Archive for June, 2012

Imagine this: You can take any career-related risk and succeed at it.

Would this change the current course of your life?  Does any one thing come to mind that you would want to pursue?

Fear of failure can block many promising and creative ideas. It is often why people lose motivation when contemplating a transition—they imagine that the idea won’t work before they have fully thought it through.

It’s puzzling why people tend to focus their attention on potential failures, or “worst case” scenarios when considering a transition, but it could have something to do with self-protection.

But, a false sense of safety gained from avoiding risks can come with a high price, as you trade off the possibility of realizing your dreams.

Here are a few steps to consider if you want to revive an idea that was once squashed by a failure mindset or give a new idea a chance:

1. Listen to any response that comes from the question: What if you could not fail at a new work venture?
2. What ideas emerge?
3. What aspects of yourself would be engaged by such an idea (skills, interests, values)?
4. What assumptions do you have about this idea?
5. What else do you need to know about the feasibility of it and where or from whom can you find out what you need?
6. What is one step you could take to move a little closer to this idea in order to see it more clearly?

After further exploration, are you more or less energized about it? If clarifying your idea increased your interest, think about what else you could do to continue its development.

Take things one step at a time in order to avoid becoming overwhelmed by taking it too far into the future. At any point, you may find that you’ve crossed the threshold into your new career.

You’re not alone if you answered “no”.

In fact, a study showed that New Englanders have the lowest rate of job satisfaction in the country.

While I’m not sure why New England stands out in this way,  I do believe  there are essential factors that contribute to sustained job satisfaction.

The first factor, and most often overlooked in our culture of busyness, is a work and life harmony that allows for priorites to co exist, not compete, for your attention.

When your work hours or schedule are flexible enough to accommodate important personal or family obligations and commitments, as well as activities that support your health and wellness, you feel less conflicted and less stressed. Additionally important is a work culture that encourages vacations and time to recharge, and discourages sustained patterns of overwork.

The second factor contributing to job satisfaction is that you enjoy using the particular competencies your job requires. While being rewarded and promoted for certain skills can add to job satisfaction, it’s only part of the equation. If certain skills leave you indifferent, you will eventually lose interest and your job satisfaction is likely to decrease.

The third factor is an alignment between your values and the mission of the organization and the job itself. If you are disconnected to or disapprove of your employer’s mission or if you cannot find personal meaning in your job, you are not likely to feel satisfied, no matter how much your employer recognizes your efforts.

The fourth factor is that your work centers around interests and topics that engage you. A measure of this is whether you can be engrossed while reading a professional journal or book, or whether you find work-related conversations with colleagues enlivening and enjoyable, rather than boring and dull.

The last factor is a workplace environment that feels safe and supportive. If you feel emotionally or physically ill at ease in your work setting, or if you experience co-workers or bosses as non-supportive, you are not likely to feel sustained job satisfaction.

Perhaps one or more of these factors explains your lack of job satisfaction and will help you to evaluate any alternative job options you might be considering.