Taking control: how leaders can recalibrate and make good career decisions
Feelings of burnout are common this time of year. But rather than making any rash decisions, think about how you can recalibrate and take control.
There will come a point in your career when it is time to go and move on to another job or company. Sometimes the signs are clear, other times it sneaks up on you unexpectedly.
Being aware of the signs that indicate this time are crucial. You want to be able to leave when you are at your peak.
Being at your peak allows you to maintain your confidence, retain your legacy, and solidify your reputation as high-quality talent.
You want to be able to leave when you are at your peak. This allows you to maintain your confidence, retain your legacy, and solidify your reputation as high-quality talent.
Being aware of the signs that indicate that it is time for you to leave your job are crucial. By being acutely aware you make better decisions whilst maintaining your reputation.
What are The 8 unmistakable signs that indicate it is time to leave:So
1. your performance is average
Overtime you become comfortable in your role. The challenge that used to be there no longer exists and the excitement has long gone. It is this comfort that leads to a lack of motivation and it is the lack of motivation that leads to your performance being average, or even poor. When your performance declines, compared to what it used to be, your results are undoubtedly impacted.
If you are not aware of how your performance has been affected look at your key performance indicators and your results. Has anything changed over time? Is there a pattern in your performance and the results you have delivered? This will give you an indication as to whether your performance and results have been impacted.
2. Complacency kicks in
When you have been successful in your role and you have enjoyed the triumphs overtime, there is a risk you can become complacent. Complacency is a dangerous trait to have. Before you realise it, complacency can reduce innovation, minimising the opportunities to implement improvements that can encourage progress. When you stop driving improvements, you are no longer solving problems. When you stop solving problems, you have become ineffective.
What improvements have you encouraged recently? What was the last problem you solved? If you cannot easily answer these questions, then complacency may well have already kicked in.
3. Your solutions do not make an impact
Your solutions to problems do not have the impact they used to. The ideas do not come close to solving the challenge and they miss the mark more often than you would like. The result of this ineffectiveness has an impact on your team and business results.
You may have lost touch with your customer’s needs or your employee’s real motivations. Your impact in creating solutions and making a difference is not what it used to be. Your ideas are simply not as effective as they used to be.
In your job you solve problems, you create solutions, and you deliver results. In the last few months what feedback have you received from customers and employees? How effective have your solutions been or have they missed the mark?
4. Team stops listening to you
You realise that the team are not listening to you as much anymore. They seem engaged and friendly, but they are making their own decisions rather than listening to yours. There is a disconnect. Your predictability or complacency can be viewed as stagnancy, impacting how your team views and respects you.
Are your team listening to you? Do they still respect you?
5. You are no longer learning
Have you stopped learning? Has your desire to learn faded?
If you have stopped learning you are not growing, and consequently your leadership is not improving. Leadership is learning. When you develop yourself, you are demonstrating that you can develop others. It is only through learning that we get better, become an expert, and accelerate our performance.
Your investment in learning should be a priority in your leadership journey. If it is not, you need to change your priorities.
6. You are not able to attract and retain top talent
If you find it difficult to attract high-quality talent to your team, your reputation and performance as a leader may be the reason.
Without realising it your actions have impacted your reputation and your personal brand. The greatest sign of your effectiveness as a leader is your ability to attract and retain your talent.
What has been the turnover in your team? Excuses aside any turnover is a sign that there are potential issues to unearth.
7. Your commitment is wavering
If you wake up in the morning and you are not excited about your job and the people you work with, it is time to leave.
Even if you try hard to supress it, people will see this lack of motivation and commitment. To be an effective leader you need motivation, drive, and commitment. Loosing this can impact the engagement and productivity of your team.
When you woke up this morning, how did you feel?
8. You are not being noticed
You are not considered for promotions or to lead new projects. You realise that you are not included in key decisions or social engagements as you once used to. Your ideas are disregarded over others.
These are all indicators that you are not being noticed and that you are not valued.
In the last few months have you been noticed, or have you been disregarded?
Throughout your career there will be times when the unmistakable signs indicate that it is time to leave your job. This can be overwhelming but also exhilarating. It is an opportunity to reinvigorate your career in a new job and company.
Your career is exactly that, it is yours. It is up to you to read the signs and act on them. It is also up to you to see the change as an opportunity or a challenge.
Hunton Executive can help you plan your career so you can achieve your career goal.
For information on your career opportunities contact Hunton Executive. For help with your career planning contact Hunton Executive for our Executive Career Coaching or sign up to the Executive Career Guidance online course.
Schedule an appointment> Learn more about our executive search and management consulting services> learn more about our executive and board advisory coaching programs> Discover your executive strength through our Executive Leadership scorecard>
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