Should I stay or should I go? When it comes to your job, that may be a question you ask yourself on a daily basis. You are not alone! According to research by the London School of Business and Finance (LSBF), which interviewed 1,000 male and female professionals of different age groups from across the UK, an overwhelming 47% of people want to change jobs and more than one in five are looking to career hop in the next 12 months.
Despite this apparent discontent, people stay at their jobs, and it’s more important than ever to figure out why. When deciding on where to go with their career, it seems that some people are asking themselves the wrong questions.
When people think about their work, they tend to think only about the surface. They ask themselves: Am I making enough money? Do I have security? Is this a job my friends and family would be proud of? Does the company or brand make me look important to others?
The answers to all of these questions could be yes and give you the impression that you should be happy with what you have. But these questions actually signal the barriers to true success: fear, caring about what others think and thinking that making money equals success. These types of barriers will keep you from ever feeling truly happy at work.
So what questions should you be asking yourself? Try these three..
Do you spend 60-80% of your time feeling engaged, challenged and on fire with the thinking, problem solving and work that you are doing? It’s not realistic to be engaged 100% of the time — and it’s also not ideal. The 60-80% is my suggestion based on my experience with my clients and when helping people gauge their balance. Ultimately, it’s up to each of us what percentage is ideal for ourselves. Ask yourself, is there opportunity to increase this challenge by continuing to push your comfort zone? If the answer to this question is no, then you might be bored and not in the right job.
Does the impact of your work motivate you? Are you tapping into an endless reserve of energy and motivation because the result of your work — on others, on your team, or on your clients — provides a deep sense of purpose for you? If the answer to this question is no, then you are not organically motivated. You may be forcing motivation, and this friction is causing disengagement.
This is an important one. Do the people you work with respect what you bring to the table and encourage your participation? Do you feel completely safe being who you are and are encouraged to do so?
Ask yourself these three questions. The ideal scenario is that you say yes to all three, but that doesn’t always happen.
In the end, you are the owner of your career. If you are not challenged, fulfilled and supported, you won’t ever reach your true potential.
If you feel ready to take on a new challenge or just want to discuss your career and aspirations, get in touch with the team at Maxwell Stephens and see how we can help.
