Throughout the pandemic, individuals have been encouraged (or forced) to cope with enormous amounts of uncertainty and change.  In my coaching practice, however, I am  seeing individuals now choosing to change: it might be where they live (the much talked-about move from cities to the coast or countryside); it might be how they live and work (somewhere on the ‘hybrid’ spectrum between working fully at home or fully in the office); often it is where they work – not just the location but the organisation for whom they work and maybe even their whole career-choice.

If this is you, I would urge reflection before making such a fundamental change.  Key points to consider (or, even better, have a coach prompt you to consider!) include:

Adage 1: A change is as good as a rest… or is it?

What is prompting the desire for change right now?  Are you moving towards something, such as a company where the purpose and values better align with your own?  Or away from something, for example you are burned out and the right answer might be a break rather than a breakaway?

Adage 2: The grass is greener on the other side… or maybe it’s astroturf

In identifying the right next place for you, you first need to take a good look in the mirror: the better you understand what is important to you, your values and motivation, the better they can guide you towards the right next move – the best fit in terms of purpose, culture and environment.   Interestingly, this desire for a strong alignment of purpose and values seems to underpin the majority of organisational or career moves by my clients right now.

Adage 3: Look before you leap… or at least think deeply before jumping

Looking beyond the short-term, what do you want to accomplish?  Will this change take you in the right direction?  Or are you chasing change for change’s sake?  Try thinking of your career as a novel, comprising chapters: each chapter must be different to keep it interesting, but you still want the chapters to flow so that they tell a great story.

Adage 4: He who hesitates is lost…but only after Adages 1-3!

If you have already established that you are moving towards something positive, that it is a great fit in terms of purpose, culture and environment, and that this would be an exciting new chapter in your story, then what is holding you back from making the change?  To squeeze in another saying, perhaps it’s time to “seize the day”?

Posted in Articles, Four common themes from my coaching work