You’ve probably heard the famous Albert Einstein quote “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”  This adage is particularly applicable to the world of work. 

Many women get stuck in jobs just because it’s “what they’ve always done.”  Or, they get tagged with “dog” assignments simply because they involve skills set they’ve demonstrated in the past.  Furthermore, too many women get trapped in a career rut by settling for what happens to be offered to them. 

The women who hire me want to change these negative patterns.  They want to proactively manage their career instead of taking what’s given.

When I ask my clients: “What do you want to do?” I’m usually met with deafening silence.  Many, if not most, women really just don’t know what career will make them happy. 

It certainly can feel overwhelming to answer the “What do you want to do with your life?” question.  My 12-part program–“Discover Your Authentic Career Fit”–breaks the process down into simply organized and manageable action steps.  One of the key steps in this process is getting clear on what you don’t want.

Know What You Don’t Want

To make sure you don’t end up in yet another job that is the wrong fit, you must define what you don’t want at work. 

This week, let’s cover the culture of your workplace.  Ask yourself these three simple questions:

• What don’t I enjoy about the culture of my current workplace?
• What didn’t I like about the culture at past places of employment?
• In what way(s) would I like the culture to be different at my next job?  For example, am I looking for a culture that is:
• Smaller or larger than my current organization?
• Less bureaucratic than my current company?
• Has a more innovative spirit?
• Has a more structured organization?

Schedule time in your calendar to answer these questions in the next seven days.  That way, you’ll be sure to get it done and not let it linger on that never-ending to do list.  Next week, we’ll focus on the next phase of defining what you don’t want in your next job:  The people with whom you work.

I wish you much continued success as you move towards defining and working in your authentic career fit!

Until next week…

Warmly,
Maret

This entry was posted by Maret McCoy on February 12th, 2007 under Career with keywords .

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