When Quinn (not her real name) and I started our coaching call, she was feeling distressed, telling me “I’ve just had this huge insight that my job isn’t going to stick around as long as I’m depending on it, and I’m terrified!”
She said she had been reading the signs, seeing the writing on the wall. For her, it was a change in the industry that could mean the loss of her job. Perhaps you’ve also been seeing the signs, but in your case it’s a change in yourself, a need to move forward.
Quinn and I talked through her strengths, preferences, and tentative plans. We talked about what to avoid and explored her feelings about her options.
In the end, she was feeling a lot of energy around one idea–a potential career path that checked a lot of boxes for her emotionally while capitalizing on her natural strengths. Most importantly, she realized she really needed to make her future more of a priority — both in terms of developing skills and networking.
Don’t get caught unprepared
Have you ever been forced to realize that your current position was becoming less and less tenable? I’ve heard this from both clients and others in my network.
Even if you can see it happening, that doesn’t prepare you for what happens when things end.
One of the most common regrets I hear when someone loses their job is this: “I haven’t been networking.” Would you feel that same way? Most people would, especially if work has been steady and you haven’t believed there’s a chance you might lose your job. And of course the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic have made networking so much more challenging!
Self-development, however, is also key; It’s one of those things that is likely to be neglected, especially if you’ve been blessed with stability so far.
 |
One of the tasks Quinn committed to is searching for the career she thought she would like and learn what skills and other qualifications were needed if that were to be her next step.
I loved this decision, because she wasn’t going to try to jump ship like a rat on a sinking vessel. She just knew she needed to take advantage of whatever time she had in order to invest in her professional development.
She is building her next platform, so when she needs to step away from the current one, she’ll have the other, hopefully ready to bear her weight.
How are you developing yourself?
How often do you think about the strength of your current platform? What would you regret if your current job suddenly became unavailable? Are you building the platform for your next step?
Anyone who actively learns new skills is taking charge of their own experiences of transition. People who hold out, who don’t want to learn, who resist changing expectations will struggle with transition and can become unemployable.
Don’t let that describe you; whether the change that is coming is with technology, something big in your industry, or in yourself, you can actively seek out what skills will be needed for your next step and pursue that development.
A coach can help if you need it. If you’d like to explore this possibility, you can start a no-risk conversation with me. I look forward to hearing what you have to say.
