Have you ever heard the saying, “A setback is a setup for comeback”? At OnTalent we truly love this saying. For our clients and candidates experiencing redundancy due to workforce restructures, these few words are true motivations.
Going through a redundancy is tough. Even if you choose to take a voluntary redundancy, you will experience grief, uncertainty and job search.
This year has been one of challenge and uncertainty for many. Inflation, the cost of living, global uncertainty and economic hardship will all continue to impact business confidence over the next 6 – 12 – 18 months.
These factors contribute to a person’s ability to not only cope but make sense of how we move forward during this time. From deciding how to spend the weekend to clarifying your next career step – planning for the future is more complicated than ever before. In particular, when the choice is made for you and not by you.
Whether this year has brought unexpected career change, redundancy or it has caused you to question your current path, now is the time to take charge of your future, your career and focus on taking the next steps with confidence, empowered and brave.
No matter what your level of seniority or your experience, the following steps are designed to help you not only manage career change but lead you to intentionally take control of your future.
You can choose to make a redundancy or work restructure a positive experience.
When looking at your career, it’s easy to fall victim to anxiety and worry feeling like you’re not doing enough or taking enough proactive steps to prepare and achieve the success you seek.
While worrying in this way may make you feel like you have some control over uncertain circumstances, the only thing it will actually do is take away your precious energy and any enjoyment of the present moment. Whatever worries seem to constantly occupy your headspace, it’s important to refocus your mind on taking action over aspects that are within your control, and let go of the factors that are not.
One thing that this year has taught me, is that all of us, as individuals have the capacity and capability to make change and make a difference. The resilience of people and their ability to adapt and be flexible has been inspiring. Look around you for inspiration and you will most certainly find it.
Once you’ve taken a deep breath (or five) to refocus your mindset, grab a piece of blank paper so you can unpack what’s not working for you and importantly, what is working for you, in your current job or career. Start by creating four columns and writing down everything that applies under each of the headings listed below. Tip: Don’t overthink it – this is meant to be a brain dump so write it down as it comes to you and in your own voice.
We all have a unique combination of skills, experiences, natural talents, education and potential that make up your value to business. The trick is how do we monetise our value.
Try not to think about titles when starting this exercise. In today’s rapidly shifting work environment, in most cases, jobs are far less about the seemingly limited title and more about the holistic day-to-day experience and outcomes driven by a position. Job titles are often an incomplete measures of ‘success’, so we encourage you to think about the tasks you want to do day to day, how your job integrates with your lifestyle and values, your purpose and the impact you want to have on the world.
It’s also important to note that every job and career path can have downsides. Even in an employment situation that seems ideal in every way, there will be things you have to do that you’d prefer not to. We also recognise that certain factors amidst COVID-19 may make pursuing your ideal career situation inaccessible; unpredictable job market, rapidly-changing business models and disruption from newly emerging fields. While you may have to side-step your ideal situation, for the time being, keeping a long-term vision of where you want to go will give you purpose and the endurance and inspiration to achieve your career goals.
Now that you’ve taken stock of what you currently do and what you want to do, it’s time to compare your lists. Research suggests that change happens when we recognise the gap between our current reality and our ideal reality:
After reflecting on how your two lists compare, it’s time to come up with a plan for how to diminish the difference between the two. Set a deadline for yourself of what you will do in the next week, throughout the next month, 6 months from now and share your action plan with someone who will keep you accountable.
The end of the year is a great time to take stock, realise what is important and develop a plan that takes you into your future and the success you seek. The formula for your success is founded on your unique combination of skills and value you bring to business plus the impact you want to have on the world plus your purpose.
Remember, the most valuable person in the world to your success is you. Harness your experience, skills and your potential, take control and design your career and your future for what you want.
Leadership development is an ongoing process. The most effective leaders are those who continually seek opportunities for growth and learning. This can involve formal training programs, mentorship, reading leadership literature, or simply reflecting on your experiences and learning from them.
The Careers, Leadership Development and Consulting Services team at OnTalent is here to support you. We offer career guidance and ongoing support throughout well-defined career programs. From the very first connection, we support and share our extensive career knowledge, experiences and networks to engage each individual on their own career journey with the sensitivity and care duly required.
We are committed to delivering customised programs that provide flexibility around delivery options and program content, whilst being responsive to meet each individual’s unique needs focusing on their desired career and program outcomes.
Our programs are based on our current research around Career Development and our proprietary Career Wheel model, highlights the critical components that require focus throughout career transition.
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