Are you stuck in your career but you’re not sure why?

 

Could it be that there is something blocking you from making progress in your career?  Maybe something unseen that you’re unaware of?

 

Hello and a very warm welcome to Episode No 30 of ‘Your Bravo Career’

My name is Mark Crossfield, I’m a Professional Career Coach / helping you to love your job and build a great career.  

 

How you can enjoy what you are doing day each day at work

and how to build a great career along the way.

Introduction

In this episode, I’m going to focus on the most common career blocks that show up and how we can deal with them.

 

I see these blocks all the time with my coaching clients, and when I point them out to you, you might recognise some of them yourself.

 

I will also be discussing a News item that is all about the B Corporation movement – don’t know what that is, then hang in there and I will explain

 

And,

 

As usual, I have got some helpful resources to share with you, to help you in your career

 

Ok, let’s move on to Career New.

Bravo Career News

 

You might recall that in Episode 28 I talked about how there had been several reports about people seeking out jobs that align with their values and ethics. 

 

This was being referred to as the ‘Great Resignation’, people seeking out new careers that can have a positive impact on the world.

 

I shared with you that the Evening Standard ran a piece saying that a growing number of us are willing to forgo big paycheques and job security in the name of, ‘aligning career and soul’.

 

So,

A few of you reached out to me to say that you were interested in looking at jobs that align with your values but it wasn’t practical to reduce your salary. You have a mortgage, family and bills to pay.

Well a B Corp is to business what Fair Trade is to coffee… They are businesses that give as much consideration to their social and environmental impact as they do to their financial returns. Which of course, is pretty uncommon.

 

To achieve this, organisations have to score at least a minimum score against a set of social and environmental standards.  

 

There are around 5,000 B Corp organisations worldwide, in 60 countries with about 10% of those in the UK.

 

In 2015 the initiative launched in the UK and there are now about 500 B Corporations, including household names: These include Propercorn, Innocent drinks and Abel & Cole etc.

 

I have put a link in the show notes to the Directory of companies and some information about the B Corp movement.

 

 

 

 

Well in the news this week I saw that the UK has a new banking app called Novus, and has become the first digital banking app in the UK to become a certified B Corporation. Links in the show notes.

 

 

Founded by five entrepreneurs with shared experience in fintech, software, growth and sustainability, Novus is a next-generation digital banking and lifestyle app that uses the power of technology to generate positive impact. So it seems likely that if tech and financial services companies can flourish without comprising on important values then lots of other sectors will be able to follow suit. And, moreover, it may be that comprises on salary may also not be needed.

 

So what are the career Implications of all this? Well, It might be that now is a great time for your to take a look at B Corporations.

Could B Corporations be the way you could align your values with your work without trading down on your salary?

 

What do you think? Are you interested In B Corporation? Could it work for you?

Let me know.

 

Ok, let’s get on with the main part of the show.

 

Thinking about your career path now. Wouldn’t it be ideal if our careers moved along smooth, predictable pathways towards satisfying, fulfilling and enjoyable work? And, while this should be natural and maybe easy, the path can, in reality, be anything but easy. There are several reasons for this and I have mentioned these before on the podcast:

And the focus of this podcast is on those blocks. What are the most common career blocks that show up and how we can deal with them? 

 

I’m going to talk you through the 4 most common blocks that are likely to show up in your career. The first one is …

 

1.  A lack of belief that there’s something better ‘out there’ (Repeat)

One of the main blockers when it comes to your career is the belief that there isn’t a better alternative. Maybe you feel ‘stuck’, but you can’t see that a better, more enjoyable opportunity is possible for you. To have this unconscious Mindset that change isn’t possible for you can be stupefying. It can stop you from thinking of alternatives and keep you in a job or career that’s mediocre at best.

 

I know from personal experience what this block feels like. I wasn’t enjoying my career several years ago, but I had the mindset that this was as good as it is going to get. I didn’t believe there would be anything better out there for me.

 

 

Remember, or believe, or have confidence that, in addition to your existing job, there will always be at least 3 career or job alternatives you could consider that would be very attractive. Nurture a Possibility Mindset that these other attractive and interesting options exist for you, even if you don’t initially feel like that’s the case. What's magic about career change is that new possibilities start to emerge as you begin to move towards those things that interest you. But you have to get started …

 

Ok, let’s move on to the second block …

 

2.  Lack of clarity on what be your ideal next move (Repeat)

 

Even if you do believe that there is something out there that would be better for you, if you are not clear on what your ideal next move could be, this becomes a problem and a blocker. Sometimes we want out, or a career change, but we don't know what 'out' would look like.

 

This second block often gets combined with the first one to make a very big blocker – not believing there is anything better for you and not having any insight whatsoever as to what an alternative might look like for you.

 

And, my suggested action here is …

Start to loosen your thinking about what other roles, jobs or careers you could do. Don’t limit yourself to your education, training and experience. Start to research the type of work you would love to do and find out more about companies you would love to work for.

Start to create some options around

-       What roles are you interested in? Describe them and record them in a journal or career planner

-       Which organisations would you like to work for? and even,

-       What industries are attracting you right now?

-       If you wanted to start a business what would that business do? Use your journal to record your thoughts.

Once you have started to do this, you will see that ideas and options start to manifest themselves. Contemplate these, rank them, rate and begin to get excited about what could be next for you.

Ok, so when it comes to your career blocks and how to deal with them, so far we have

-       One, A lack of belief that there’s something better ‘out there’ and

-       Two, a lack of clarity on what would be your next ideal move

 

And, in a few minutes, we will look at the next 2 most common blocks that are likely to show up in your career., but first, it’s time for Career Resources

Bravo Career Resources

Ok, so the resource today is an interview that I did with Michael Fisher on the subject of how leaders play a significant role in the development of individuals within an organisation.

 

This is a YouTube video, and I will put the link in the show notes.

 

 

Michael is an experienced Incorporated Engineer, a Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and an Accredited NEC4 ECC Project Manager, working mainly within the Airport infrastructure industry with strong experience in Highways design, Structural Engineering design. 

Michael’s Youtube channel 'Leadership in Construction' helps people to become better Leaders.

 

In my discussion I talk about:

1.    How leaders can have career conversations with employees

2.    How to help employees develop a potential career path

3.    Providing opportunities for employees to widen their experience

4.    Supporting learning and development

5.    How to facilitate mentoring opportunities

 

So, whether you are the leader in the organisation or not I think you will find a lot of value in the interview, and it will help your own personal development.

 

Ok, let’s get back to Part 2 of the episode.

Part 2

So, let’s look at the next 2 most common blocks that are likely to show up in your career

 

And the 3rd block is …

3.  No coherent strategy

 

Great careers don’t usually happen by themselves and without any deliberate forward planning. It is more likely that your career will be either static or will move in accordance with the plans that other people may have for you, your boss or well-meaning friends and colleagues for example.

Understanding what you want to do and achieve in your career and identifying the steps that will bring you closer to those goals is the way to go. This then becomes your strategy.

 

 

Take a good look at where you are in your career right now. Where do you want to be in your career? What are the next steps you need to take? Finally, what can you do today to plan your first actions?

 

4.  Lack of confidence to take the leap

 

Many people don’t make a shift in their jobs and careers because they don’t feel confident to do so. This positive motivational energy needed to make a big change appears to be absent and therefore, the thought of job applications, interviews and maybe even presentations seems like it would be too difficult and unpleasant to do.

 

The thing to remember though, is that confidence isn’t something fixed which you have or you don’t have. It’s something you can create and develop. In fact, it turns out that the way that you can do this is to take action.

 

 

First, decide to take the necessary steps to find and start doing work you love. This commitment will give you the courage to take those steps, and as you do so, you will see that your capability increases and your resistance to change decreases. The skills needed to take the leap improve and this then starts to feel like growing confidence. And, always remember, it’s not ‘I need to be confident to take action’, but rather ‘I need to take action to be confident’.

 

Finally, an extra sub tip here, sometimes you may need additional support in your career. In which case, seek help from those around you or get professional support. 

 

If you need help from a professional coach, reach out to me and let's have a FREE 45-minute chat. I can support you to make the leap into a more enjoyable role.

 

So, there you have it, the most common career blocks that show up and how we can deal with them.

-       You always have options in your career, at least 3 in my experience

-       You can start to get clarity quickly about what those options look like

-       Start to plan your first steps to move your career on and, as you do so, remember

-       It’s not ‘I need to be confident to take action’, but rather ‘I need to take action to be confident’.

 

 

 

Your call to action today is to:

 

Review these 4 blocks, see if any of them are impacting your career and take the advice prescribed to blast those blocks and get your career moving freely again.

So, that’s it! We’ve come to the end of another episode.

 

I hope you enjoyed the show.

  

You can email me at mark@bravocoaching.co.uk and you can find the show notes at bravocoaching.co.uk/podcast.

 

 

If you are interested in working with me, you can book a free discovery call on my website.

 

If you haven’t already subscribed, why not do that now. I’ve got a special guest on the next podcast who I’m excited to talk with. I think you will enjoy the conversation as well …

  

Have a wonderful week and I will speak to you again in a couple of weeks time.

 

Bye for now.