeting via Zoom. 

      For more suggestions about hiring and training women for leadership positions or coaching insights, contact me, Colle Davis, cdavis@mycoach.com or 804-467-1536 (EST).