“I hate my job.”
If you find yourself saying that, executive coach Kay Y. Wallace of Effective Solutions Inc. has a question for you: Are you ready to do something about it?
It’s an important question, she says.
“When the pain of change is less than the pain of staying the same, people will take action,” Wallace said.
If you really do want a change, and you’re ready to work on it, Wallace says, then you will realize you don’t have to stay in the rut you’re stuck in. On your way to a new job, the job you now hate may become one you love.
“I’m a firm believer that you should love a job before you leave it,” she said.
How? “You can change your attitude about your current job, and it will look like a new job,” Wallace said. “But, you must look deeply at it and view it with new eyes.”
To accomplish this, first understand the source of your unhappiness or frustration. What’s making you unhappy? Wallace suggests making a list. Putting your thoughts in writing will help you analyze what is really going on, she says.
“Is it the environment? A particular situation? The type of work you’re doing or the nature of the work?” Wallace said. “Is it the people, in the sense of who I work with? Is it how the work is being done? Is it yourself, that I don’t like my reactions? Or is it also (a problem with) expectations?”
Then, examine your own attitude. Using statements that begin with “I think” and “I believe,” record how you feel about what you’ve listed in the first section of your analysis. “If your unhappiness is about the people, what is it exactly? Is it your boss? Note that in writing and explain specifically what it is you don’t like about her.”
At the heart of the transformation from negative feelings to more positive experiences is a move from what may have been a passive to a new active role in managing your work life, Wallace says.
Finally, ask yourself, “What things have I done or said or not done or said about this problem?”
“Then you can understand if there is some set of actions you haven’t taken that you should,” Wallace said. “Also, you can begin to understand, what’s a different way I could look at this?”
Use the answers to map a game plan.
“As you’re getting ready for your new opportunity, you can use your current job as a playground to test things, try things, and it will seem like a new job,” she said.
By designing and implementing new approaches to your work, you will feel more empowered and energized, Wallace said, and you might not even have to leave.
“If your manager sees you acting differently,” she said, “that may put you on the radar screen to be noticed for new opportunities.”
