In her April 11 “Your Best Next Move” video, Bobbie LaPorte addresses the third leadership consideration when dealing with an “existential curveball”: thinking about your own career advancement during times of uncertainty. She shares some simple questions you can ask yourself to evaluate if you should hang on…or move on.
Your Best Next Move – A Leadership Existential Curveball – Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Hi everyone, Bobbie LaPorte here again with my weekly leadership tip for your Best Next Move, where I help you see continuing curveballs as an opportunity. This year, I will help you actively use your personal agency to accelerate what you want to accomplish in 2022.
Two weeks ago, I introduced the idea of an “existential curveball,” that big “what now” uncertainty that seems to persistently hang over you. If you work in a hyper-growth, fast-changing environment like many of today’s leaders, you probably recognize that feeling.
I also shared that, in this environment, I believe there are three things you need to consider to keep making progress and adding value; to counteract those little curveballs of doubt that keep pinging you in the face of kind of uncertainty.
Last week I covered the second consideration: the importance of building boss and peer relationships as you work to move your agenda forward.
This week I will share the third and final consideration to dealing with this “existential curveball” – and that is how you think about your career advancement in these times; when is it time to take a risk and see if you can make it work, or when is it time to move on.
There’s no doubt that for today’s leaders who are moving up in an organization that is scaling during these uncertain times, the path forward is never clear. Process, structure, other people’s agendas and the ensuing inertia all seem to get in the way of progress.
It’s important to take the time and be intentional about how you think about this to determine whether you should go or stay?
Here’s my tip for this week – a few questions for you to consider:
- What aspects of your work do you most enjoy?
- What things do you not enjoy doing? Note: we all have some administrative part of our jobs we don’t like but still have to do. I’m talking about the more substantive parts of your job that are making you question your current role.
- How can you bring more of the things you like to do into your work?
Can you consider this to be a “lab” where you can observe how you might potentially respond differently to these challenges?
What can you learn that might make the next go-around easier?
How can you find ways to bring your special talents to bear so you can get more satisfaction from your work?
That’s my tip for this week. For more help on using your personal agency to make uncertainty a part of your success strategy for 2022 – check on my new book – “When the Curveballs Keep Coming: A Leadership Playbook for an Uncertain World,” and my new online course – “Leading Through Uncertainty.”
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