Something you cannot put your finger on causes you to experience feelings of languishing, or is it boredom? Consider that what you feel is a sign that you are actually changing professionally.
You are in a persistent state of “meh”. So you read articles about how people are languishing with low energy and interest levels post-pandemically. However, low energy is not your issue. What you feel is: “Oh no, not this again. I think I have something way better to be doing: whatever that is.” Because more professional “same old-same old” no longer interests or engages you like it did yesterday. Consequently, you float in a state of professional limbo today. Then, you have an increasingly persistent feeling that you are “out of sync.” Yet you cannot figure out just what you are supposed to synchronize with anymore.
Latch on to that “out of sync” feeling and explore. Stop trying to stuff your feelings back into yesterday’s and today’s same old box. Because what you experience are symptoms and signs that you are actually changing professionally.
You are open to exploring new avenues for strategically creating and delivering more value. However, the rest of your colleagues, and more than a few clients, simply are not in the same professional place as you are. Consequently, you perceive delivering on what is expected, rather than on what is possible, as under-delivering on client expectations. However, clients (and colleagues) are accustomed to “what is usual” as the standard for “what is acceptable.” As a result, you both are out of sync with one another. Plus, these people cannot understand why are you so discontented.
As a result, over time, your new ideas and concepts are perceived as contrarian and disruptive. In addition, your enthusiasm for new ideas makes everyone else around you professionally uncomfortable. Consider that these people are used to going along with accepted cultural and professional norms, including group-think. You, on the other hand, continuously stretch into what is new, next, and changing.
So, for those of you who have contacted me for coaching related to feeling “out of sync,” my thought for you is: you just may be changing professionally. One millimeter at a time. Embrace your changing professional self: it is the catalyst for your career trajectory moving forward.
You developed beyond the confines of current professional requirements and job functionality. Consequently, explore opportunities to contribute to other internal teams and projects. If no one knows your interest, how can they invite you to sit at their tables? An entirely new tier of challenging, innovative and creative opportunities await you: tomorrow and moving forward. Because once you give yourself permission to open new doors, you also identify new professional options elsewhere. What is your next move?
Searching for a coaching catalyst to get you unstuck professionally? Looking for a meeting or event speaker focused on what is new and next? Then engage me to present a One Millimeter Mindset ™ program! Delivered virtually or in-person.
Change Agent | Collaboration Catalyst | Complex Problem Solver | Professional Innovation | Cross Functional Leadership | Speaker, Consultant, Coach, Author |
To learn more about incorporating Complex Problem Solving / PMI-certified Wicked Problem Solving into your professional arsenal of awesomeness, contact me here. I will send you my affiliate link.
Babette Ten Haken’s One Millimeter Mindset™ programs catalyze people who solve problems differently to collaborate more successfully. Become more professionally visible, cross-functionally relevant, and strategically valuable as you create and implement innovative and robust business outcomes together. Babette is a business-oriented STEM professional, qualitative Voice of the Customer facilitator, PMI-certified Wicked Problem Solver, and Six Sigma Green Belt (Quality). She is a member of the ASQ, SHRM, PMI, the National Speakers Association. Her playbook of cross-functional collaboration, Do YOU Mean Business? is available on Amazon.com. Contact Babette here. Image source: Adobe Stock.
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