If you’re feeling burned out or frustrated with your career, how do you know if you should stay, endure, and grow where you are - or start looking for something new?
Every job has its ups and downs. Some professional challenges are worth enduring, as going through them encourages growth. Ryan Holiday stated in an interview on Jay Shetty’s podcast, “Whatever is happening now, you will look back on sometime in the future as formative to who you have become.” When I look back on previous challenges, this is true, and helpful to consider when new challenges arise.
If you’re feeling burned out or frustrated with your career, how do you know if you should stay, endure, and grow where you are - or start looking for something new?
Seth Godin, author of best-selling books such as The Practice, This is Marketing, and The Song of Significance: A New Manifesto for Teams, conducted a worldwide study where 10,000 participants from 90 countries described the conditions at the best job they ever had.
The top four responses were:
(1) I surprised myself with what I could accomplish
(2) I could work independently
(3) The team built something important
(4) People treated me with respect
Surprisingly, less than 20 percent of the participants selected the response "I got paid a lot". Although salary is important, it’s not as correlated with our professional satisfaction as achievement, trust, impact, and respect.
If you’re at a pivotal point and considering a career transition, it could be worth reflecting on these four conditions to help determine your next step.
Do you surprise yourself with what you accomplish? You have limitless potential. Growth occurs when we are pushed outside of our comfort zone. The best roles allow us to apply our natural skills and strengths while being encouraged to grow, learn, and achieve more than we thought possible.
Are you able to work independently? No one produces their best work while being micro-managed. Not only does it feel good to be trusted and to work independently in your own unique way, it also produces better results.
Are you part of a team that is creating something important? We spend so much of our time at work. When you reflect on your time spent working, it’s rewarding when that time was spent on something meaningful.
Are you treated with respect? It's essential to feel valued and respected in your work environment. If you don’t, then you’re much less likely to produce quality work, succeed, and excel.
If you’re unsure of if your career is aligned with your strengths, values, passion, purpose, and dreams, take some time to determine your sense of achievement, trust, impact, and respect. These are essential qualities that a fulfilling job should provide.