The wife of a prospective client called me this week. Her husband, she said, is winding up two of the most successful years of his career. Monetarily-speaking, he is ecstatic; as well, he has forged a strong reputation in his industry.
Culturally, though, he is in a funk, as the fast-paced, high-risk and competitive nature of his job has him stressed and often unavailable, even when he is at home with his growing family. He (and his family) are not buying into the 24/7 work culture lifestyle. Always plugged in amounts to never being fully present, personally.
His wife wants him to be happy. He wants to be happy. The idea of a career move, though, is unsettling. Will he have to endure a pay cut? Can he afford to do that and still take care of his young family? He feels he must stay put for a while longer before initiating a move.
Potential career influencers and hiring decision makers seek him out; the conversations stall when he has no resume to share with them. He continues to plod to work every day, frustrated, but dutiful.
His wife calls me to start hatching a plan to help her husband, and family, get unstuck. It is clear she has a finger on the pulse of her husband’s value that extends beyond his current company situation. We brainstorm. I encourage her regarding ways to motivate him and describe the first step: getting traction through introspective resume story-building.
How liberating it is to begin steering your own career ship. It is powerful to own your career.
Shortly after speaking with this woman, I read my friend and Career Strategist, Dawn Lennon’s, blog post on “driving your career.” I forwarded the article to the wife.
One line from Dawn’s post particularly struck me: “Career problems arise when we forget that we’re doing the driving.”
Here is a link to the full article. It’s well worth the read: Finding Yourself in Your Work, or Losing Yourself in It? | Pursuing Growth.
Are you currently feeling rudderless in your career? Give me a call (903.523.5952) or email me at jacqui@careertrend, when you get a moment. I may be able to help.
In the meantime, perhaps you will enjoy this tiny, 5-second video of me, “steering a ship.” I don’t believe there is a much more emancipating experience.
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