A new year often brings ideas of career or job change. The idea might have been mulling around in your head for a few months, or you might have just been sparked by the new beginnings and potential of the year ahead. Whatever the reason, it would be wise to explore why these ideas of change are surfacing and then whether or not to enact these changes or else confirm that the idea was just a fleeting thought and you are committed to sticking with the status quo. Allowing closure to take place helps you move on.
However when there is no closure and there is a desire to change, it is important to understand why. As the answer to this question, “Why do you want a career or job change?” should be very clear to you before you embark on a whole new chapter in your life. Making changes for the right reason and being honest with yourself will eliminate future frustrations and regret.
In this article I will be focusing on the question, “Why do you want a career or job change?” and applying it to the first level of Gregory Bateson’s model of the Logical Levels of Change, Environment.
When you first contemplate a career or job change, it is very natural to initially look outside of oneself and blame someone or something “out there” in the immediate environment for the reason as to why you want to change.
Take a look at the following questions and try and answer them as honestly as you can. This exercise is aimed to clarify if your environment is or is not the main reason for your need for change.
- What are your biggest frustration about your working environment? These would be the things you allow to dominate your thoughts on a regular basis. Focus especially on environmental areas such as your physical working space, equipment, resources, offices day-to-day general policies and procedures, fellow colleagues, etc.Then ask yourself why? You need to be specific as to why you feel this way.For example. Do you hear yourself saying the following?
- “If I had some proper peace and quiet at work with fewer interruptions…”
- “If I had more available resources on this current project…”
- “I wish I was able to work flexible hours…”
- If you had to eliminate any of these frustrations, how would you feel about the actual work you do and your current area of responsibilities?
- If you couldn’t eliminate any of these frustrations, how would you feel about your work?
- Can you separate your environment from your job? This may initially be a simple question, but it is suggested that you take a moment to think about it and consider how much they influence each other. Do you go to work for the job or the working environment? If you agree with the latter, how would you see your job if your environment radically changed?
- If you believe your issues are environmental, what is your action plan to improve it? What is your change plan?
If the reason for your career or job change is not located in your immediate environment, then look out for next week’s blog post on behaviour.
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- How behaviour profiling can work for your business - January 5, 2024
