Have you hit a wall in your professional career or in your business? We have all been there. Our work lives often ebb and flow, but there are some tried and true strategies for breaking through that wall and taking your career to the next level. Let’s consider a few today.
Take a Break
Perhaps one of the best ways to break through a wall is to slow down in order to speed up. Taking a break to recharge, perhaps even with a change of scenery, may provide much-needed fuel for your corporate fire. It might be a vacation, a day off, or just an afternoon walk outside to think. The bottom line is a break can help you see your work more clearly.
Create Goals for Your Career
When you hit a wall, consider what your overall goals and objectives are for your career. What is profitable? What is not? What do you enjoy doing? What would you like to do more of? Create SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timebound) goals for your career to get you excited again about what you are doing.
Get Others Involved
When you hit a wall, one of the best things to do is to get other people involved. If you have a team, gather them together for a half day to review the current situation. If you don’t have a team, maybe tap a friend, family member, or business associate or two to help generate ideas for your career.
At this meeting, make sure to be clear about what success looks like and ensure everyone has an opportunity to speak. If you have a large company, you may want to break into small groups of 3-5 people.
Some questions to consider during this time include:
- How did you get here
- What are the issues
- What things have you tried already
- What lessons have you learned from your assessment
- What are some new things you can try in the future
- What resources it will take
- A rough timetable for implementing these new ideas
- Any issues that might get in the way
Each person you speak with can bring their own analysis of the situation, including implications and possible solutions. You can then take this information to come up with your preferred solutions to move forward. Follow up questions and suggestions might be needed.
Next Steps
After all this soul searching, return to your desk and consider what you have learned. Take the ideas that you are most excited about and make necessary adjustments. Communicate any changes to your team. And walk away with a new confidence that all your hard work has paid off and will lead to new, exciting opportunities.
