What we do when we are unhappy is what makes all the difference
Image Credit: stefan klocek
Having the CIO job sure seems like it should be something that would make you happy. I’m willing to guess that since you’ve worked so hard to get this position most days you are at least fairly happy with the idea of going to work to deal with things related to the importance of information technology. However, in every job that we have, there will probably always come a time when for whatever reason we decide that we really hate the job that we currently have. Hmm, looks like we’re in a tricky situation. What’s the person in the CIO position to do now?
It’s All About Caring
When you decide that you really, really don’t like the job that you currently have, there are a number of different things that you could do. These include searching for a solution to whatever is making this a job that you don’t like. We’re going to assume that you’ve already tried to do this. You could go searching for your next job; however, maybe this is not a possibility simply because you just started the job that you’ve decided that you now don’t like. Your final option is to just start to complain about the job to everyone that is around you. I’m hoping that it goes without saying that this is never a good idea.
One of the big issues that you’re going to need to find a way to deal with is the fact that you no longer care about your job. When you start to feel this way it can be all too easy to start to let things slip – such as starting to show up for work later and later each day because you no longer care. Additionally, you may stop doing the work that the company is counting on you to do. That’s not going to benefit you or the people that you work with. What you need to realize is that the people that you are working with right now will be the ones who act as your references as you go forward. You need to make sure that when you leave this job, you do so on the best terms possible so that you’ll have good references.
When You Can’t Start Looking For Your Next Job
When you decide that you don’t like the job that you have, it is now time for you to start the process of finding your next job. The problem that a lot of us have with this is that we really hate the job search process and we avoid it like the plague. The problem with avoiding doing this is that if we’re not careful, we’re going to find ourselves stuck in the job that we hate doing for way too long.
So what’s the secret to making a task that we don’t like, searching for our next job, something that we can actually find the time to do? One secret to being successful at doing this is to take a look at your calendar and determine when you might have an hour here and an hour there to perform a job search. By doing this you can make a task that you really don’t like doing just a bit more palatable and you might even find yourself looking forward to you next opportunity to shoot out some job applications.
Just Shut-Up Already
The interesting thing about having a job that really sucks is that it tends to make us sad and unhappy. When we are sad and unhappy it can start to grow and grow inside of us. The more unhappy we get, the more pressure we’ll start to feel as though we are under. What we are going to start to risk is losing control – we may at some point in time end up taking it out on someone that we’re working with and that’s not going to be good for anyone.
This is why it is so very important that you find someone that you can talk to. It doesn’t matter if this is a friend or a family member. Often we tend to hold our issues inside because we don’t want to “burden” those closest to us with what is going on in our lives. However, if you really are not happy in your job these are the people who are going to be able to see it the most clearly. You owe it to them to share with them what is going on in your life. By opening yourself up to them, you’ll be able to release some of that pressure that has been building inside and it will help you to make it through this difficult period.
What All Of This Means For You
There will be times when one day you wake up and realize that you are working at a job that you no longer like. When this happens, you may find that you are now in a difficult situation. You will want to get out of the job that you are in, but for a wide variety of reasons that may not be something that you can do in the short term. What should you do to get by?
The first thing that you need to realize is that if you are not careful, you’ll start to let things slip. You’ll no longer treat the job that you have with respect and you’ll start to cut corners. This is a bad decision because it will end up harming the people that you’ve been working with and these are the very people who will be providing you with a reference as you go on to your next job. When you know that it’s time to move on, you need to start looking for your next job. This can be a task that none of us look forward to doing. One way to make it happen is to schedule time on your calendar to spend job hunting. This can ensure that you’ll make progress and you might even start to look forward to it. Finally, being unhappy in a job can start to build up inside of you. If you are not careful, you may end up taking it out on the people that you are working with. What you need to do is to find a friend or family member that you can open up to in order to release some of your pressure.
No, it’s never fun to realize that you are currently working at the wrong job for you. However, having this realization is a critical first step in starting to find the job that you should be working at. Understand that when you are unhappy in a job you may make a series of mistakes that can come back to haunt you. Keep working at your job, take steps to find your next perfect job, and when the opportunity comes, leave your current job on the best terms possible.
– Dr. Jim Anderson
Blue Elephant Consulting –
Your Source For Real World IT Department Leadership Skills™
Question For You: When you don’t like your current job, should you avoid taking on new projects?
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What We’ll Be Talking About Next Time
I really hate to share this with you – but, you’re getting old. How can we tell this? Simple, millennials are starting to become managers in your IT department. Wasn’t it just a few years ago that we were talking about how to deal with the millennials who were just then entering the IT department? Somehow time has marched on and now those same millennials are starting to be the ones in charge. As the CIO, how you choose to manage these millennial managers is going to be different and you need to know how to go about doing it correctly.
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