What do you need to do to change your career trajectory when:

Instead of the ‘safe career’ that you envisioned 15 years ago, you find yourself in a stagnant industry; in a stable (but unexciting) company; with predictable annual 2.5% merit increases; with a boss that hasn’t developed you or motivated you. Over the last year, your job has become lifeless and uninteresting and you feel like you ‘sold out’!

What do you need to do to change your career trajectorywhen:

You find that the ‘safe business’ that you envisioned and built is no longer a livelihood option because the business failed; the business never really provided the amount of revenue you need for this stage of your life; a competitor successfully penetrated and dominated your market, or you were ousted as part of a hostile takeover.

Day after day I listen to the career stories of leaders or aspiring leaders who are experiencing a career set-back; executive career derailment; slowed career momentum, and finally, less career passion, physical energy or sense of purpose.

I want to fix it, to fix them and to send them on their way with the perfect solution and the typical traffic cop’s admonition to “watch the road signs, be more careful, don’t do this again and have a safe day!”

But that’s not my role.

My role as a Career Coach is to help you develop a Career Transformation Plan. You know you need to transform your career when:

- To paraphrase the famous car commercial: ‘When you turn on your career each day, does it return the favor?’

- Even your daydreams at work are boring.

- Both hemispheres of your brain – the left side of your brain characterized as “logical” and the right side of your brain characterized as “creative” – agree that you are not living your best career destiny.

- You can’t imagine doing this same job, in this same company for the next 10 or 20 years.

- You know you are unappreciated, underutilized and undercompensated.

- You are concerned that you will be right-sized, downsized or fired and you are living The 18 Month Syndrome – knowing and not doing anything to change your career future.

- Both your affect and your effect can be quantified and represented by using negative numbers.

A question for you to consider:

* What signs are you ignoring that act as a ‘herald’ of future career turbulence? If you are concerned that you have not renewed the arc of your career trajectory, contact me at: cglasco@charter.net

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