Career Transitions

A transition or inflection point in a job or career can be both welcome and induce tension.  Whether it is starting a new job, making a move in the same organization, changing firms, changing career, planning retirement and the Next Act– the stage is set for tension, both good and bad.  Not only are there myriad external issues and stakeholders, like family and coworkers,  to be accounted for and accountable to, such an inflection point in the stages of a person’s life stirs up unconscious feelings, thoughts, memories and associations.  At the same time that there is much to figure out, decide, and act on, a whole realm of inner life is set astir– just when you’re seemingly too busy to budget for it. 

Moreover, some, if not all, transitions call upon a person to use a different navigation template than the ones used for previous decisions.  You might be a college student deciding how to choose a major, when previously you were influenced by parents or mentors.  You might be well up the ladder of promotion in your industry where the only direction you ever went was up – when you wonder if you even like your job, never mind tighten the commitment.  You might be repeatedly hitting a glass ceiling – either inherent in your organization – or something you yourself are contributing to, without realizing it.  You may come to a crossroad of values or a dilemma of priorities.

Very often such transitions are rife with tension from different sources, and it can be hard to think clearly through them, never mind incorporate new or subtler information such as what may come through unconsciously.

I help people work through career transitions by attention to psychology, strategy, skills and tactics, according to what each person’s situation calls for.  Having a sounding board can help clear the air for clearer thinking.  Paying attention to psychology — emotions, personality, relationships, mental habits and the like — works toward the deepest level of understanding.  Once the deeper vectors are understood, I help clients think about the skills and tactics that might help them.  These include:

• Identifying strengths and interests
• Negotiation and difficult conversations
• Identifying alternatives
• Communication strategies