December 17, 2018

Why Am I Not Happy In My Job?

pexels-photo-208165

When someone initially approaches me to explore coaching the phrase I often hear is “I don’t like my job anymore or a version of this such as “I think I am in the wrong job can you help?”

This isn’t a good place to be, wondering whether you are on the right path or worse dreading going into work every Monday morning. I always vowed from early on in my career that if I ever got into this position I would take action to change it as life is too short to be unhappy in our work especially as we spend so many hours of our week doing this.

So if this is you thinking any of these thoughts then it’s time to set time aside to explore what is going on ,either through your own self reflection process or with the help of a mentor or coach who has no vested interest in your final decision. This is why your line manager or a relative may not be the best person to work with on this.

It is not always the case that you need to leave your job ,so the setting aside the reflection and evaluation time doesn’t necessarily mean you will end up job hunting.

Once you have found some dedicated time ask yourself the following questions and note your responses

How long have you felt unhappy… sometimes there is a specific date, event or person that it can be traced back too. If you are a feelings person (see some of my posts or listen to podcasts regarding Myers Briggs personality types ) then there may be an underlying resentment that needs to be processed through so you can move forwards. This might mean your acceptance of what happened or you being assertive enough to have a follow up discussion with those involved to understand what could have been done differently and to make others aware of the impact their actions may have had on you.

What is your ultimate career goal short and long term? Is being in your current role helping you achieve this or have you got enough from the role and need to find the next step on your journey.

Does the current role match your motivational mix ( again you may need to work out what this is) if it doesn’t there may be other projects or responsibilities you could take on to make it more enjoyable or you may indeed need the challenge of a change in role or organisation or type of employment.

Are you working for an organisation or leader that “ fits” with your value set? Do you like what they stand for and can you get behind the overall direction and what you are being asked to do in your role?

The bottom line is to find out what would need to change to make you happy in your role and is this something in your control or not?

Sandra works as an executive coach for businesses and also has a private coaching practice for career/life and business coaching. More information can be found at http://www.sandrawebbercoaching.com. She is also author of Own It – regain control and live life on your terms available from Amazon Check book out here and a recently launched series of Own It Podcasts which gives inspiration and tips for professional and personal life Own It Podcasts

April 26, 2016

Which Career Are You On?

careers

Someone many years ago told me “there are three careers in each one of us….”. Talking to people a lot, as I do as a career coach I am now thinking this needs to be changed to “there are 5 careers in everyone” People are definitely getting more comfortable with the idea of changing roles if they are not happy and consider changing sometimes to completely different professions or ways of working.

The world of work is definitely becoming more fluid my parents were of a generation where they were encouraged to stay in a job, especially if it paid ok and had good prospects with a generous pension scheme. I remember they were horrified when I resigned from a “job for life” role in the civil service because I was bored and everyone there spent many hours a week complaining about their roles and cutting out adverts from the local paper to apply for different jobs but never did.

Depending on how you define career I am definitely on my third one if not my fourth and each one of these has been good serving me well for eighty percent of the time. Getting used to making changes and having the confidence to take sometimes a leap of faith into the unknown is hard. The easy option is to carry on doing what is comfortable and if the individual is truly happy with their work and the environment they work in then that is fantastic. If not however and your working life has become mundane, if you are not feeling passionate about what you do each day then maybe there are still some more careers out there for you?

Look at what you enjoy doing, ask yourself the question if money was not important what would you love to do? What are you passionate about? What are your best days and what is it about those days that make them good… The answers to all of these questions may lead you to your next career…

May 6, 2014

How Healthy Is Your Network?

We all apparently know 250 people….. some of you may be responding “yes of course I do?” or “really I don’t even know 10!”. Well when it comes to networking it doesn’t really matter how many we do know it is how we manage the connections we do have. It is also important to continually manage your connections in a strategic way to keep your network current and alive.

When was the last time you sat down to take a strategic look at your current network to see if this is in area you need to do some work on. For most people it becomes important when they find themselves job hunting. Suddenly we start picking up the phone or sending emails to people we haven’t connected with for a very long time in the hope they might know of some suitable roles. This is far from ideal.

A high performer (job hunting or not) continually manages their network, keeps connected with everyone but in different ways and in different timeframes. The skilled networker is just as keen to help others grow their networks and put people in touch with each other as they are to make new connections themselves. There is nothing more rewarding than putting two people in touch with each other that can help both people achieve personal or work goals.

When you sit down to strategically review your network do you have any gaps? Do you have people who challenge your thinking, do you have people who you can go to who inspire you?, do you have people in your network who you can contact when things get really tough and you need some advice? Do you have people in your network who have an equally good network when you are looking to hire people or get specific expert advice on a subject?

What sort of person are you in other peoples network? Its a two way street networking when it works well…….

March 5, 2014

Do we ever get used to change?

Building on the theme of the last Kudos blog everyone I meet at the moment seems to be facing some type of change e.g a new IT system, a new job, a new leader or someone key in the organisation hands in their resignation, you discover a health condition you need to manage, something you planned to do is now cancelled…. the list is endless.

How quickly we adapt to changes like these are vital for both our own well being and the organisations or teams we belong too. Change can cause worry and stress but equally it can be the cause of excitement and new challenge.

Some people thrive on change and get bored if things stay the same too long while others love it when everything is predictable, structured and routine. When we talk to people about what motivates them the discussion can go into these two types of reaction and it helps if you recognise which group you belong too.

High performers and those interdependent people, we all strive to be and love to work alongside always have the ability to adapt quickly to changes and embrace new situations.

So if you ever find yourself thinking or saying any of the phrases in the photo above think again. Could you look at the situation differently and maybe the change wont be as difficult as you originally thought. Try it the next time a change comes your way, and it will do very soon !

February 10, 2014

Form Your Future

Over the past few weeks in a variety of our workshops a common theme has emerged. When trying to secure a job or trying to progress within a company ,people are coming across barriers. We hear phrases like “ I have applied for lots of jobs but heard nothing” or “ the agencies said they would ring back and they haven’t” or “there is nowhere for me to progress in this company” or “that department never has any vacancies or “none of the managers are ever going to leave so I will never get promotion”.

There is a common theme with all of these statements… the individuals are not taking the action upon themselves; they are waiting for others to take action on their behalf.

At a presentation last week one senior manager asked a great question “so what do you plan to do about it then?” This is exactly the thought provoking question that needs to be asked so that we as individuals realise if we want something badly enough then we need to take ownership ourselves. Everyone is extremely busy and they do intend to get back to you, they do intend to look out for career opportunities for you but unfortunately its not their top priority and other things on the to do list take over.

Make your future your priority, decide what you want to achieve, identify those people that can help you but make it easy for them… you drive the action, keep it a priority, don’t give up, keep communicating, consider alternatives. Take ownership for your own future , you may be surprised how quick things happen when you do?

October 28, 2013

Choose your attitude

I met one young guy this week who made an impression. He was a new hire in one of my regular clients and he had been in position only a few months. This was our first meeting and he left such a positive impression it led me to ponder how he had managed to do this?

He was upbeat, enthusiastic and saying how much he was enjoying the job; much better than his previous role. I know for a fact when he was interviewed for the job it was his energy and attitude that led to him being offered the job over other candidates with a lot more experience. He displayed the energy I mentioned in last weeks blog and according to the MD was a breath of fresh air!

Another person who had an amazing attitude was James Cracknell in the programme shown on Tuesday night last week . http://www.itv.com/presscentre/ep1week43/james-cracknell-sports-life-stories

Whether is getting a job www.myjobcoach.co.uk
Learning a new job
Performing in your current role
Or coping with major change

Attitude is everything and attitude is our choice.

October 16, 2013

Energy, Focus, Action

I have met a lot of different people this week… Working with corporate clients, holding events and being a guest at 3 different hotels, plus attending a careers event last night at the University West of England.

When I think of the people who have impressed me the most this week they have all displayed the 3 qualities in the title of this blog:

Energy – going about their job in a positive way and demonstrating they enjoy what they do.
Focus – on what they are doing; be that customer service, being part of a management team, or students focused on activities that support their career options.
Action – taken to meet customer needs, to meet team goals, or to proactively own their career.

If I also reflect on the people I enjoy working with – the people I want to be part of my team and the people I choose to recruit – these are the qualities I look for in an individual.

I often talk about Energy Givers and Energy Takers.

Which are you?

October 2, 2013

Finding inspiration as we launch our Job Coaching service!

Welcome to The Kudos Group’s first ever blog! We hope you’ll keep reading…

As we are about to launch our new offering – www.myjobcoach.co.uk – I (Sandra Webber, Director here at Kudos) am thinking about who has inspired me this week in the world of work? The answer: two people at opposite ends of the career journey!

Person one is a character from a recent programme on a Channel 4 Documentary – Fabulous Fashionistas – who still loved her job and she was 87! Check out the trailer:

(Full documentary: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/fabulous-fashionistas/4od)

The moral of the story here, to coin a phrase and a familiar hashtag, is – #dosomethingyoulove

The other person I found inspiring, was a young graduate who had secured a job – fresh out of uni. The job was going well, he loved the team, his manager was good, everything looked perfect until he was called into the office and told that due to financial pressure they were making redundancies! He was understandably devastated; the career he thought he had embarked on came to an abrupt end without any warning.

As I type, to his credit and with help from a supportive recruitment agency, he is being interviewed for another good role – only 3 working days later! Fingers crossed he is back in employment soon – and he will have acquired a valuable skill in the process by learning to cope with change.

So here is my reflection on the week and advice to all of you out there looking for your first ever position, promotion, or a career change:

Find a job you love to do and learn to adapt quickly to change.

OWN IT

regain control and live life on your terms professionally and personally

Job Coaching