Recapturing Career Purpose
Posted on July 16, 2023 by Todd Gerspach ICF-ACC, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.
Misalignment between what is important to you versus the organization can often be the impetus of employee disengagement. Is realignment possible?
Employee engagement has been a topic of research and discussion for over 30 years; however, most studies and articles have been written from the perspective of the company, the consultant, or the academic. Rarely do you find articles or research written from the perspective of the employee, which is the one resource everyone is attempting to understand and influence.
This article focuses on an individual’s psychological state of “engagement” versus “engagement” as a managerial process. The act of being engaged, or a person’s motivation to act, is intrinsic to that individual. It is not an external force that can be enacted upon an individual. An employee is naturally engaged when synergies exist between what they deem motivational and the actions an organization needs to take to move closer to its goals.
Many people find themselves disengaged at work but still able to perform the job in a satisfactory manner. What once felt like a career with aspirations of taking on higher levels of responsibility or interesting new projects has now become merely a job to pay the bills. The feeling of being confident and in control of their future is just not there anymore. The longer this state of mind persists, the closer the individual moves from being disengaged and willing to perform the job, to being disengaged and unwilling to perform the job. This situation is not a matter of capability, it is a matter of personal motivation. How does one return to being engaged and performing at a high level? Another way to frame it is, how does one recapture the passion for their career and become excited about their future?
Because there is so much focus on employee engagement as a managerial process, many people subconsciously wait for the company to do something to motivate them. This of course shifts the blame for their situation solely onto the employer, which helps them justify how they feel. This can certainly be a contributing factor, but complaining or obsessing about it will not help solve the underlying problem.
The first step in taking control and solving the problem for yourself is to ask this question: do I agree with at least 80% of the company’s strategic direction, mission, vision, and values?
If the answer is no, you will be in a constant state of disagreement with management and in misalignment with your core values and principles. This is a very uncomfortable place to be. Nevertheless, it is a place that many people find themselves in given the difficulty of vetting a company’s cultural tenets prior to accepting a position. It can take months or even years to come to this realization if you are not consciously seeking the answer to this question. Solving the “no” answer is outside the scope of this article, and a follow-up article is needed to address this specific scenario.
If the answer is yes, finding a path to recapture the passion for your career while remaining in your current organization is absolutely feasible. This requires self-reflection, a willingness to be honest with your feelings and beliefs, and a commitment to hold yourself accountable for the actions you identify as necessary to change your current mindset.
Obtaining a deep sense of self-awareness is critical in developing a plan of action to align what motivates you and what your organization is tasked with to accomplish its goals. Ask yourself the following questions to gain some insight into where there may be misalignment between your life and career:
• Have you reached a new plateau in your career? The type of work that motivated you in the past may not motivate you now.
• What personality traits naturally drive your behavior? Are those traits in conflict with your role? Remember, there is no such thing as a good or bad personality. However, aligning your natural traits with the type of industry, work, or projects you take on can be the difference in feeling energized or sapped of energy.
• Do you frequently second guess decisions you make and feel uneasy about them? Spending time to truly understand and prioritize your unique set of values provides you with a roadmap for validating the decisions you make.
There is no time like the present to start your journey toward a renewed sense of purpose and engagement. Simply find 3 to 5 small tactical opportunities that are in alignment with your interests and execute them successfully. These wins serve as building blocks of momentum that will generate renewed energy and desire to take on larger strategic opportunities.
Partnering with the right coach can accelerate and help you gain a deeper understanding of yourself and what motivates you internally. A coach can bring a sense of order and clarity to situations that on the surface seem chaotic and difficult to navigate.
