I attended a reception with senior leaders of a major global institution. One of the things that piqued my curiosity was that a few people I talked to seemed to be suffering from malaise. It’s not unusual to experience this attitude from “the troops” but this was a surprise given the level of the people in the room.
Of course, one or two of them may have been having a bad day. But that wasn’t what I observed. These people have risen in their careers, are successful in their endeavors, and are receiving recognition for many accomplishments.
But at some point, they lost their mojo. I got the strong impression that they felt trapped.
Do you ever feel trapped? Or know anyone close to you who feels this way? It’s a bad place to be, and it only gets worse the longer you hang on.
If you’re a successful leader in your current environment, surely you can transfer that acumen to another company, a different industry, or even a switch from corporate to non-profit (or vice versa).
The bottom line is that it’s OK to move on. No one will fault you, and if you thoughtfully approach a job or career change, you may end up in a much better place than your current job.
It’s easy to get stuck and feel somewhat helpless about making a big move. After all, you have leadership capital in your current role, and you’d need to rebuild it in a new job.
Reframe your situation. Instead of wallowing in feeling stuck, think of the opportunities afforded by making a change and bringing your talent to another organization. These are two radically different perspectives: are you stuck (a victim) or are you driving forward your future?