Changing careers can be both exciting and daunting. It's not guaranteed that all career changes will work out well. In fact, we can confirm with a lot of certainty that you will make some mistakes and revisions along the way.
In this article, we outline some tips to help you navigate a potential career transition with confidence. Join one of our 35 day challenges to find out more or try our EXPLORE learning options for free for the first 10 days.
In considering new career options we usually start by looking at the risks around timing and where you are now in your career, how much of your day-to-day work is a challenge and how many of your normal tasks and activities play to your strengths? And we answer the question, what does Goldilocks have to do with any of this?
We understand that whilst nothing beats the exciting potential of making wholesale career changes by following your intuition and just going for it. Aligned to this is the enticing prospect that comes with making substantial career decisions that could improve your work life balance, or maybe add to your household income. It sounds too good to be true, or is it just the grass looks greener?
But we would also factor in making your career change decision; the juicy prospect of proving that you can cope with an in-depth learning challenge? Do you feel open to a significant challenge or inwardly groan, even thinking about it? Most new roles can prove challenging, new people, systems, unknown cultures, hidden potholes.
So one principle of moving and or changing careers is that principles like timing do actually count. Move too early and you might struggle in a new role and move too late and you may be too rigid and stagnant. Complacency may have taken hold and others may see you as part of the furniture, not ripe for a new more challenging role?
One way of mitigating this risk is to ask yourself every year how much of my current role is a challenge and how much can I rely on my natural strengths?
We suggest from our research that the appropriate ratio for any role is:
70% of the role is doing tasks and activities that come naturally to you, playing to your strengths, your are confident of your abilities, in essence, you are THRIVING.
30% of the role should present active challenges and new learning opportunities. These are the areas you need to work at. This involves, challenges you need to focus your attention on and repeat, repeat, repeat, until you become more proficient and confident. The activities and tasks are stretching and may not fit with your natural strengths, e.g. Managing a member of staff who you enjoy working with, whi is underperforming,or presenting complex information to large groups of people.
Think about your current role, is it more of an 80/20 percentage (Pareto, 80/20 split, for more about Pareto join our EXPLORE COURSE), split? At 80% thriving, you risk becoming a little too comfortable and forget how to manage challenges. This could have future career consequences, as with a low challenge percentage, we risk standing still or worse, losing confidence in our abilities to learn.
Conversely, 60/40% means work is hard and the amount of learning involved could feel exhausting. The 70/30% challenge principle seems like Goldilocks' porridge "Just right"
If you feel your current role has a lack of challenge, this may prove difficult in accessing future leadership roles. Globally, leaders are in demand if they can challenge themselves and others, to learn more, achieve more and deliver more. If we fail to challenge ourselves can we really challenge others effectively?
Mint Coaching Tip for you: Can you take on a few new projects that are out of your comfort zone, now in your current role, to increase your skills?
In future proofing our career, we could start by looking at our core strengths. What is our natural leadership voice?.Take your first challenge by taking our free leadership voices assessment. This tool considers our predominant leadership voice and how to discover our other four voices. We know everyone listens but not everyone hears you. Find out why on our 5 voices leadership tools, assessment.
Lastly, a Mint Coaching self assessment tip, first start by looking at your current career? A significant question to ask at this time is "if I could choose any role, would I choose this?"
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