Your Career Gut Check Is Overdue

A client said something recently that I can’t stop thinking about. We were discussing a? promotion she received last summer, from VP of her company’s sales team to becoming Senior Director of the entire department.?

My client had been in the role for 6 months. She was seeking Executive coaching because she wanted to continue her professional development and keep growing as much as possible. 6 months is long enough to get through the onboarding process and settle into a new job. Yet when I asked her how it was going, her face fell. “It’s hard to admit,” she said, “but I feel in my gut that this role isn’t right for me!”

When I asked her to elaborate, she thought for a minute, then told me, “I don’t feel seen and heard the way I did before, and I’m not having the impact I was hoping to achieve.” My client knew what she was worth, and she realized that her value wasn’t going to be appreciated in her new role. By the end of our session she decided that it was time to look for something else.?

A periodic career gut-check is crucial to your long term success. It takes courage to face reality, but if you don’t know what’s right for you, who does? Especially for women, who will eventually have to face the double-whammy of sexist and ageist discrimination on their career path, this type of clarity is so important.

If you stay stuck in the wrong role, here's what could happen:

• You could experience wage stagnation, and never earn more than a certain amount.
• You could lose value in the job marketplace, and never be seriously considered for a better role.?
• You could experience serious burnout that leads to irreversible health consequences.?

By the way, these are all things that have happened to some of my clients. I don't want this to be your fate! It takes courage to face reality. But when you can see clearly and identify the real problem, you can find real solutions that will change the game. It's not too late! One indication that you might be in the wrong role is if you’re having the same experience as my client: you’re not feeling seen, heard or appreciated for your hard work.?

If you’ve done a gut-check and determined that you’re NEVER going to get stuck like this again, here are some actions you can take:

• Review your finances and make sure that you’ll be able to cover at least 6 months of bills, in case there is a lag between your old job and your new one.

• Start activating your networks and connect with people who genuinely love your work, and let them know you’re available to chat.

• Get some professional coaching on skills that will help you increase your value in the job marketplace.

I give private Power Voice For Executive Women session packages to highly motivated individuals. I also give Power Communication trainings to groups of Executives and professionals at companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Columbia Bank, Carharrt and Kimpton Hotels, both remotely and in person. DM me for more info about my trainings, rates and availability. I love hearing from you!