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‘The measure of intelligence is the ability to change’ – Albert Einstein
Often when we meet people, it’s obvious that they really want change in their lives. They may seek change in terms of their job and how they feel about their role. It varies greatly and no story is the same.
1. Change requires you to act.
2. It’s important to decide on the correct path before wasting energy on the wrong thing.
It is entirely understandable that it can be so easy to stay in that comfort zone where a particular job has suited for so long for several practical reasons. People have busy lives and sometimes competing priorities take precedence over finding an opportunity that might be more exciting or more fulfilling. This is normal and totally understandable.
The desire for change remains but for some the baby steps that are needed to bring about change can be daunting.
It Takes Time…
Achieving something worthwhile, takes time. The reality is that the sooner you start making this small investment in yourself the better. Sadly, some people leave it for months and years and don’t achieve what they truly desire.
For some, the start of this process might mean sitting down with someone experienced in the industry, maybe a mentor, a peer, or a talent advisory firm.
It’s Important To Question Where You Devote Your Energy
An objective ear can help you get context on your strengths and weaknesses. More importantly they can also test your motivations. It’s amazing how many people think they should be going down a particular path. They have been programmed to follow this path either by their upbringing, their environment, or previous managers.
Sometimes looking at things through a different lens is very beneficial. When helping professionals, there are times when their goals are very far removed from what they actually want, when they sit back and reflect. It’s essential to question and test whether you are being true to yourself or saying what you think you should be saying! “ I think I need to do a course “,“I want to be a CFO…” I need to gain commercial experience”, “I want to lead people”.
We all have only so much time and energy and unfortunately, unnecessary time and energy can be spent on the wrong path. Take your time, speak to people to get context before you waste time on the wrong course, applying for the wrong type of job or beating yourself up because you have been unsuccessful moving to another department or another area of the business. There may be aspects of you or your life which would make some moves wholly impractical or undermine your happiness.
Once you’ve identified your truth path, devote your energy here.
Stay Committed & Be Smart
Stay committed and work smartly. Although it takes effort and time, by working with the right experts this doesn’t need to impact on your day to day. The experts can do a lot of the heavy lifting for you. All you need is to be is open to change.
Never Waste An Opportunity
The more advanced you are in your career the less frequently opportunities will present themselves so any chance to have a coffee, or meet someone new, is a good use of your time…and who knows what doors they will open for you.
Like to Know More or Are You Building Your Team?
Jonathan Olden is Managing Partner of Barden Cork. Reach out to Jonathan at jonathan.olden@barden.ie for further insights on the Cork market and to see how he, and his team, can help you build and retain truly world class teams.