The First Three Phases Of A Career Change

As I have read, researched and executed my career / job change, I have discovered that there are six phases to the process.  I will only give you three of six here to get you to come back for more.

The amount of time in each phase depends on a great deal of factors, many of which you really cannot control.  It is helpful to have a map of the phases to give you an idea of where you stand in the process.

The first three phases are reflection, exploration and experimentation.  Here is a brief overview of each:

1.) During the reflection phase, you are in the mode of introspection.  This is a very internally focused period of time.  You are evaluating your career, your accomplishments, your emotions and begin to think about the preferred future.

2.) The exploration phase includes others in the process.  This is a great time to go through an informal 360.  You do not need an online test, just some good questions you would like to have answered by peers, friends and family members.  In many ways, you are looking to others to affirm what you know is true.  The caution here is to properly weight that input and not lose yourself in the process.

3.) The experimentation phase is "trying on" the role or job before buying.  It could include a job shadow, exploratory interviews and research.  It is critical that you ask the right questions to outline all that you can know about the role or job prior to jumping in.

The more thorough you are on each phase, the more clarity the next phase will offer.  They really build on themselves and all lead to the ultimate goal, which is meaningful and purposeful work.

Thoughts From William James

William James wrote: "In the dim background of our mind we know meanwhile what we ought to be doing...But somehow we cannot start...Every moment we expect the spell to break...but it does continue, pulse after pulse, and we float with it..."

For 7 years, I heard that voice in background, late at night, in the quiet of the evening or when I was in my office doing the work.  I sometimes caught myself saying "What am I doing here?"  I even heard my 5 year old daughter tell me that I was grouchy in the evening.

What are the main factors of resistance? There are three critical factors:

• Pragmatism Rules Our Culture:  It is easier to stay the course and enjoy the routine and security of life.
• Opinions Of Others: It could be that voice of a parent or mentor that dissuades you from moving into uncertainty and into passionate life / work.
• Your Thoughts: The ego dominated portion of your mind is telling you to stay, play it safe and not  explore the "spell" that William James mentions. 

It takes courage to start again, push against the "well intentioned opinions of others" and move into a new phase of work.

How do you break the spell? What do you do?

Well defined, strong and clear...

This defines what Edwin H. Friedman calls a well differentiated leader.  A well differentiated leader has the following key characteristics:

• Capacity to take a stand in an intense emotional system
• Saying "I" when others say "We"
• Maintaining a low anxious presence when others are in an anxious state
• Understanding where "I" ends and where "you" begins
• Focus on strength of presence vs. reaction to others

This is a great challenge for today's leaders.  I know in my various leadership roles staying well differentiated is difficult when consensus is the most valued outcome of meetings.  It takes knowing who you are and anticipating the potential triggers that may take you away from being differentiated. 

What practices do you utilize to stay well differentiated?

Employee Motivation Observations

I enjoyed facilitating a meeting with some exceptional people last week.  The topic was "leadership and motivation."  Here is what I observed during the discussion:

• You can not motivate that which you are not connected to.  In other words, the relationship is critical to success.
• You are only in control of the way you go about helping others stay motivated vs. actually motivating them.  
• Things like the words, the method, the timing and the environment are things you can control.  Ultimately, the person must decide to #1 stay motivated internally and #2 respond to your coaching.
• The old days of carrot, stick and whip are archaic approaches and ought to be carefully thought through in their proper context.
• The consensus was that Dan Pink's Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose was the most attractive in terms of motivational theories for their situation.  No disrespect to Herzberg or Vroom.
• It is the leaders job to own what you can control, which means doing all you can to "put the vision" out there for others to follow.  That is the part of purpose and autonomy in Pink's model. 

What is your next step?  I might suggest asking the question "When you show up to work every day, what are some of the emotions you feel when you walk through the door?"

Leadership In A Vacuum

Authority by position, by title, by bold and dotted lines on the organizational chart. Forget it all! Forget it all! 

A leader's job is to inspire, build exceptional trusting relationships, create a vision for the future, create connection, create trust, empower, motivate and include others in the process.  It is not forged by lines on a piece of paper or by some leader above them saying "you are leader!" 

I title this entry as Leadership In A Vacuum because every decision you make as a leader can be that if you do not do all of the above.  A vacuum disregards what is around it and is focused singularly on its own task.  This is scary!

3 Warnings Signs That Your Leadership Is In A Vacuum

•  No Credibility:  You are leading from a deficit because you sit upon a perch of your new job title and suddenly Seymour you are alone in your new office.  Solution: Engage in the work by spending time with your people while they are doing the work or better yet do their work at least to some degree.
• Upside Down Service:  They are serving you and you are not serving them.  You sit upon your perch waiting for their reports vs. bringing your reports to them in collaboration and partnership. Solution: Today find a way to help your team win. Right now! Do it! 
• They Stop Listening To You:  You can tell when this is happening.  Low meeting energy, no inspiration. Solution: Listen to them please. Start with asking them questions.  Please!

I know that reading this kinda "sucks" but come on.  Don't end up like this guy. 

Career Maximizer Group Launch

On June 20th, I will be launching the Career Maximizer group for 10 -12 individuals looking to make that career transition, role change or enhancing their job search.

The event will be from 8 - 11 at the Old National Bank on Rangeline Road in Carmel, IN.  We will spend time developing the purpose of the group, reviewing a couple of career assessments that one of the group members completed in advance, reviewing some content related to the job search and much much more.

If you are interested, feel free to send me a note and we can meet in advance to see if the group is a good fit for you.

Ego and The Job Search

Forbes contributing blogger Glenn Llopis wrote an exceptional piece on how envy can poison your career. He really cuts to heart of how Ego (our achievements, the opinions of others, our stuff) can set us on an unending treadmill of sorts.  In many ways, this ego state really ruins the sense of individuation and differentiation.

Your career, your leadership, your family and your life benefits greatly when you accept the idea that you are a masterpiece vs. a chameleon trying to become what everyone else wants you to be.  Here are 3 warning signs that you are at risk of an ego trajectory:

1. You hand your resume to someone and hope that they approve or said another way you hold back because you expect rejection.
2. Comparison of your achievements and your stuff to those of others.  Your unit of measurement is not the line of others.
3.  You cannot stand uncertainty.  In other words, your pursuit is security vs. the adventure.

What are the other warning signs you have witnessed?