Jun 14, 2021
You know those days you just want to quit your job? On today’s episode of IntHERrupt, Linda is joined by Nicole Tschierske to discuss why you might not want to immediately quit and look for your next opportunity. As a scientist and positive psychology coach, Nicole helps her clients strategically turn their career frustrations into a renewed love for their work.
Why shouldn't you find a new job when you're feeling under-challenged or overwhelmed?
- There will be situations you just have to get out of, such as discrimination or if you’ve tried to make changes without success.
- But, especially if you work at a larger company, there are often many areas and new opportunities within your company.
Nicole had to overcome feeling under-challenged in her career.
- At a previous job, Nicole had to knock on her manager’s door to ask for new opportunities.
- She tried everything to remain challenged at work, and management told her she just had to be patient. But soon, an entire year went by without change.
- When these monotonous feelings began to seep into her personal life, she looked for a coach for help.
Her advice to someone who feels under-challenged or overwhelmed:
- It's normal to have a perceived plateau of learning.
- If you feel you have to leave your company to grow, stay another year and use that extra bandwidth you have from no longer struggling with technicalities; use it to learn a whole set of other skills you might need for your future career.
Nicole’s guide to job tweaking:
- What is job tweaking? It’s changing your daily work routine to make it more worthwhile or fun for you.
- Look at the tasks you have to do, and find a way to switch them up. Can you change tasks with someone? Can you stack the most difficult ones at the beginning of the day?
- Look at your relationships. Who energizes you? Or is there someone you have to manage your emotions around? Find ways to work on more challenging tasks with those you like to work with and vice versa.
- Think about what you do and find meaning behind it. Who are you helping? What are you providing? Asking these questions can give your work meaning beyond the mundane.
How can you get noticed in the workplace to progress?
- Take on tasks beyond your realm of responsibility, especially cross-functional projects that help out multiple people.
- Try to work with people who bring out your best work.
- Enjoy your work. If you can find joy, even in a mundane task, you’ll make progress. Just remember, you likely won’t be at that job forever. But while you're there, you might as well make the best of it.
Has Nicole ever been interrupted, and how she’s overcome it:
- Nicole has definitely been interrupted, but she has also been accused of interrupting others.
- To overcome being interrupted, Nicole asks herself what is important: standing up for herself or ensuring the point she’s making reaches the audience. Depending on the context, she uses different strategies to achieve the outcome she wants.
Want to get in contact with Nicole? Connect with her on LinkedIn or visit her website.
Do you have stories to tell? Connect with Linda to share them. This podcast is produced by TSE Studios. Check out other podcasts by TSE Studios, including this episode’s sponsor, The Sales Evangelist, helping new and struggling sellers close more deals and achieving their sales goals.
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Audio created by Ryan Rasmussen
Productions.