Successfully Navigate Your Work Environment and Create the Rewarding Career You Desire!
Many of us don’t need to find a new job or switch careers… You may even already love what you do! But that doesn’t mean we all don’t face difficulties at work or in our careers from time to time that we could use some help to overcome.
It’s probably safe to say that all of us have felt stuck, bored, stressed, or burnt out in our careers, or faced some sort of conflict with our bosses, co-workers, or the structure and values of the organizations we work for at one time or another.
So, what’s next? And how do you get from here to there?
Unfortunately, while our education and professional training may provide us all of the information we need to understand our field and fulfill our professional responsibilities, few of us are ever taught how to create a career or professional development plan or how to successfully navigate the work environment.
Most of us were never taught a thing about stress management or relationship dynamics, how to know when it’s time to stay or time to go, and we don’t always understand the unwritten rules of relationship building or how to handle conflicts at work.
I’ve worked with and helped countless clients who’ve:
- Felt overwhelmed or burnt out or like they’ve “hit a wall;”
- Had difficulties communicating with their bosses and co-workers;
- Thought their bosses had no idea of their accomplishments or what they’d contributed to their organizations;
- Felt stuck due to an employer’s resistance to change;
- Faced challenges working with one or more team members; or
- Felt like it was time for a change, but didn’t know what they needed next.
I think most of us can relate to and have experienced at least one of these frustrations during the course of our careers… So, if any of that sounds familiar, you’re definitely far from alone!
The real problem is that, while it may be easier to find fault with someone else, or blame something external like a rigid corporate culture, we can’t change someone else’s behavior… We can only change ourselves.
Is It Time to Create Something New?
If you really enjoy what you do and the issues you’re experiencing are confined to your relationships with others, or you feel like you don’t get enough recognition at work for all of your efforts, then the first thing you need to figure out is whether or not you can accept the situation as it is or adapt and change your own behaviors and reactions.
Again, it’s important to remember that we can’t change other people… you can only change YOU!
Fortunately, adapting and creating change doesn’t have to be as difficult as it may seem…
Over the course of my three decades helping people successfully create professional development plans and navigate the work environment, I’ve often found that many of my clients’ professional relationship issues stem from personal relationship issues they’ve unknowingly brought into the office.
For example, if we’re experiencing stress at home, we often bring that stress with us into the office. Or vice versa, if we’re experiencing a lot of stress at work, we can all too easily bring that stress and dissatisfaction home with us, creating a vicious circle.
We can also easily bring our family relationship dynamics to work with us without knowing it…
I’ve helped more than a few clients who’ve repeated the antagonistic or adversarial relationships they’ve had with their parents or siblings with their bosses and co-workers, without ever being conscious they’re doing so!
Once you uncover the underlying reasons for the relationship difficulties you’re experiencing, coming up with effective coping solutions is relatively straightforward and just requires a little practice and patience.
And when it comes to career and professional development planning, I’ve found that many of us hold limiting beliefs about what we can and can’t achieve that keep us from experiencing all of the fulfillment and joy our careers can offer.
If you feel stuck because of some underlying anxiety, fear, or one or more limiting beliefs about yourself or what’s possible, then these issues need to be addressed first and foremost.
No amount of coaching is going to help you get a promotion if you’re afraid deep down inside of the new responsibilities that come with it, just as you’ll never be truly happy at work if you believe that duty and responsibility always come before joy and happiness.
More often that not, it’s ourselves we have to get over… Not some obstacle at work.
In fact, one of the reasons I started Career Therapy is to bring my years of experience in my counseling and psychotherapy practice – in which I help people overcome anxiety, fears, relationship issues, and the limiting beliefs that hold them back – to all of those who are looking to find or create a career they love and that is truly rewarding.
So, if you’re looking for some objective, non-judgmental professional guidance and support with any career challenges you’re facing… look no further!
Ready to Get Started?
I’ve been helping people create career and professional development plans, resolve professional relationship issues, overcome negative self-beliefs and patterns of behavior, develop new skills, and successfully navigate their workplace environments to create careers they truly love for the better part of the past three decades, both in my work supervising career counselors at John F. Kennedy University’s Career Center and San Francisco State University’s Career Counseling and Development Center, as well as in my career counseling and career coaching practice in the San Francisco Bay.
We’ll begin by thoroughly reviewing your career history. I’ll also likely ask you to take one or more personality or career assessments. Together, these things will help both you and I can get clear about your work style and the professional environment that would likely suit you best.
We can then explore the dynamics of your present work environment, how your needs are being met and how they aren’t, and then set concrete goals and create one or more step-by-step action plans that takes advantage of your unique strengths, talents, and skills, so you can have the confidence you need to better cope with stress, manage conflict and more effectively communicate in the workplace, and feel empowered to make the best choices possible.
Sometimes clients find that all they really need is to acquire some additional skills or responsibilities, or the growth a professional mentor or coach can help them achieve.
Some clients discover that all of their relationship and workplace issues are due to the fact that they really are burnt out in their profession and that they need to switch jobs or careers in order to feel happy and fulfilled.
In the end, regardless of whether or not you decide it’s necessary to change positions or industries to feel happy and satisfied in your career, we can work together so you can discover what you need, what you want, and how to create a more satisfying, balanced, and truly rewarding professional life.
And, if you’re not sure whether or not you can afford to make a change or step back and focus on your own professional needs, let me ask you… What is it costing you today to continue feeling the way you do?
What’s it worth to you to feel truly engaged, inspired and successful in your work… to have a rewarding career that you absolutely love?
Are you ready to create something new?!?
Remember, you don’t have to navigate the stresses, uncertainties and possibilities of your professional life alone…
If you have any questions about how I can help you understand what you want and need to feel engaged and fulfilled at work, or you’re ready to dive in, uncover and overcome any personal or interpersonal obstacles you’re facing, and find or create the professional success you desire, contact me today at (510) 486-1188 or schedule a free initial phone consultation, today. I look forward to speaking with you.