Before You Make a Big Career Change, Address This Critical Thing First – Kathy Caprino

Part of Kathy Caprino’s series “Becoming the Most Confident, Empowered You” 

In my work as a career and leadership coach over the past 18+ years, I’ve helped thousands of mid- to high-level professionals who found themselves at a pivotal crossroads in their work. These are accomplished women and men who sense deeply that something important has to change in their careers and professional lives. They know their current role or career path is no longer sustainable or fulfilling, yet they’re unsure of what needs to shift first. There’s so much going wrong that pinpointing a starting place feels overwhelming.

One consistent pattern I see is this: when we’re deeply unhappy, burned out, or disillusioned by our work, our instinct is to escape. We want to run as far and fast as we can in the opposite direction—away from toxic bosses, constant stress, lack of meaning, or feeling undervalued or in the wrong place.

For instance, a senior HR executive who’s exhausted by dysfunctional leadership may dream of launching an online wellness brand. A finance VP disenchanted with chasing profits might long to pivot into nonprofit work to feel they’re contributing to the greater good. Sometimes, those are the right moves. But many times, they’re not.

In fact, what’s often happening is what I call the Pendulum Effect—a knee-jerk reaction to pain. Instead of moving forward with clarity and intention, people can often swing wildly to the opposite extreme, hoping to leave all the suffering behind. In the process, professionals often abandon everything they’ve built (a move I refer to as “throwing the baby out with the bathwater) without truly understanding what needs to be healed or addressed first.

Here’s what I’ve learned—through both personal experience and coaching hundreds of others: radically changing your job or career won’t fix the root problem if you don’t shift and grow in the process. And by “you,” I mean the way you operate in the world of work. That includes your boundaries, ego, emotional self-awareness, communication habits, response to stress, decision-making, relationships, and more.

Those internal patterns don’t magically disappear when you land a new job or switch industries. Unless you do the inner and outer work to grow into a more confident, self-respecting, impactful professional, those same problems will most likely show up again—just in a different environment.

That’s why, before you make any dramatic shifts in your professional life, it’s critical to first address this foundational question:

Who are you when you are working—and is that version of you serving your highest visions and happiest potential?

(To help you answer that question, take my free Career Path Self-Assessment survey – an eye-opening, thorough review of your full career trajectory and your pivotal life experiences, and what they’re revealing to you now).

When you commit to strengthening yourself personally and professionally, your career will begin to reflect that elevated version of you. The level of success, fulfillment, and reward you experience will be directly tied to your ability to grow and expand from the inside out.

That inner transformation involves addressing what my research has identified are the 7 power and confidence gaps that hold many professionals back from thriving. And it includes developing what I call the nine essential skills for success and happiness—skills that empower you to show up with strength, purpose, and authenticity.

You simply can’t create a joyful, rewarding, and sustainable career if you’re deeply lacking in these core competencies:

• Self-awareness and emotional intelligence

• Communication skill

• Building strong relationships

• Decision-making

• Leadership

• Advocating and negotiating

• Work-life balance

• Boundary enforcement

• Career planning and management

(Here’s more about three of those.)

How can we tell if we’re deficient in these skills and need more development around these to thrive? Below are some prime indicators that these skills would benefit from strengthening right now:

 

If you review this list and feel a bit overwhelmed because you feel many of these skills need development, that’s ok, and there’s good news. It means you have the self-awareness to understand that to be happier and more successful, some growth is required. That’s true for each and everyone one of us.

Choose one or two skills from the list above that you feel need the most development, and take proactive measures this month to build these skills.

You can do this in many ways, including:

• Taking a course that calls to you
• Engaging in a new community of like-minded people who wish to learn and grow in ways that you do
• Access outside help from a mentor or coach on your communication style
• Seeking help from a therapist to address your emotional pain from the past
• Prioritizing your life outside of work more highly
• Deciding how and when you want to work with your manager to create a development plan or negotiate your next raise or promotion

Whatever small step you wish to take to boost your growth, confidence and self-trust, don’t wait. Move forward now now to positively shift how you see yourself and how you interact with the world.

This one small step on the path to your growth and expansion can change everything for you.

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For hands-on support to generate exciting career progress and experience the breakthrough you wish for, join Kathy in a private Career & Leadership Breakthrough coaching program, and take her video course The Most Powerful You to rapidly boost your confidence, impact and success.

To help your teams and experience a rapid boost in professional growth and confident, hire Kathy to speak at your next conference or event.

And bring Kathy Caprino AI to your teams today, for instant access to ongoing career and leadership growth support and guidance.

For more information, visit kathycaprino.com and findingbrave.org.

 

 

 

 

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