 Get on the elevator, fancy a job
On the seventh floor You are going to the top Stop. Doors open You are only on two In walks a woman in a suit. Looks at you Speak, your brain says. She’s important But your mouth feels numb Sticky, gooey, like you’ve swallowed gum You have only one chance to impress Or hold your peace What will it be? Fight or flight No. Surprise Calm and serenity wash over you Handshake. Release Eye contact. Hold You’ve already spoken volumes And you are only on four Then a little voice says, don’t try so hard Be yourself, and if it’s right The connection will bloom Chances are You will know you’ve made it quite soon Relax and enjoy It’s a short ride to seven So different from the work you must do To get way up to heaven
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 Transitions are hard. Like other major life events, a job or career change, whether voluntary or involuntary, will likely be a period of highs and lows that will test you and your family.
So, when you finally do land a position, the feelings of elation and relief will be palpable. Oftentimes, however, the emotional tension felt during the transition does not fully lift when the job search process is over. Now you are faced with a new challenge. Starting a new job can be overwhelming, and can require you to re-align your routine, priorities and responsibilities. If you find yourself nervous about heading back to work or starting a new position, you may benefit from these 5 strategies to help ease the transition: Prepare Your Family People who are closest to you often experience the changes occurring in your life with similar intensity. So, you can be sure that when you make a move to a new job – with it’s new demands on your time and energy – your family will be affected. You can help your spouse, kids, or anyone else in your immediate family affected by the change by setting clear expectations of what’s to come. A few days before you start a new job, sit down together to talk about your new schedule. School-aged kids who are old enough to understand the changes will benefit the most from having a talk. This will also give them an opportunity to ask questions and voice any concerns. If you will be gone for extended periods (for work-related travel), or if a caretaker will need to step in – this kind of conversation will be particularly important. Go to Sleep Early, Starting on Weekends It goes without saying that you cannot do your best when you are tired. And a new job will be certain to sap your energy as you ramp up to speed. You may be going on overdrive in the office. And it may be hard to relax when you get home, as you process your new experiences, as well as try to carve out quality time with family at the end of the day. It’s easy to stretch out the night into the wee hours, but resist the urge to do it all. The garbage can wait another day to be taken out. The mail does not have to be opened today. Go to bed an hour early. Arianna Huffington said it best. “Everything you do, you’ll do better with a good night’s sleep.” Be Ready to Work Hard and Do Your Best from Day One Whether you will be working in a similar role in a new company, or making a big career change, you will likely have a steep learning curve transitioning to your new responsibilities and getting acquainted with a new company culture. You’ve shown in the interview process that you have the experience to do the job, and you passed the “fit” test. But whatever your prior accomplishments, as a new recruit you will still have to prove yourself all over again. The faster you build your credibility by working hard and being a team-player, the better your long-term chances of success at the new company. Focus on Building Relationships with Your New Co-workers You are a new guy (or gal) at the office. Making new friends is never easy, and it can be particularly challenging when you are joining an already formed team. But making close connections with people you work with can be crucial not only to your on-going job performance, but to your overall well-being. Spend some time getting to know your new co-workers not only professionally, but personally, over coffee or lunch. As they so aptly say, it will feed your stomach and will nourish your soul. Thank and Keep in Touch with People Who Helped You We all have a network of people we look to for help when we are in a transition. They are our family, friends, past colleagues, acquaintances, or people whom we don’t yet know but could be introduced to by our inner circle. Networking is a crucial part of making a job change, and it is a well-known fact that most times you will find your new position through someone in your network, rather than through job boards, recruiters or cold calls. If you were lucky to have people who helped you, remember and thank them after the fact. Whatever their contributions and gestures of support – these are your friends who you can count on. One day you’ll be there for them. How Picking Up a New Hobby Turned Out to Be Fertile Ground for Some Important Life Lessons4/21/2016  Spring is the perfect time to begin a new chapter. New buds are popping from the trees excited by sunshine. Plants, birds and people have woken from the winter slumber and come together outdoors to celebrate this time of year.
Are you freshly excited to try something new? Perhaps a new job is on the horizon? Or maybe you’ve just begun to think about making a change. Are you moving, or thinking of trying a new hobby? Or, perhaps you’ve decided to turn your hobby into a business? Whatever your situation, spring is the time of renewal. I, too, have decided to try something new. I am a city girl that has recently been transplanted to the suburbs. I have very little knowledge about the great outdoors, and until recently I have never had to worry about a back yard. This is certainly not a source of pride, and neither is the fact that I have never planted anything in my life. So, given my new circumstance, I have decided that it’s time to change the status quo. I have decided that this year I am going to learn how to plant a garden. Or, at least a couple of vegetables and berries. Easier said than done, but I have committed and I don’t want to let myself down. So, I am diving head first, and even though I’m just at the cusp of the planting season, I’ve already accumulated a few lessons learned. First of all, learning something new is terrifying I am realizing that as far as my gardening knowledge-bank is concerned, I am not just at zero, I am quite possibly in the negative. Until recently, I didn’t know where to buy the potting soil. Perhaps I am a bit afraid of my efforts being a flop, but mostly, I am hesitant because I don’t know where to start. To say the least, this is overwhelming and somewhat terrifying. Taking small steps will give you the confidence to move forward It’s been a while since I picked up a new hobby, and I’ve forgotten what it feels like to push yourself into new territory. My 6 year-old is starting to ride a bike, and she is a bit scared. I’ve tried to tell her what to do to best keep her balance. But then I realized she needs to do it her own way – she needs to first get a feel for her bike. To spend some time just sitting on it, with feet on the ground. This will give her the confidence to begin pedaling on her own. Small steps. Like her, I am spending more time outdoors, just looking at the garden bed. Getting familiar with what it looks like. Learning the names of the flowers that were planted there before. Trying to discern the difference between weeds and plants. I am being mindful about the experience, and it is helping me take the next step in the process. Having a detailed plan will set you up for success If you are planting this year, now is the time to start planning ahead – to start thinking about what you want to plant, buying the seeds, and doing some prep work on the garden bed. As a novice, I am learning that there are specific steps I need to take, now, and again when the soil warms up enough for the seeds to grow. Plant too soon, and the garden will not take. I am learning what I need to plant, how much water and sun exposure the seeds will need, how much space to allocate, how to weed, and about the importance of soil quality. I am doing prep work like a good job hunter before her networking conversations and interviews. Don’t get discouraged when things don’t go according to plan Things won’t always go according to plan, and I am already seeing the warning signs. Apparently, I am not the only one who likes to smell the flowers and munch on fresh garden goodness. The cute bunny family that we “adopted” as our outdoor pets are already starting to cause problems. I’ve just had to shoo one off the yard, and I know it’s just a matter of time until he comes back, and brings friends. I am trying not to get discouraged, but I know what will really help is not to wish them away, but to buy a garden net. Steady work pays off and makes you feel fulfilled As much as I want to see quick results, I am learning to be patient and to take it step-by-step. I know that if I am careful and steady, my work will eventually pay off. In the past couple of weeks, I have already learned more about gardening that in the previous 40 years. Above all, this has taught me the most important lesson to date – a new challenge is fun and it’s making me happy to stretch beyond my comfort zone. To be continued…  When a client and I enter a coaching engagement, a client begins a journey that we hope will lead to positive change.
Whether it’s to discover a better fit, or plan a course of action for career re-entry, we work together to improve their professional situation. So, understandably, when I tell others of what I do, they are curious to hear the “success stories” of those I’ve helped. They want to hear about a successful transition. I like to share those stories because they inspire us to believe that people can change the course of their lives, despite seeming challenges and obstacles. But I like to share other stories as well – those that are less life changing but just as significant to those of us that live them. These people are successful not because they make a radical change, but because they make a carefully considered decision not to. Then, they make the best of it, with positive attitude, strong work ethic and the ability to keep dreaming. I am lucky to know one such person. I met her almost 15 years ago at my old job, when we were both starting out in the same department. Over the years, she has become more of mother/grandma figure to my family, with her steady presence in my life, and now my children’s lives throughout our milestones, celebrations and traditions. She is a rock I can always depend on to be there, but what I most admire about her is her outlook on life. I know her well enough to know that she spent her life in a career that was not a natural fit. She worked up steadily from job title to job title, from department to department, slowly climbing the career ladder, but never stopped dreaming about someday taking up more artistic pursuits. Dedicating herself to her hobbies full-time was not a real possibility, although it was always in the back of her mind. Not one to begrudge life, she never allowed her circumstances to affect her ability to give her best to her day job and to those that came in contact with her. This summer I went to her retirement party. There were people there from the various departments where she spent her career, from junior to senior level – all of them came to thank her for her years of dedicated service and to wish her well on her new chapter. It was touching. You could see that she would be missed. A couple of weeks ago, she came to visit me to catch up. We talked about her new life and how she is now pursuing her hobbies with gusto and has plans to begin selling her art on-line. I was excited to hear about her new life phase, but what nearly brought me to tears is when our topic of conversation turned to our old job, and she spoke with a deep sense of pride of the impact she felt she made through the years. I sincerely wish that all of you feel that sense of pride after years of working, whether it’s in your dream career, or at a job that is less emotionally fulfilling but no less important. I would think that is how one experiences success. |
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