Trusting My Instincts, AKA: Oh No! Not Again!

I should’ve seen it coming.

Looking through my profile makes it obvious I did not start my HR career in a typical way. I didn’t start as a Recruiter or HR Admin, I jumped head first into a single function role. Crazy? Yes. Smart? Depends. It took me almost 6 frustrating months to realize I was under skilled and wasn’t able to reach my goal alone. I then joined my first real HR school with IBM, did great things in the L&D department and mostly came to understand that I wanted to know and learn more about the different roles of HR.

I joined ADAMA just as Covid wasn’t as scary as it was, and after 3 years of development and growth I believed I knew exactly what I wanted to do (although my Boss, who was and still is the greatest mentor I've ever had, knew what the future holds for me even if I didn’t want to admit it) - I wanted to become a full on Business Partner! and I was driven to find the way to make it happen.

But sometimes the path we think we're on doesn’t lead exactly where we expected. Recently, I found myself in a new role in a different company, that I believed would be my next big step, only to realize it wasn't quite what I had envisioned.

From the moment I started, I was welcomed by some truly great colleagues. They were warm, supportive, and dedicated - everything you could hope for in a team. Working with and alongside them felt natural, I was able to demonstrate my experience and give them a different point of view and learn new ways of work from them. However, despite the wonderful people I worked with, I soon realized that the role itself wasn’t the right fit for me. The alignment just wasn’t there, and I had to come to terms with the fact that, at the end of the day, things didn’t add up as I had hoped.

Moving forward and coping with a personal sense of failure is never easy. The uncertainty can be overwhelming, and it’s natural to feel a sense of disappointment when things don’t go as planned. But these moments are also opportunities for growth. They teach us resilience, push us to reassess our priorities, tweaking and analyzing our own needs, and remind us of the importance of staying true to ourselves. Going through these tough decisions, I’ve learned that it’s okay to stumble as long as you keep moving forward. Embracing the uncertainty, learning from setbacks, and maintaining a positive outlook are key to emerging stronger and more focused on what truly matters.

As HR professionals, we spend our days guiding others along their career paths, but sometimes we need to listen to our own inner voice. This experience taught me some valuable lessons, and although I do believe we all can benefit from learning from our own missteps, I feel the need to share them:

• Trust Your Instincts: If something feels off during the interview process or in the early days of a new job, it's important to pay attention. Sometimes, our gut knows what our mind hasn’t fully processed yet.
• Learn from Every Experience: Every experience, whether good or bad, contributes to our personal and professional growth. This time, I learned the importance of being clearer about my goals and ensuring they align with the roles I choose.
• Resilience and Adaptability: It’s okay to acknowledge when something isn’t working out as planned. The key is to adapt quickly, reassess your options, and move forward with the confidence that you’re stronger and wiser because of the experience.

As for me? I will soon begin going down a similar yet somewhat different path, upskill, develop and trust myself a bit more. Stay tuned ??