This topic in our book Time To Get Real! encourages you to reflect on where you currently are in your career and where you are headed. Does the current position you hold reflect what you need for your personal strengths and development areas, your values, and your life purpose? If you are unhappy in your current role, we ask you to think about what would your days look like if you had control over them?
Here are some important questions to ask yourself:
• Do I have a “next” position in mind?
• Is my resume up to date and does it appropriately represent my accomplishments?
• Do I have a network that is relevant and active?
• Is my LinkedIn or other social/career media site profile current and am I connecting with people through this platform?
• Before leaving any position, have I asked for what I want where I am? If I can’t get what I want where I am, can I describe as best as possible the next type of job, organization, culture, position, compensation, etc., that I desire?
Questions to ask yourself: Is my resume up to date and does it appropriately represent my accomplishments? Do I have a network that is relevant and active?
Consider Cedric’s story. Cedric was a very experienced and knowledgeable technology executive. He had been working for his company’s CEO for just over a year. When he came to us he was upset, since the CEO, who was experienced in technology but not as much as Cedric, continually pushed back on Cedric when Cedric was taking independent action. The CEO wanted to control a broad array of decision-making as applied in the technology arena. He seemed to do it because he liked the field, rather than because it was necessary to get the desired results. Cedric liked the company and his position in it except for the fact that he and the CEO clashed more often than not over Cedric’s independent role and the decisions he was making.
Cedric was lucky. When we helped him to frame how he might approach the CEO to resolve this challenge, he met with success. The CEO just hadn’t realized how much Cedric viewed his interaction as a hindrance. The CEO thought he was helping when in fact he was not. He and Cedric agreed that Cedric would be the one held accountable for the results of his actions and that he, the CEO, would back off. Cedric asked for what he wanted and got it.
Ask yourself: If I can’t get what I want where I am, can I describe as best as possible the next type of job, organization, culture, position, compensation, etc., that I desire?
Each reader of Time To Get Real! will have his or her own needs and set of actions. The important thing is not to bury the concerns that you identify, but instead to highlight them, seek advice and assistance where needed, act on those concerns, and attempt to create a more compatible situation for the attainment of your life and career goals. By doing this work, you should be on a path to maximize your current position or move toward your future position.
Click here to listen as Iris discusses her current and future position.
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