This is a great article on Linkedin, When Good Jobs Go Bad. Unfortunately I think many people can relate to this whether it was you in this situation or someone you know. It happens frequently. We start a new job with fresh prospects, excited about a new challenge, a new organization, or a new industry. And the honeymoon period can last for a while – months, even years. But for many of us, whether it’s a dramatic change or a smaller shift, our jobs can start to wear on us for many reasons.
I spoke with a friend last week in Missouri who had a very successful consulting business for 12 years, then burned out and decided to go back to working for someone else. Another friend and former client last week in Texas who loved his job at first, then about a year into it, it started to wear on him when he realized he didn’t have the team he needed to be successful and his company was in worse shape than he realized. A client in Chicago recently took a new job, and days later her boss (who was one of the main reasons she took the job) quit and left her hanging. It can happen to anyone, and again – some situations are more dramatic than others. Depending on your situation, you need to evaluate what happened as rationally as possible. It’s too easy to become emotional, understandably, when our once good job has gone bad. For some of us, it happens over time. For others it’s a dramatic change that blindsides us and leaves us feeling out of control and frustrated. You need to realize that it’s not personal and, make a decision about what to do from an attitude of empowerment not fear. If the situation happened suddenly, determine whether you need to make a change or a move, and how quickly. To avoid it happening over time, check in with yourself continuously regarding how fulfilled you are there – are you being supported and empowered – and are you using your talents and skills regularly. Either way, take control of the situation by assessing what happened and what you can do about it, creating a plan of action, and continuously managing your career path so if you do need to make a change, you are ready.
Hallie Crawford
Atlanta Career Coach
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