We wrapped up the latest Career Reinvent Boot Camp with last night’s group session, and as always, for this program, it’s part celebration of incredible progress and new friendships made, and a short, slightly sad goodbye. Here are some of the key insights gained via this fabulous cohort group:
It turns out, the first place to start looking for “next” in your career is staring back at you in the mirror. Here are five reasons why the work of self-discovery is critical for a successful career pivot:
Getting started with a career pivot is as challenging as getting started writing a book. Both seem like great ideas, and they’re the stuff of daydreams and momentary fantasies. For the aspiring book writer or career changer, these are intoxicating thoughts until reality sets in, and we realize how difficult this work is actually to start and ultimately complete.
It’s not easy to reinvent yourself in your career, and it’s not fast. However, if you don’t get started now, you’ll never get to your next adventure.
One of my favorite parts of helping experienced professionals identify their “next” in their careers is helping them open their minds to the many alternative paths available to them. Typically, we hold narrow views of our options and close our minds to paths that will challenge and change us.
Whether you classify making a career shift as a fun fantasy or it just feels overwhelming, there’s a strong gravitational pull that keeps too many people in place, miserable in jobs and roles they’ve long since lost interest in or outgrown. However, this doesn’t have to be your fate.
We create programs to help people achieve things they never thought possible in their careers. From first-time managers to senior executives, career reinventors, people navigating challenging conversations, or individuals working to level up, we strive to bring this purpose to life in everything we do.
The biggest challenge faced by many individuals who desperately believe they need to do something different with their careers is moving from recognition to action. It’s easy and cathartic to daydream about doing something different with your skills and interests. Yet, bringing these daydreams to life is another matter. Here are ideas to help:
If you’re feeling restless in your career and wondering what else is out there for you, it may be time to start exploring options. One of the first items we tackle in our Career Reinvent™ Boot Camps involves defining what “reinvent” means to the participants. It turns out there are a wide variety of flavors for this term, and it’s possible to be interested in multiple flavors at the same time—a kind of reinvent ice-cream sundae!
Thinking about looking for a new job? I’ll wager the first thing you feel compelled to do is update your résumé. It’s a nearly universal reflex. And, it’s wrong. My advice is to push away from the keyboard and spend time gathering data and thinking through the value you bring to your teams and firms. It’s time to form and articulate your professional value proposition.
