Is Your Career Stuck?

Tug of War 3, a photo by scott1723 on Flickr.

The definition of the word stuck is caught or fixed; it is a so defined as baffled.  All of these definitions apply when you are stuck in your career trajectory. To get unstuck, it’s important to break down the problem into its smallest parts before you try to fix it.

Are you stuck because you don’t know what to do next?  Very few great resumes read in a straight line. Over they years I’ve seen workers zigzag along their career paths, become independent consultants before returning to traditional roles, and also boomerang back to the companies where they started their careers. The need for flexibility is a given, but what do you do if you don’t have a clue about how to save your career?

Be bold and ask your manager and trusted co-workers what they think about how you add value. Don’t open up the conversation asking for what’s wrong with your performance—instead, ask them what they think you do best. You may be surprised to discover you are not considered the go-to person for closing new customers like you thought—you may be more admired for how you remediate problems. This is valuable feedback that you can use to figure out the next step in your career.

Just remember to keep the advice that’s useful and throw out the rest. Develop a thick skin before you ask for their opinions. People rarely offer opinions that don't include their own version of things. Once you get past the sting of any surprises, you’ll be able to tell the difference between the stuff that’s telling about you and the stuff that’s more reflective of them.

Are you stuck because there’s nowhere to go in your current role?  A lot of career paths seem to end at a brick wall. But this is rarely the case. Be objective about exploring all opportunities where you work. Have you just become impatient and given up? Think creatively—can you move laterally in a new department? Can you take on a special project with new faces, or volunteer for an interim leadership role while someone has taken a leave of absence?

Are you stuck by details that you cannot control? Often you can’t control the factors that would help accelerate your career. Your geography or your inability to travel frequently may limit your options in sales management. Your family obligations may make it impossible to pursue a much-needed secondary degree that's required to get ahead. Company politics can be a powerful thing, too—putting a few select individuals in the spotlight and leaving you in the dark. 

Try your hardest to exhaust all of your efforts before you throw in the towel over outside excuses like these.

If you must change career paths, make sure you are moving toward something you can look forward to, as opposed to just running away from your old job.

In the end, we can only work on ourselves. Focus on details within your own control, particularly your own perceptions of your career. Leave the rest to timing, serendipity and luck.

In Every Job, Someone's Selling Something...

Snake Oil, a photo by • w a a • on Flickr.

“It doesn't matter whether you're selling Jesus or Buddha or civil rights or 'How to Make Money in Real Estate With No Money Down.' That doesn't make you a human being; it makes you a marketing rep. If you want to talk to somebody honestly, as a human being, ask him about his kids. Find out what his dreams are - just to find out, for no other reason. Because as soon as you lay your hands on a conversation to steer it, it's not a conversation anymore; it's a pitch. And you're not a human being; you're a marketing rep.”

                        --Phil Cooper, in The Big Kahuna

Wherever we end up in our career, we are always promoting our opinions, selling our ideas.

But selling implies a pitch and a product.

In your first job or two, you may find yourself drinking the company Koolaid, feigning your alignment to the organization’s mission. It will dawn on you that you’re working in the wrong job. You feel dishonest, distant. You are certain you will be found out.

On the flip side, when we are passionate about an idea and we love what we do, we don't feel like we're selling anything. We proselytize our ideas in a very different way.

Finding our passion and promoting our best ideas because they are a representation of who we are is what makes us authentic.

In the early stages of your career, it’s good to work in a few different industries and with different kinds of people and companies. Go ahead and dabble—don’t worry if your parents call you a job-hopper. Sometimes you have to know what you aren’t passionate about to appreciate how you feel when you do discover what excites you.

Have no regrets. Eventually you stumble upon a service or product that is worthy of your time and energy. Suddenly you are in the company of coworkers and clients whom you genuinely like and who like you.

And even in a difficult economy, you find yourself in a role where evangelizing your ideas is effortless.

Maximizing Your Emotional Intelligence At Work

Emotion, a photo by kenyin on Flickr.

Emotional Intelligence is a strong predictor of job performance. It’s been determined to be a driver of leadership.  Intellectual Intelligence had long been the yardstick that we used to measure career success, but it is incomplete.

If Emotional Intelligence is so important, we need to pay more attention to it.

Think of it this way. Your IQ is your gift—your raw logic—and how you are intellectually hard-wired. Your Emotional Quotient determines what you end up doing with these smarts. It’s about inspiring peers and others, responding and managing appropriately to the emotions of coworkers and bosses. It’s about managing criticism in a positive way.

Becoming more “emotionally evolved” can be learned. According to Helpguide.org, there are five key skills required for you to build a strong EI Quotient:

·      Develop your ability to reduce stress

·      Recognize and manage your emotions

·      Connect with others with verbal and non-verbal communication

·      Use humor and play to deal with challenges

·      Resolve conflicts positively and with confidence

Much of these skills equate to maturity.

If you stay focused at work and pick your fights carefully, you can walk away from toxic people and throw prayers of love their way instead of harsh thoughts. You will put your Emotional Intelligence to work.

Can you disengage from a conflict that you know will never change? Will you agree to disagree?

Can you listen with empathy to the plight of your boss when he’s having a bad day—and accept that his anger isn’t about you but he may have had a fight with his wife that morning?

Can you offer a genuine connection with your coworkers, or is the sound of your own voice more appealing to you than listening to others?

Your potential at work will be realized when your Emotional Intelligence is developed to a point when you can express yourself not at the expense of others. Self-control makes you socially responsible. You’ll be perceived as a loyal employee who is adaptable and caring.

You’ll be able to manage your time better, manage your teamwork and develop your leadership skills. Can you think of a better combination for career success?http://www.helpguide.org/mental/eq5_raising_emotional_intelligence.htmHelpguide.orgHelpguide.org