Losing motivation

You can't target the exact moment it happened, but it happened. You are showing up for work later and later. You care just a little bit less about getting your work done in a timely manner and you stopped being curious about what's next for you at work. It does sound a little like the movie Office Space. 

At certain points in our career, we lose motivation at our jobs. How could this happen? It was a job you loved six months ago. So, what made you stop caring? It's a great question and one you need to ask yourself if you are going through this phase. How can you get to the bottom of it? Try answering these questions:

• How long have you been in your current role?
• What has changed about your job?
• What has changed about your personal life?
• What's the most challenging thing about your job right now?
• What is the most challenging thing about your life right now?
• What do you feel passionate about (either inside or outside the office)?
• How successful do you feel at your job?
• What could make you feel more successful at your job?
• What is the next step in your career?
• What fulfills you?
• What are you missing in your daily life?
• What types of challenges do you find exciting?

After you answer these questions, take a step back and think about what you want. How much do you want to regain your motivation? What are the obstacles in your way? How can you remove them?

Once you come to understand yourself a little more, your next steps will be clear. 

To learn more about career coaching, go to www.katekibler.com

Get a second opinion

If you are like me, your career is important to you. Deciding whether or not to apply for a job, sending a resume, going on an interview, or making a decision whether or nor to accept a job are all big decisions. The choices you make could lead nowhere or they could change your entire life. 

When considering a career move, find someone whose opinion you trust to be your sounding board. Make sure this person understands your goals and helps to keep you focused. Before making a move, consider the following:

How come you decided to update your resume? What made you decide to interview for this role at that company? How come you are considering leaving your current position? How does this new job fit with your current life? How does this new job fit into the life you want?

The closer you are to an actual job offer, the more that's at stake and the more your judgement could be clouded. Write down the answers to the questions above. Talk to your 'second opinion' about your answers. When it comes to decision time, you should have a clear path. 

What's the hardest career decision you've ever made? Who do you trust to be your sounding board? 

To learn more about career coaching, go to www.katekibler.com 

Tapped on the shoulder

A common complaint I hear from clients is they feel overlooked when a new position opens within their company. The question is always “why wouldn’t they consider me for that role?” My question back is usually “when did you express your interest in the role?” It is very rare that the client has stepped up to apply. When we start talking through it, the client realizes s/he does not need to wait to be tapped on the shoulder for an opportunity. Your boss or the person posting the open job, may not have realized you are qualified or even interested. The company and hiring manager would most likely be excited to fill the role with an internal candidate. If there is a position open that is right for you, what is the harm in speaking with your boss?

How do you know when it’s the right time to talk to your boss about moving up in your career? How many times have you waited for someone to come and tap you on the shoulder for that position?

To learn more about career coaching, go to www.katekibler.com

Thinking positive makes things better

Positive thinking or positive reinforcements can really turn around not only your attitude, but also your reality. Recent research suggests that having a positive outlook improves resiliency, improves your health, and makes you happier. It can be easy to get caught in a spiral of negativity when things aren’t going your way, but consider how you can turn that around.

After starting a new job, I was crunched for time. I just moved to a new city and outside of moving my home, I also needed to make a trip to the department of motor vehicles (DMV). I procrastinated going to the DMV as long as I possibly could. Almost every trip I had ever made to a DMV in any state ended in frustration. I had a sense of dread in the pit of my stomach. I was negative. In order to motivate myself to make the trip to the DMV, I started working on some positive reinforcements. I told myself over and over again that I would have a successful and productive trip to the DMV.

With my renewed positive energy, I printed off all of my papers, pulled together every piece of identification I had, and double checked the website one last time to make sure I had everything together. I arrived at the DMV first thing in the morning before they were open to a line of about one hundred people. Not bad. This line will go quickly once we get inside. When I got up to the counter, the woman told me I needed additional paperwork that I didn’t have (in her most off-putting tone she told me I not only needed the letter for proof of address, but also the envelope it came in). I stayed positive and asked a couple of questions. The woman across the counter came up with a good idea of how I could still do what I came to do. With her suggestion, I moved to the next counter. At the next counter, woman #2 told me she could not find my information in the system. I knew it was there. I asked her to check again. She checked again and repeated that it wasn’t in the system. My stomach started to sink into that place of negativity. I shook it off and kept with my promise of positivity. I calmly explained that there must be some confusion as I was told the DMV had my information. She checked one more time and found my file… someone had added a zero to my VIN number by accident.

While I had almost been pushed over to negative feelings, I was able to stay positive and walk out of the DMV with everything I needed. I only got what I needed because I was able to stay positive. If your inclination is to assume the worst out of a situation, the outcome will usually follow. If I had let negativity take over, I would have walked out with nothing to show for my trouble.

How can this example relate to a work situation? How can you stay positive and prescribe the outcome you want? Where do you find your negative feelings surface? How can you turn something negative into a positive? How can being positive influence your life?

For more information about career coaching go to www.katekibler.com

Lost in the wind

Have you ever worked with someone who is smart and used to do a great job but all of the sudden you realize they haven’t done anything of value lately? What were the circumstances? A few years ago, I started with a new company and inherited a direct report. We will call him Gerry (not his real name). In our first meeting, Gerry gave me his history within the company. He had like eight bosses in as many years. He was shuffled from job to job, division to division with little or no support. It was clear that Gerry was frustrated by all of the moves, was skeptical about his future, and wanted stability in the workplace.

I later discovered Gerry’s co-workers saw him as a problem. I had to investigate what this meant. Gerry’s peers described him as diminishing and inefficient. Those are two pretty bad descriptors. I wasn’t sure what to think. If that was Gerry’s personality, I didn’t want him on my team.

Over the next couple of days, Gerry and I met to discuss his future and the future of our department. We talked about organizational structure, responsibilities, but most importantly I shared the feedback from Gerry’s peers. We had a very candid discussion about how people perceived him and my expectations for the team I would be leading. Gerry listened intently and in turn I listened to his point of view. This conversation opened the door for me to understand what Gerry needed to be successful. He needed clear direction, stability and support from his leader. Gerry admitted that his work ethic and attitude may have slipped as he was feeling marginalized over the years. He was mature, smart and dedicated to being successful in the company. I watched his performance and relationships radically improve over the coming months. He led his division from zero to hero in the matter of a year. It was a fantastic transformation.

What can be learned from this story? First, no one had ever learned what it was that motivated Gerry. He was floating and needed a sense of place.  This lost in the wind feeling grinded down Gerry’s motivation and enthusiasm. The second problem was that no one had ever expressed their discontent to Gerry. As a manager, you are not doing someone a favor by holding your tongue. Feedback is an important mechanism for growth and help builds self -awareness. What’s worse was that Gerry’s reputation was scarred from this period of being lost in the wind. It took him a long time to rebuild trust with his peers.  

How can you take ownership for yourself if you are the one lost? How can you understand motivation for yourself and your team? What drives you to succeed? What do you need in order to be successful? Who can you talk to who will give you honest feedback? How can you ensure you stay motivated?

Learn more about the fashion industry from Career Coach Kate Kibler at www.katekibler.com.