A family member of mine recently went through a significant career change. He stepped into a failing branch of a global organization and within a few short years led the team to be the most profitable branch in the company. He poured his passion, knowledge and soul into leading this branch and ultimately found success! With an organizational change and restructure, he found himself laid off and on the job market. He was devastated by the news and feared that he would not find a new position to suit him. He, like many people learning of layoffs, questioned if his previous successes were merely luck.
Even in a job market like today’s (where there are literally more job openings than people) a career change whether by choice or otherwise, can lead to a lot of reflection. This reflection often elicits emotion and has the job seeker questioning his/her past successes and questioning “what’s next?”. This fear of failure can feel like walking on a tightrope without a safety net.
When confronted with the unknown, the fear of failure can take over and cloud a job seeker’s judgement. Having felt the same fear during a significant job change of my own, I challenged my family member to spend time reflecting, as I did 4 years ago when starting Q Consulting. When I encounter a candidate, family member or friend in a similar situation, I recommend they take time to reflect on and consider the following:
- How did you get where you are today?
- Who are you as a person?
- What have you overcome?
- How has this led to your previous successes and failures?
- What is your why/what drives you?
- What are your core values?
- What keeps you going when all else fails?
Your success isn’t luck; your success is the sum of everything you’ve done and overcome in your past. Who you are, your core values and what you’ve done is your safety net! Once you recognize and acknowledge these accomplishments, you will be able to dispel the fear of failure and go for it! When making a career change, taking a risk, or starting a business, the safety net of your previous accomplishments is there.
Reflect, believe in yourself, take the risk and be EXCELLENT!