Mid-Course Corrections in Your Career
Have You Been Feeling Stuck? It may be time for a mid-course correction in your career.
You can’t steer a parked car.
I have this thought on a post-it note above my desk. What does it mean exactly? Have you ever been sitting in your parked car waiting for someone, and while you were waiting, have you ever tried to turn the wheel?
I have, and it’s really hard to do.
Without the ignition on, you get no power steering assistance, and without any forward movement, you're fighting all the resistance the tires can offer.
But when you start the car and take your foot off the brake so that you’re moving forward even slightly, things change significantly.
So why am I talking about driving?
Well, it’s the same with your career. If you’re stuck in place, you can’t steer.
You have to be moving to make course corrections. If you’re feeling stuck or stalled, it’s good to take stock of the areas where you can get in motion.
What is a Mid-Course Correction in Your Career?
Professionally, you can think about the need for a mid-course correction as a time when you aren’t gaining any traction. Or have achieved all goals you’ve set for yourself but no longer enjoy what you’re doing.
A mid-course correction may be in order the moment when you realize that you are stalled out. It is the acknowledgement that your goals or plans for your career are not being achieved. It’s a time where you can take stock of your skill areas that you could develop and ways that you can network or make connections to stimulate new ideas and gain traction.
Even if you can’t identify any professional areas to get in motion, creating forward momentum in other areas of your life gets the car moving. Is there a hobby you’ve been wanting to try, or maybe it’s some way to contribute to a charity or your community?
But maybe the best question is - do you even know why you’re stuck in place?
I offer a complimentary session where we discuss coaching, and your goals, and see if we're a good fit to work together. There’s no obligation beyond 30-45 minutes of our time.
What is course correction in goal setting?
Often, the goals we make on our way to the top look very different once we’re there. As high achievers, we are so used to setting and achieving goals; we forget to pause sometimes and wonder if the goal still fits the lifestyle we are looking to lead.
Why is course correction necessary?
It’s okay and even smart to let go of a goal that no longer serves you in favor of one that is more exciting. My motto for all of my clients is for them to have a fulfilling career, happy life. And the course correction on goals that no longer fit or goals that you can’t seem to make traction on helps to bring you back into fulfillment with your career.
How to Know it's Time for a Mid-Course Correction
You or the company you work for most likely set your plans at the beginning of the year and then break them down into quarterly and monthly goals with regular check-ins. I believe that there is a fine line between visiting your goal often enough to be dynamic and adaptable and checking in so frequently that the goal develops its own gravity and it becomes too big.
Your goal could involve choosing a career path, reaching specific numbers within your business, or achieving certain accomplishments for the company you work for.
Revisit your goal before assuming it should be finished. To continue with the car metaphor, if you have chosen your lane, don’t wait until you're over the bumps and on the shoulder. Catch it when you start to veer a bit.
Stagnation and Lack of Progress
If you establish regular weekly or monthly checkpoints, it will be obvious that you are or are not moving forward. But if you haven’t visited your goals in a while, it can be more nuanced. A lack of progress in your career path can look and feel many ways. And not all of them include a raise in pay or new position.
Some signs of career stagnation are…
A lack of excitement to head back to work for the week (Missing that TGIM feeling)
Irritation or ambivalence towards your team's performance
Your network hasn’t expanded
You haven’t refreshed your skill set
Recognizing the signs of career stagnation is often half the battle. Once you know that your car is parked you will naturally come up with ways to get it in motion again.
Misalignment with Goals and Values
Sometimes the veer is taking you somewhere more valuable than the actual plan. Checking in with this allows you to make this change on purpose and with intention and make the most of it rather than just riding it out.
The goals we made for ourselves right out of college or at the beginning of our careers are often based on assumptions. It’s not our fault that we lacked the experience - it’s a natural part of the human condition. But as you grow, your goals should grow with you. And that may include letting go of some of your idealistic plans.
Market and Industry Changes
The need for a mid-course correction doesn’t always lie within us. Sometimes it’s due to factors beyond our control. Your industry may have shifted dramatically because of updates to technology or changes in the law.
Have these changes made the job you want or the one you are in obsolete?
Is it time to learn new skills so that you can keep up with current trends?
These are some worthwhile questions to ask yourself if you feel stalled. It may be that you don’t need to change your goal at all, just the steps you will need to take to get there.
Feedback and Self-Assessment
Many companies include routine performance reviews and 360 feedback sessions. If your organization is one of these, take advantage of that feedback. And if you have a hard time taking in the feedback from your colleagues and team, elicit the help of a trusted mentor or coach. Sometimes reviewing feedback with someone you trust can help you own your strengths and acknowledge areas for improvement better than if you were to review it alone.
And don’t just rely on exterior feedback. Do your own self-assessment. I’ve created the Career Satisfaction Assessment for exactly this purpose. Tracking how satisfied you are in the different areas of your life and career will reveal to you how much you need to change your goals, if at all. A self-assessment can sometimes reveal that it’s not your career path that needs to change, but the attention you are giving to other areas of your life. You won’t know until you take a look.
Making Mid-Course Corrections
When you notice your goal veering, you can either go with it or correct it. Either way it’s important to make a conscious choice. This is your career. You are in the driver's seat.
Reflect and Assess
What does checking in on your goal look like?
Pause for a moment. What's your desired outcome? Get really clear on that. What do you need to be doing to accomplish that goal?
It’s time for a gut check on whether the steps are still taking you in the right direction.
If your answer is yes, you are still on course and still excited about the outcome of your goals. What you are doing is allowing you to be where you’re supposed to be.
If your answer is no, you are still not on the best course for you, then it’s time to take a look at what steps are causing you to veer from the course and make a midcourse correction.
There is another option as well. One that Bob Ross would call a happy accident. You may notice you have veered from the course, but you like this new path and outcome more than the original path. It might be time to change your goal.
Research and Plan
Now that you know which path you are charting, you can make informed decisions about the potential career paths and opportunities available to you. Take this new goal, even if it is the same as your old one, and develop a strategic plan with short-term and long-term goals.
Accountability with your plan will help you not stall out again. Connect with a mentor, a trusted colleague or a career-life coach like myself to help you stay on track by sharing your goals and milestones with them.
Skill Development and Education
One course of action may be to improve your skill set through new technology or advanced education. What skills or qualifications are necessary for your next step?
Companies often host a variety of opportunities for their employees to improve their skill sets through courses, workshops, and even private coaching. Inquire with your HR department about what is available to you. If they don’t have established resources they may be willing to consider your ideas, so feel free to bring something to the table for discussion.
Networking and Professional Growth
Connections are so important to our personal and professional growth. It’s why I have connections as one of the 8 pillars of my Career Satisfaction Assessment.
The best time to connect is before you need to. I recommend a tiered approach to building connections with industry professionals to expand your network.
First, start with your core group. Those 2 - 5 people who you really trust and can be open about the goal you are working towards. Share your goal with them and see if they have any connections to recommend.
Next, look at those people who are not in your day-to-day life but you respect them and look up to them. This will be a group of about 10 - 15. They may share a similar position with you or be one step above you.
During these conversations a great question to ask is “do you have suggestions for anyone else I should contact for ideas or advice?” Most people like to help and this is an easy request, and you never know where it may lead.
Take Action
Now that you've acknowledged that you may have stalled out and identified your next steps, it's time for you to take action. A ladder is only good if you climb it. Set a date for hitting your first small goal and take one step forward.
Mid-Course Correction vs Mid-Life Career Change
When people first come to me, they assume that a mid-course correction automatically means that they need to make a mid-life career change. And that is not always the case! In fact, many of my clients find fulfillment right where they are without having to do a lengthy job search. So how do you know when to dig in and when to jump ship?
The answer lies within you. Take my Career Satisfaction Assessment and see where you land on the 8 Pillars of Satisfaction. This is a free, self-directed exercise designed to help you take the first step to figuring out the answer to this weighty question.
Taking the Career Satisfaction Assessment is only one step towards creating a more fulfilling career and therefore, happy life for yourself. If you feel that a career coach is part of this journey for you, for guidance, to help you navigate mid-course corrections, and hold you accountable to do the work, I’d love to talk.
I offer a complimentary session where we discuss coaching and your goals, and see if we're a good fit to work together. There’s no obligation beyond 30-45 minutes of our time.
