“Thinking out loud…..that maybe we found love right where we are.”

I can’t get Ed Sheeran’s song “Thinking Out Loud” out of my head these days. Maybe it’s the constant looping, the fact that it’s a pretty endearing tune, or maybe because Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. This got me thinking out loud about the number one issue people hire me to help them with: job dissatisfaction.

Following our very first coaching session, many of my clients with this career challenge actually find themselves thinking differently about the job they have after our conversation. Could they in fact be happier right where they are? If so, what is getting in the way?

If you are asking yourself: “Should I stay or should I go?” (can you guess the band who wrote this very catchy, popular 80’s tune?), here are 5 questions that will help you decide:

1. What do you like about your job? We wouldn’t accept a job offer that didn’t appeal to us in some way. While it’s true that during the life cycle of our career, conditions will exist that might force us to accept the less than perfect job (e.g., a recession), it’s also true that the opportunities to make careful and informed decisions about job offers will prevail. Think: What caused you to accept the job you have? What makes you happy about your job, even if you can only name one thing?
2. How would you describe your colleagues? Smart? Motivated? Team players? A tough group of people to work with? Compile a list of pros and cons. If the negatives outweigh the positives when it comes to describing the people you spend more time with than your friends and family, this could be a source of unhappiness.
3. How do others perceive you? Most of us have an impossible time answering this question since we wouldn’t dare stroll around our office collecting feedback from others on how they view us. Why? Because we might hear something we won’t like. However, one of the key contributors to job satisfaction is linked to actually knowing what people think of you. For example, if you are an introvert who doesn’t communicate much, others might decide you are unfriendly, stoic, or worse, ineffective. Gathering information from others on how we are being perceived is incredibly helpful to understanding if our work relationships are, well, working.
4. What is one thing you can do to improve your job happiness? Is there an obstacle or barrier you keep encountering? Do you need to have a difficult conversation with your teammate but keep avoiding it? Is there a confusing question that someone in HR can answer for you to help clarify a company policy or procedure, but you avoid contacting Human Resources? Is there a challenge that you shy away from such as taking on a leadership role because you think you will fail? Not taking action out of fear of the unknown can lead to poor job satisfaction levels.
5. How do you show up? How we “show up” at work, from being on time, to increasing our visibility, to showcasing our soft skills….counts. From the energy you bring into the room to your non-verbal cues, people are picking up information about you all the time, even when you aren’t making a sound. If others decide you are disengaged, they might even treat you that way. And how others treat us at work counts a lot in terms of how we feel about our jobs.

So whether you favor Ed Sheeran’s catchy, straight-to-the-heart musical prose or you love the throwback punk lyrics of The Clash (ok, I gave it away), you just might benefit from implementing small changes right where you are, and then deciding if you should stay or go and find happiness in a new job.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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©2015 Traverse Career Solutions | Ellen Dunagan