What do I really want to do?

What do I really want to do?  For some it’s a burning and confusing question that is asked every day, for others the answer springs immediately to mind.

The interesting thing is, sometimes we can more easily identify what we DO NOT want to do, rather than have clarity over what we really do want to do.  For those in that situation, all they know is what they are doing makes them unhappy.  Are you in that situation?

I speak to a lot of people who are unhappy in what they are doing.  They have persisted in a role because they have been been repeatedly led to believe there will be advancement, more money or change at that organisation, and each time that topic is approached, they are limited, fobbed off and kept squarely in that square pigeon hole that is your “spot” on the organisational chart. 

“Oh but you are so good at it”

“The business needs you in that role”

“The business can’t lose you in that role”

“We promoted your colleague as they had just that bit more experience than you”

You get the point.  And yes, it happened to me when I was working for an organisation in my early career.  While I was given leverage to learn and do things “beyond my paygrade” because no one else would do it, at the same time I was overlooked to further advance my career. I eventually left, and came up against the same thing in my next role, and the next…..

It was apparent that I was kept in my pigeonhole and in particular roles over that early history because I “was good at it”, and often it was a role I was pushed into, as roles morph, evolve and expand over time, until the role you were employed to do is secondary to this new “need”.  The business though, was very happy at utilising my additional and out-of-pigeon-hole talents for their own purposes, not recognising that it was killing me both in spirit and in workload as it was not aligned with my true skillsets.  

Some would argue that that is what an organisation has the right to do, whereas, as a leader and manager of many years and many years of organisational development up my sleeve, I ask the question – is that person thriving or only just surviving in that role – has the life gone out of them?  Are they actually happy or just providing lip service?  But then again, I actually care about people’s happiness.

It is definitely demoralising to be doing things that you do not like and do not want to do.

The pandemic has really allowed us to think about our working life and what we want out of it.  It is quite common now to change career direction a few times during your lifetime, whereas in the past it was common to have just one job for life! 

You you ask yourself – what do I really want to do? Sometimes it is difficult to know so that’s why you consult the expertise of a Strategic Career Specialist who helps you talk through where to go from here – me!

In preparation for that next stage of meeting with someone to discuss your “what do I really want to do”, ask yourself these questions.

What do I really want to do right now?

• Is it quiet quitting?  
• Is it The Great Resignation?  
• Is it I’m not coming back Monday?
• Is it flexiblity? 
• Is it working from home? 
• Is it a mixture of both? 
• Is it more freedoms at the expense of salary? 
• Is it more about happiness in my job now than before it was all about the money and advancement?

One thing for certain, is that people have either loved flexibility of the changes in working from home, or they’ve hated it. Everybody is different, and what suits one person may not suit another.

The interesting thing is how employers have reacted/responded to these changes….some have embraced the idea of trusting their employees, whilst it has really outed the micro managers of this world, with their insecurities regarding power and control emerging, incestantly monitoring every movement and/or absence of their workforce from behind the screen…why weren’t you at your desk? Hmmmm, just want to the bathroom….

It’s hard to know anyone who would enjoy these micro-management experiences, however, if it is the job of your dreams and it’s merely the characteristic of your current manager that is an issue right now, then in time that issue could resolve itself.

It’s definitely OK to explore your options, and it’s definitely OK to stay – regardless of whatever decision you choose, it really is about assessing what YOU want/need out of your career.