Career Coach

By Barbara Poole
Contributing Writer

     Most of the time when I sit down to begin writing this column, I have at least a vague notion of what I want to say. But as I sit here this morning, looking out the window at a damp, dreary day, I have to admit that I’m fresh out of ideas.

This is what I’ve always referred to as that yucky time of year. The major holiday season has long since come and gone, the glow of New Year’s has worn off and the landscape is still brown and barren. There are a few daffodils popping up here and there, but by and large, nature is still sleeping, and that lush green we in the Carolinas associate with the great outdoors is yet to arrive. It’s too late to be buying winter clothing, and too early to get seriously excited about bathing suits.

So, it’s officially ho-hum season. One of the places where this case of the blahs is likely to show up is in the workplace. Yes, I know the economy is in turmoil and the talk of recession has companies rushing to develop contingency plans, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is the time of year when many businesspeople go on autopilot.

You know what this feels like. There’s a pile of stuff on your desk to deal with, and 24/7 e-mails you need to respond to, but you’re just not energized by any of it. You find yourself actually welcoming tight deadlines because at least you can get an adrenaline charge out of having to scramble to finish up a project, however mundane that project might seem.

So the challenge becomes how to fan the flame and get that low-burning pilot light to spark a fire of renewed energy, creativity and excitement. Here are some ideas for intentional change that will jazz up your job and your work environment:

1. Clear out the clutter. It’s a perfect time to get a jumpstart on spring cleaning. Trash those piles of paper and old journals you will never read. File the stack of documents  that’s been sitting there begging for a home for a year. Delete all those old e-mails that are still sitting in your inbox.

2. Rearrange your office. Sometimes the best way to get a fresh perspective is to literally create a different viewpoint. Have your desk swap places with your worktable. And while you’re at it, bring some fresh flowers in to liven up the place.

Learn something new. This is the perfect time to take a class or enroll in a professional development program that will broaden your horizons and expand your skills repertoire.

4.  Sign up for a project that will be a significant stretch. Flex your learning muscles by working on something new and complex that you haven’t done before. Don’t worry about not being an expert. Just put yourself out there and you’ll be amazed by what you can accomplish.

5. Expand your network. Not only is it a good time to learn or try something new, it’s also a good time to make new contacts. Join a professional association or a civic group that will provide an opportunity for you to meet some new people and make some new friends.

6. Find someone to mentor. The things you know how to do so well that you can do them in your sleep take on new excitement when you invest the energy to teach someone else what you know. Help a new person in your business get started by taking her or him under your wing.

7. Hold a creativity day in your office. Make it a contest, complete with prizes and awards for novel, creative and wacky ideas. They don’t have to all be feasible. What matters is to create an environment where people are challenged to talk and think in the language of possibilities.

8. Bring some toys into the office. Yes, toys. You’ll be amazed by the energy and creativity that shows up at your next staff meeting if you plop a box of crayons, Slinkies, koosh balls, chain-link puzzles and an Etch-a-Sketch or two in the middle of the conference table.

9. Climb up into the helicopter. Now is the perfect time to be doing some strategic thinking and planning for your business, regardless of whether it’s time for the formal exercise. What’s changing in the marketplace you serve? How will your company adapt? What will you need to do to facilitate those changes?

10. Revisit your goals for the year. We’re already 15% of the way through calendar year 2008. Where do you stand relative to the objectives you laid out for yourself in January? Right on track? Maybe it’s time to kick it up a notch. Raise the bar. Amaze yourself with what you are capable of.

Take heart. Spring is on the way. And before you know it, the work doldrums will be a distant memory.

Barbara Poole is a leadership and career development coach with Charleston-based Success Builders Inc. She can be reached at CoachBarbara@SuccessBuildersInc.com.

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