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Activate your career’s early warning system
By Barbara Poole
Career Coach
I’m one of those people who like to keep a car until I run it into the ground. It’s not that I’m in love with every vehicle I own; it’s just that once it’s paid for, it takes a lot for me to consider taking on a new car payment again.
If you’re like me, you probably do what you can to keep your car in good running shape and carefully attend to preventive maintenance schedules. Still, there are times when those early warning signs begin to creep into the picture, suggesting it may be time to cut your losses and move on to a new ride.
A lot of people treat their careers like their cars, which is to say that they hang on to a job way beyond its useful shelf life. They get comfortable with jobs just like they get comfortable with cars, and before they know it they are being passed by on the professional superhighway.
What are some of the signs that it’s time to dust off the resume? All too often the clues are subtle. They creep up quietly and don’t manifest themselves until one day you wake up and find yourself feeling stale and trapped. Here are some of the early warning signals to look out for:
The “ostrich syndrome.” Also known as, “If I don’t acknowledge it, maybe it will go away.” It shows up as a ho-hum approach to work. It might look like avoiding risks, procrastination, general apathy or neglecting opportunities for career growth. People with the ostrich syndrome typically feel a sense of malaise about their careers, but it’s easier to bury their heads in the sand than to deal with it.
Self-imposed distractions. This is the pattern of substituting repetitive habits and behaviors for attention to the real issue.
Signing up for every committee that comes along, feeding the rumor mill, surfing the Internet under the guise of research and engaging in mindless busy work are all distractions that can suggest avoidance of a deeper level of dissatisfaction.
Rationalization tendencies. There are endless tapes that people play in their heads to justify staying in career situations they have outgrown. “If I quit, it would mean I’d failed. I can’t change careers after investing all this money in training and preparation. I can’t be selfish; there are people depending on me.” If you recognize any of these, it might be time to take an honest look at what’s really going on in this picture.
Physical, mental and emotional signs of burnout. There’s a broad constellation of personal changes that suggest it might be time to consider an alternatives career. Physical symptoms include a low energy level, frequent colds and viruses, headaches that grow worse as the day wears on and a general listlessness.
Mental indicators might show up as concentration problems, memory impairment or distractibility. The emotional warning signs include irritability, mild depression, lack of self-esteem and cynicism.
Of course, these symptoms can be bona fide health problems, so it’s important to get them checked out with your doctor. But if they seem to get worse the minute you walk into the office, consider what your body may be trying to tell you.
Escape fantasies. All of us have daydreams from time to time, but when you find yourself asking people to repeat the question several times a day, it’s time to perk up and pay attention.
The content of these daydreams can be very revealing. They can show up as variations on the “if I won the lottery” theme, or they can look like elaborate screenplays for what you’re going to say to the boss as you waltz out the door.
In any event, if it’s become difficult to stay focused on your job for more than five minutes at a time, it could be time for a change.
Please note that in suggesting you be on the lookout for these early warning signs, I’m not suggesting a quick exit to a company called Anywhere But Here. On the contrary, it’s often possible to stay within the organization and negotiate different job responsibilities, a reassignment or a rotation to another area. But it is important that you investigate these clues if they show up, so that you can avoid winding up with a one-way ticket to that place called Hopelessly Stuck.
Pay attention to your career’s early warning system. This could be an actual alert.
Barbara Poole is a leadership and career development coach with Success Builders Inc. E-mail her at coachbarbara@successbuildersinc.com.
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