Time To Hit the Pause Button
In the past few weeks one theme has been clear to me from some of my conversations at speaking events – many leaders have not taken full advantage of Covid. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating that you go out and try to get Covid- but rather point I’m trying to make has is related to the time that the Covid pandemic has given us these past 18 months.
If you are like me, there have been several points in your career where you have been unsure of what step was the right one to take next. In each of my instances, I consulted a network of “Career confidants” and took a moment to pause. For the last year and a half, Covid has provided the world with a “Pause Moment,” whether we wanted it or not. Many people who were furloughed, laid off, had their hours or wages reduced took advantage of the time to reflect on the direction of their lives. The result is what many have dubbed “The Great Resignation.” The Great Resignation has changed the shape of the current workforce, and I believe the reverberations of these decisions will echo for years to come. But what about those that were fortunate enough to come out relatively unscathed career-wise throughout the pandemic – the millions of people that were not laid off, furloughed, asked to retire, etc.? For those individuals, relatively speaking, life has been fairly normal – and from a career development perspective, that may cause concern.
For those of you who count yourself in the millions who kept their jobs during Covid, many would count you as lucky. Still, from a career perspective, you may be missing a critical moment in time in what I am calling a career nexus where employees have been given the time to find clarity of vision about the direction of their careers. This clarity has motivated these individuals to take full advantage of the sudden turn of events – from which there was initially a dearth of opportunities just 12 months ago to a plethora of opportunities today. But just like all windows, eventually, they close, and those of you who have been working the last 18 months steadily – well, it’s possible you might be missing your chance to leapfrog your current career trajectory.
If I were a savvy marketer, I might call it something like “Covid’s Cataclysmic Career Comeuppance.” If you’ve ever been at a company and you look at the potential positions ahead, and you breathe a heavy sigh because it’s going to be like five years before even 1 of those positions will open. Suddenly, someone comes up and gives you the equivalent of the career Disney Fast Lane pass, and you walk right to the front of the line. I see examples of this all over, and if you haven’t been looking up – the Fast Pass might be going to someone else.
So, what’s the lesson here? My message is simple - press pause.
Whenever you stream a movie or are watching your favorite TV show if you’re interrupted by a phone call, a friend, or <insert reason here>; you can hit the “Pause button” so that you don’t miss a critical moment in the show. I submit that Covid Cataclysmic Career Comeuppance is a potentially critical moment in your career’s reality show.
So what do you do after you hit pause and stop to look around? Well, first, you may want to open the windows and smell the fresh air – that’s always a good place to start! After that, I encourage you to take out a notebook and reflect. Reflect on where you are going and if you are on the right path to get there. Do you need help to get there, and do you know where that help might be coming from? Reflect on your values, your passions, your career gifts and think about whether or not you are maximizing them. If the answer to all of these has you in your current role – congratulations, and keep doing what you’re doing. However, if you don’t like the ending, before you press “Play” again, figure out if there is another movie that you might like better – if you’re not sure, ask for recommendations.
And good luck with the Covid Cataclysmic Career Comeuppance!
It’ll catch on.
……I’m sure of it!
Coach Ha-Keem
You’re Worth It!
For more tips, check out my book, “You’re Worth It! Navigating Your Career in Corporate America,” or go to my website, CoachHa-Keem.com.
