Professional Energy of Activation Barrier: How to Achieve Your More Ideal State

In chemistry, the energy of activation barrier describes the concept that it takes effort to advance through a less stable transition state to reach a more thermodynamically stable phase. In other words, getting somewhere better often takes some initial work to overcome impediments. I recently found myself in a career thermodynamics problem. I was successful, stable, and generally satisfied with my role and professional path. However, upon encountering a sufficient disruption (a layoff event affecting coworker), I examined my career's overall energy profile. In this article, I’ll share my experience in seeking a more ideal position, providing my thoughts on pursuing your career thermodynamic analysis. To caveat this, I’m mid-transition, so take this with a grain of salt (coincidentally, a much more stable form of both component elements, sodium and chlorine).

Stage 1: Self-Assessment (Should > Can)

The first step of any career analysis involves looking inward. Regardless of your professional stage, you’ve likely acquired many transferable skills to leverage. Each experience gives you a greater perspective on your talents and their relative alignment with your interests. My first questions in a career discussion with my mentees and direct reports are, "When you have a good day, what was it that made you feel that way?" and "When you have a bad day, what happened that caused you to be demotivated or otherwise negatively influenced?" Skills are always central to any professional development discussion, but you have only half the equation without adequately assessing your motivations and interests. Professional fulfillment is achieved through the ability and desire to be successful.

Fulfillment = Ability + Desire

There is a significant difference between “can” and “should.” Just because you can do something doesn’t mean it interests you. “Should” combines the ability to be successful and the motivation and excitement to do so. Focus on finding a role where your enthusiasm and ability shift the result in more good days than bad.

A little over a year ago, another event shaped my career perspective. In the post-pandemic hiring frenzy, a recruiter contacted me regarding available positions. While I was in a state of general career stability, I entertained their opportunity and ultimately received an offer. In the final moments of weighing that offer, which included a higher salary and closer location, I decided this wasn't the job I wanted. I then dug deeper into the new role and asked myself why.

• Why didn’t I feel the job was right for me?
• Why wasn’t I excited about what I would be doing?

Something didn’t feel right, leading to a critical question regarding my current job.

“If I was offered my current position today, would I accept it?”

At that moment, I answered no. This immediately illustrated the power of the activation barrier. My career stability was significantly influenced by the fact that it was the default choice. Any change would require work and uncertainty while staying in my position took no additional effort. There is a whole separate article on the power employers wield over this phenomenon and the backward economics of leveraging the job-changing energy barrier resulting in slower advancement and lower lifetime earnings, but we'll leave that for another day.

Armed with the epiphany that I didn't want my current job, I realized it was time to commit energy to climbing the barrier to see what was on the other side. Before doing that, I thoroughly self-assessed my skills and interests. I mapped out my perception of self in both dimensions and then took on the Reflected Best Self activity to gain perspective on how others viewed my strengths. I strongly recommend both activities to gain a thorough 360 self-awareness before proceeding to the next phase.

Step 2: Determine your Destination

I firmly believe in the Yogi Berra-ism, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up someplace else.” I needed a destination and a plan to get there. Armed with my 360 feedback, I began my research. What role should I have if I wasn't best suited to my current job? As an introverted nerd, I started this search online, leveraging various career assessment tools, but realized these also focused predominately on the ability side of the equation. What I needed was the emotional “should” component. To do that, I reached out to numerous individuals in my network whose paths had diverged, leading them in various professional directions. It was in these conversations that I had two exciting realizations. First, many of these people took a huge risk, leaving a stable state and putting their energy into pursuing something else. Second, they sounded happy! There was minimal regret in leaving their former steady state. For some, the next step wasn't the end but a transition to something even more ideal.

I needed to focus. I was confronted with many new opportunities that leveraged my existing skill base, including an example of someone who successfully made that exact transition. However, I needed to remember the critical question I was trying to answer. In my mind, I was constantly saying, “Wow, this person is happy, and I can do their job.” I needed to stop myself and recall that “can” wasn’t what I was after. I was pursuing my “should." There, I returned to my "good day/bad day" questions. Good days usually sound great, but in thinking about a career change, the bad days matter more. I listened intently as each of them described what they didn't like about their jobs. What stressed them out? What demotivated them? For each, they assured me that the positives outweighed the negatives and that they had made the correct decision. For me, there was only one interview where the bad days had me genuinely excited. The described downsides of the role were things that energized me. That was management consulting. I further validated that idea with conversations with others in the field and watched YouTube content that confirmed this was the first role that fit who I am today and offered a potential optimal “should” state.

Author’s Note: I’m writing at this stage of the process, and my career future is in a thermodynamically and kinetically unstable state (see: ??). I made the decision that I needed to fully commit to this transition. To do that, I removed my safety net and left my job to dedicate myself to my MBA studies and prepare for consulting interviews. Having just begun the application process, I hope to share an update to this article in the future that updates my progress and, hopefully, my success.

Step 3: Climbing the Hill – Demonstrate your ability to others

You know where you are. You know your destination. The next step is charting the course to get there. So far, the process has focused on looking inward and determining where you want to go that best balances your skills and interests. Now, your attention needs to shift to convince someone else that you can be successful in your target state and add value to them and their organization. This stage also begins to consider the competition factor of others trying to attain an identical final state. This stage may look quite different depending on the relationship between your chosen destination and current state. How big a jump are you making? Does your experience clearly connect to those needed for your destination? How transferrable are your talents, and what can you do to make your skills evident to the decision-maker?

Again, this state has countless nuances, but remain focused on your intent. You must put energy into the process to shore up your skills and preparation for the interview process. Concentrate on things you can control. The energy to get over the activation barrier comes from you. Still, unless you decide to start your own business, whether you've done enough to get over the hill is about convincing someone else.

Step 3B: Professional Catalysts – leverage others to reduce the barrier

While the effort must come from within, seek out catalysts that lower the barrier. Others can't remove the energy required to achieve your transition, but they can reduce it. Network with others in the field. Leverage resumé and interview preparation services. Gain strength and support from friends and family, sharing your goals and progress to maintain motivation.

Eventually, decide when you've done enough to take the next step, applying, interviewing, and putting all your efforts to the test to assess where you're at in your transition. If you are not successful yet, reassess and persevere. From everything you've done in preparation, if the destination goal remains the same, leverage what you learn from each experience to better define your path and the actions necessary to achieve it. If successful, great! Congratulations. Enjoy the slide down to your new stable state. Now what?

Step 4: Were you correct? Assess your new state.

You made it. Indeed, this is a moment of euphoria, celebration of your accomplishments, and recognition of the effort needed to make this transition. Now comes the next hard part. Were you correct? There are three different outcomes here.

1. You were right; this role is perfect for you, and every day is a balloon drop.??
2. You were wrong, and the grass was greener before. Oops. ??
3. You found another transition state along the path to your optimal state. Onward!??

Your assessment may take some time, and you’ll likely transition through various emotions. Euphoria may give way to regret, which may lead to contentment, anxiety, fear, and countless other feelings. That’s fine. You’re still a person, not the molecule in my overly nerdy thermodynamics analogy.

Acknowledge the learning curve of your new role and the likelihood of imposter syndrome, at least for a while. Remember your strengths and what drew you to this new position. Be honest with yourself, and assess your original hypothesis. Ask yourself the “good day/bad day” questions, and determine how you proceed. If you did find your optimal state, congratulations. You can stop reading now. I’m envious but incredibly proud that you achieved professional fulfillment. If that’s not you, we’ve got two directions to go.

Step 5 (if applicable): Where to go - Forwards or Backwards?

Here’s another beauty of thermodynamics. (Practically) Nothing is irreversible. It's just a question of how much energy is needed. I also have good news. If you reached your new state and realized your previous position was a better fit, you're in a higher energy, less stable state. This means that the energy barrier to move backward is lower than what it took you to move forward. As long as you didn't express yourself too emphatically on the way out the door, you may be able to quickly undo your career reaction. Boomerang employees are a valuable commodity to many organizations, so it’s always best to leave that door open if necessary. However, before you take the return train, leverage this moment to learn from your new experience. What insights can you gain that best prepare you for the rest of your career? What about your hypothesis turned out to be incorrect? What is your new professional fulfillment hypothesis, and how can you test it? Is there something different you can do within your current opportunity, or would you instead try it differently in a role similar to your previous one?

If you choose to return, take time to assess your past situation, establish a new hypothesis, and devise a new plan to test it. Could it be the organization's structure? Would you be best suited for a small or large company? Do you thrive in a hierarchical or flat structure? Even more zoomed out, what role does your job play in your overall pursuit of personal fulfillment, and is there something else that enables you to achieve that pinnacle of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?

Armed with that information, you can now plot your course. If backward, is it the same company you left, or is it trying something closer to your previous role but within a new organization? If it’s forward, what did you learn about yourself that may better identify future opportunities that provide an even more optimal position?

Your Unique Energy Profile

I sincerely hope this helps you to better understand yourself and leverage that critical knowledge to chart your course to achieve an ideal professional energy state. While the barriers to change may seem daunting, the rewards of making it to the other side can be gratifying. Remember that your energy profile is unique. While skills assessment significantly contributes to your ability to be successful in a role, that remains only half of the fulfillment equation. Only you can answer if a role is your ideal “should.” Seek catalysts to make your journey easier, and never stop growing to enable yourself to be in a position best suited for you.