[CREATIVE CAREERS UNLEASHED] Managing Transitions http://ezezine.com In this issue, a look at the nature of Transitions and strategies for dealing more effectively with Transitions. CREATIVE CAREERS UNLEASHED! From Turning Point Strategies and Lyle T. Lachmuth Please do FORWARD Creative Careers Unleashed to Interested colleagues in your network. You’ll find links to join and leave this newsletter at the end. MANAGING TRANSITIONS A chance conversation with my son prompted me to change the focus of this newsletter. We were talking about his career aspirations and he said something like this, “How DO you make the transition from one career to another? It’s hard to know what to do?” Here are some thoughts. ======================================================================= HOT LINKS Recapture your zest and your life. Learn how to Manage Your Energy™ http://www.uc.dianalindstrom.com Richard Nelson Bolles companion site to What Color is Your Parachute --> http://www.jobhuntersbible.com/ Explore your interests. Discover your Occupational Type. Are you an Artistic, Investigative, Social, Enterprising, Realistic, or Conventional type? --> http://www.careerkey.org/cgi-bin/ck.pl?action=choices ======================================================================= MANAGING TRANSITIONS First, I want to acknowledge that Transitions ARE tough. Whether it’s getting divorced, getting married, moving from a place you’ve lived in for years, getting older, or making a big career shift, the CHANGE PROCESS is a challenge. And, that’s what a Transition is – a change process. It’s not the change itself that’s tough. It’s the Process you go through as you MOVE from where you are to where you want to be. Take an example from my life: I worked for 15 years in Information Systems and wanted to become an Organization Development (OD) consultant. It wasn’t really all that hard to figure out the steps I needed to take. Nor all that hard (Okay, the Masters’ degree was a challenge) to take the self same steps. But, the psychological adjustment was something else. It’s important to understand that your career transition will call for a psychological adjustment. For example, I had to see myself in new ways: OD consultant, entrepreneur, and marketer. The first of these was the toughest for me. It had taken a lot of grit and determination for me to build a career in IT. And, it was tough to let go of that identity. What are some of the other challenges you might face during the transition? And, what can you do about them? ======================================================================= QUOTES "Change is so damn hard!" – Billy Crystal "There is no sin punished more implacably by nature than the sin of resistance to change." -- Anne Morrow Lindberg "I wanted a perfect ending... Now, I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment, and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity." - Gilda Radner ======================================================================= MANAGING TRANSITIONS – continued To sum up: Transition is a psychological process, an emotional issue. It’s not about rational explanations or tangible “To Do’s”. Nor is it visible. So, what are the challenges you could face in making a major career shift? #1 Trouble Giving Up Your Old Identity Let’s explore that a bit further. The funny thing is that even if you don’t want to be an X. Even, in fact, if you hate being an X. It’s tough to embrace being an O. Why? Well, for years when asked what you do, you’ve said, “I’m an X!” You may dislike the work but damn you know how to do it! And, the longer you do something the harder it is to let go. For example, 15 years of working at the same company shaped my thinking and behavior so much that for 10 years after people would say, “Did you work at X?” Making the transition to a very different career means changing how you see yourself – kind of psychological plastic surgery. And, no matter what the infomercials tell you, it takes more than 21 days! It may also mean saying good bye to people and organizations that were a big part of your old career. And, letting go of competencies and skills you no longer need. This can be a particular challenge for professionals who identify themselves by what they can DO. #2 Dealing with Loss and Confusion Transition is upsetting emotionally. It’s confusing. It can be bloody painful. William Bridges, noted authority on Transitions, calls the middle part of the Transition process the Neutral Zone. This is to reflect the sense of aloneness, loss, and confusion you experience. The Neutral Zone (I sometimes think of it as The Desert after the experience of the Israelites trying to find the Promised Land) can be the toughest part of all. You might be depressed. You might feel alone. You might feel confused. You might think you are going crazy. You may feel psychic pain. You might feel totally lost. It seems that all the things you used to know ‘for sure’ are now as substantial as dandelion fluff. Suddenly the skills and abilities that stood you in good stead no longer work. You’re up the rapids without a paddle. You’re in the Desert (without a camel). There are a number of other challenges you can face during a career transition. I’m going to talk about these in the next issue of this newsletter. But, for now though I’d like to suggest some steps you can take to make your career transition easier. #1 UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF TRANSITION KNOW THIS: A transition is a psychological/emotional process. It’s not rational. It never will be. Expect to FEEL the transition not THINK it. If you feel depressed, lost, angry, confused – it’s NORMAL! Knowing its normal can help lessen the pain. Note I didn’t suggest these are fun feelings. But, they too shall pass. Feelings never killed anyone. So, get busy and DO something, particularly something physical. Ride your bike. Go to the gym. Swim. Get moving and change your physiology. Transition is a process. You go through an END, a MIDDLE (The Desert), and move on finally to the [new] BEGINNING (YES, that’s the correct order). Everybody goes through this process. How YOU experience Transition will be unique. How you handle ambiguity, how well you deal with loss of control, and how vulnerable you feel, will all influence how tough the transition will be for you. Learn to live with ambiguity. When you don’t know instead of tensing up, relax. Give up your need for control. And, learn to be vulnerable. #2 LET GO Thanks to project management wizard, Diana Lindstrom, who suggested this strategy to me recently. I’ve heard that when caught in an under tow the best way out is to let go and go with the flow. That applies to the flow of career change as well. This is a really tough one for me. I won’t go into the reasons why I find it so hard. But I will share some things I’m trying to make it easier to let go. Taking a cue from a really powerful newsletter written by my colleague Clarence Thomson (www.enneagramcentral.com) I’m setting my INTENTION for the day making this statement: “Today I will notice opportunities where I can practice letting go.” When I go to bed I spend some time pondering what Letting Go might look like and how I might do that. Finally, I’ve parked this question in my subconscious, “In what small ways might I Let Go?” One more strategy in a minute… but first a word from a valued affiliate. ======================================================================= DO YOU WISH YOU HAD MORE ENERGY? Do you drag your butt through the day? Do you wake up tired? Go to bed exhausted? Has your life lost its zest? Sadly you’re not alone! More than 20,000,000 Americans and 1,000,000 Canadians lack the energy they need to live their lives. Are you one of them? You can get your energy back. And, you can add more zip to your life. I know because I did. And, I did it through the simple, easy to learn, tips shared with me by a wonderful colleague Diana Lindstrom. Diana knows what it’s like to have to carefully watch every step and monitor every move. You see Diana is a Post Polio Survivor. If she doesn’t manage her energy… she doesn’t walk! She doesn’t get out of bed. And, she doesn’t get to do what she loves. Over the last year Diana was kind enough to share he story and her secrets with me. And, now you can learn how to manage Your Energy™ Read more about the Manage Your Energy™ program here: http://www.uc.dianalindstrom.com ======================================================================= CAREER Q & A - continued #3 GET SUPPORT This is one of my most often mentioned strategies. Probably, because I’m torn between my need to do it myself and my need to really ask for help. I’ve facilitated and attended a number of self-help groups over the last 25 years. I’ve learned and grown from the experience. And, I’ve been encouraged to see how others have made massive changes in their life as well because of the advice, support, and encouragement they’ve received. Want to take the sting out of career transition? Get help. Find a support group. Create a group. Get a coach. Get help and support. Tune in next issue when I’ll talk more about Managing Transitions. I hope you found these answers useful. See you November 1st, Lyle Lachmuth MSOD, CDP, CRT (Hons) The Unsticking Coach (TM) Your Talents > Your Career >> Your Life >>> Your Way! Turning Point Strategies Box 72140 RPO Glenmore Landing | Calgary, AB CANADA T2V 5H9 T: 403-390-4768 | E: LyleTLachmuth [at] Gmail.com =================================================================== ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER Join or leave this list here: http://home.ezezine.com/72/ Past issues here: http://home.ezezine.com/72/ PRIVACY POLICY: I collect your name and contact information solely to enable me to send you this newsletter and other information on a periodic basis. I will not rent, trade, or sell your name and contact information to anyone, at any time, for any reason! CAVEAT: CREATIVE CAREERS UNLEASHED and its publisher, are not engaged in providing therapy. This newsletter is provided for informational purposes only. CREATIVE CAREERS UNLEASHED may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety only, including copyright, legal, and contact information and with live links. Copyright 2005 Turning Point Strategies and Lyle T. Lachmuth