Alicia has over 15 years of corporate experience and has been helping professionals, managers and executives identify and develop extraordinary powers they didn’t even know they had, for over 5 years.
To find out more view Alicia's full bio or visit Alicia's website www.keysteps.com.au January 7th, 2008
You Are Taking Yourself Wherever You Go
By Dr Alicia Karwat, KeySteps Pty.Ltd.
Frustrated at work, unhappy with life – reinvent yourself!
Most of us know by now that career no longer equates to promotions. Job security has been replaced by career security and that means adding to our portfolio of skills, continuous learning, being marketable and employable. But do we all act on this knowledge? Knowing and acting are two different things, and “knowing how” is another challenge.
Some have already closed the knowing and doing gap and discovered how to navigate their career in the labour market and workplace. They have changed their thinking from an employee mindset to a “company of one” frame of mind. They look for career security rather than job security. They are taking charge of their career and in the same time they want to take charge of their lives too. There is no longer a clear line between work and “life”. It is life that they want to manage and work is a part of it. Career management increasingly equates with life management. These people demand more from their employers’ new employment contracts with broader and more flexible terms.
However, many others complain that they are underutilised at work, undervalued, and not recognised. Does it sound like you?
• ”I am not getting anywhere!”
• ”I’m so frustrated; this place does not reward specialists; would it be better to move from a specialist path to a managerial path?”
• ”The company restructures all the time and I live in a fear of being made redundant.”
• ”I do not get any recognition, my skills and expertise are not appreciated”
• “I think I should leave the company. I really do not know what to do.”
Do you tend to see the reasons for your frustrations solely outside yourself? Do you think “something must be wrong with the company”?
Have you ever thought how you contribute to your problems?
If you are frustrated at work and you think about leaving your employer, it might be a right thing to do, but if you leave before you assess and perhaps reinvent yourself, there is a high probability that you will be hunted by the same problems wherever you go”.
Why? Because you are taking yourself with you wherever you go.
Do you know how to reinvent yourself? Do you know your labour market and what it is looking for from you?
Some tips on how to close the knowing and doing self-reinvention gap will be discussed in my next postings. In the meantime, check my last posting where I talk about emotional intelligence and why it is important for career management, and see Jane Lowder’s posting “What Is Emotional Intelligence?” and Heidi Winney’s ”Your Brand - Your Future Career”.
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