The Challenge and Opportunity of Standing Still
Searching for jobs, especially senior level jobs, can be a humbling experience. If you are applying for senior level positions, you are doing so because you are probably both driven and competitive. This is a characteristic that makes you an ideal candidate for that job. Unfortunately, so is everyone else who is applying, which often leads to you not getting that job and working through the emotional fallout that follows. You may be one of those people who have always wanted to be the “best” so when you do not get the position, there is a challenge to what you define as success. If you, like me, have been trying to take the next step for quite some time, at some point you can become frustrated and disillusioned. Essentially you are not progressing and are standing still. This is both a challenge and an opportunity. If part of your definition of your professional self is someone who is constantly on the move and on a quest to get to the top of your organization, I can imagine that not getting there leaves you with feelings of being stuck.
The challenge for you is how to stay persistent in the search while at the same time seeking the opportunities you have where you are at right now. It is an invitation to reflect on what your definition of success is. Growth means constantly reflecting, examining and revaluating your goals and definitions of success. Maybe you didn’t hit your career goal of getting “X” position by “Y” year. What happened when you didn’t get there? Where are you at right now? If you love the job you have, embrace what you love about it. Find ways to share your leadership skills across your current organization. Provide mentorship, seek opportunities to share your experiences, find a work/life balance. Or you can ask yourself: What other opportunities are there that you have not been seeing? What are some skills you have always wanted to develop?
Perhaps not moving up is a way of the cosmos telling you to take on a new and different perspective. Standing still does not mean you are not growing and moving. Even when you are standing still, you are still moving through space at 67,000 miles per hour. When you get to a certain level professionally, it is really hard to continue to move up, especially if you are coming in from the outside. Personally, I know this all too well. The last year, I have had 10 first and second interviews for seven positions and have received zero offers. While frustrating, life did continue and I have seen this as an opportunity to reevaluate my definition of success as well as enhance my leadership skills where I am at. It is important to remember that not getting that next level position does not mean you are any less of a professional. You are more than your job title.
My coach asked me “What will be your definition of success when you are 80?” I invite you to ask yourself the same question. The answer might surprise and enlighten you.
