Ask yourself some questions.
Are you in a position to change those results for the better?
Would a new job or promotion solve your current dissatisfaction, or just give you more of the same?
For example, if you rated long hours as a negative, then a promotion with more responsibility is unlikely to bring those hours down.
Whether you intend staying, leaving, moving up, down or sideways, you need to identify your skills so you can take advantage of any future opportunities.
List everything you not only know how to do, but what you are particularly good at.
A friend or colleague should be of some help here.
These skills could range from negotiating new contracts or answering customer queries to writing reports. Don't forget those skills you use in your spare time in hobbies, or personal interests, or skills that you've used in the past.
Now categorize them into skills you love using, those you're neutral about using, and those you dislike using, or don't feel particularly competent with.
Those you love using fall into your zone of motivation.
This zone has all the skills you're great at and would enjoy using more often.
Can you use them more frequently in your current position, such as being able to teach them to others?
How would you use them in a new job?
Those skills you feel OK or neutral about are in your zone of possibility. These are the skills that you would probably enjoy using, but need to develop. What do you need to help develop them?
Finally, those skills you dislike become your zone of dissatisfaction.
Can you reduce or remove them from your workload?
What impact will a new job have on how much you need to use these skills?
If you've never evaluated yourself and how your work fits with your skills before, this may seem like an unnecessarily laborious process to go through.
In fact, it's probably the easiest, quickest and most valuable thing you can do to fast track your way to a more successful and enjoyable career.
Source: The Press (New Zealand). Powered by Yellowbrix.
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