Gauri Chhabra
One common thread that runs through all the conversations that I have with the people who I meet is – “I feel I am stuck in my job. There is something that is quite not going well”. They cannot place a finger on what that is- but one thing is certain. There is a bottleneck, a hiccup or a stumbling block somewhere. Countless times, in clients from a variety of sectors, I’ve seen promising careers stall when beliefs and behaviors are based on a major misconception. Here are some of the most common stumbling blocks that can dampen your growth trajectory and the ones you should avoid.
Falling in love with your title
So maybe you are the VP of Operations at your current company, but the perfect role opens up at a company that would be a much better fit for you – for the Director of Sales. Do you leave? I know someone who was a CTO and lost his job through a merger. A job became available as a Director of Delivery at another company. He almost didn’t interview because of the title, but she did it for the practice.
After talking to the hiring manager, he realized that he would earn almost the same salary, reduce the workload and stress level significantly, shorten his commute and be part of an organization that was more aligned with his values and interests. All he had to do was get over the misperception that he was being demoted. Despite all the amazing benefits in the new position, he hesitated. Finally, he accepted the job and now says it was his best career move ever.
Looking for job security
There is no such thing as job security- jobs last as long as you have the passion to drive them, today, global competition is fierce and mergers are de rigueur. Working for a giant corporation is not necessarily more secure than being an entrepreneur. With the blazing speed of e-commerce, accelerated product cycles, automation, outsourcing, and developing economies, looking for job security is like befooling yourself. Now that the market is bouncing back, we once again feel secure. Are you really secure in your corner office? You might be more secure going solo – or at least building a strong network so that you can launch your own firm at a moment’s notice.
Thinking in a straight jacketed manner:
I was happy working for an educational institution – very happy. In fact, before I left the education sector, I was in a cushy job with a team of brilliant people scattered around the globe. I was living a dream. Well, almost. I told myself, “I am going to get onto management”. The tiny voice in me kept saying that and I always used to snub it for the comfort that I was in. Till one day- the voice took over with a crystal-clear message: “Now’s the perfect time to jump ship and pursue your dream.” Fortunately, I did make the switch and have never looked back! Being too comfortable can distort your vision.
Getting carried away
A friend of mine wanted to start her own coaching centre, but her husband always talked her out of it. Every time she brought it up, he said, “Even though you don’t like your job, you get a paycheck for the same amount every month. If you start your own company, you will always be searching for clients. You will be unsure about how much money you will earn. You will have to compete for every assignment.” He was putting his values on her. He would admit, she says, to being the most risk-averse person on the planet. In fact, security is the most important thing to him. It’s his number one value. When you take on other people’s values, you make their decisions, not yours. Of course, it is always valuable to seek guidance when making major career decisions, but it’s important to connect that wisdom with the motives, values or perspective of the advisor.
To be or not to be
Once I was paying for my two chocolate bars- one milk and one dark. I told the cashier I couldn’t decide which one to buy. Without missing a beat, she replied, “Yeah, sometimes it’s not A or B, it is AB.” I chuckled then … and have quoted her ever since. We are quite binary in our thinking when it comes to our careers. Either we work for a company or for ourselves. We accept an assignment or we don’t. Well, what if it were AB? Today, flexible work opportunities abound. There are many more ways to create the ideal work environment if you are willing to live in a gray zone. Are you choosing milk or dark, or are you willing to let yourself have both?
When ‘M’ is for money
Most of us measure the value of our career by how much we earn. And we measure others this way too. It’s part of our social construct – and since we all have money as a common element of our jobs, it’s an easy measure to use. ‘M’ can also stand for market value, your influence in the market. We rarely look at how our work fuels our spirit or bolsters our values or gives us energy or freedom or confidence.
If you were to evaluate your career by other measures – with a formula that combines the monetary elements with the factors that bring you joy – your new lens would open up a world of different career opportunities.
Of course, you would have to come up with your own formula, and you would have to stop comparing yourself to the Joneses.
Switching gears- it is too late
You went to college for five years to become an engineer. You spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and countless hours to graduate at the top of class. You endured multiple 36-hour shifts during residency. You have invested a lot. But if you are truly honest with yourself, you dislike being an engineer. In fact, you detest it. You might say, “This is my path. I pursued it and invested in it. I can’t throw all that away to pursue something that seems frivolous.” You can easily convince yourself that being a surgeon is not so bad. After all, you have status and money. Isn’t that enough? Not if you’re emotionally bankrupt. Misery generates negative ROI.
Career is a one- time affair
I was at a dinner party last week and met some new people. One incredible woman said, “Well, I’m a lawyer, but if I had to do it all over again, I would be an interior designer.” Her friend chimed in, saying, “She’s the most creative person I have ever known. She has an eye for space and an uncanny ability to blend colors.” If I had to do it all over again implies that time has run out on pursuing her dreams. False! She knows what she loves, and although she is in her late 50s, she still has a chance to pursue it. Many people are not even in touch with their passions. She knows her one greatest passion but won’t live it, all because of an imaginary expiration date.
Self-deception lies at the heart of these misconceptions. Whenever we try to stifle our true selves – those talents, passions, and traits that make us unique – we find ourselves falling short in some way, even while the paycheck is rising. When you start thinking of your career as a form of self-expression, you can begin enjoying the full benefits package.
Remember, the bottleneck is only at the neck of the bottle. Once you manage to come through, it is smooth sailing…
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