Which Would You Choose – Misery or No Job?

A study by Gallup entitled “Gallup Global Emotions” in tandem with a book by Gallup CEO, Jon Clifton, entitled Blind Spot: The Global Rise of Unhappiness and How Leaders Missed It.

Mr. Clifton states, “people who are miserable at work are statistically more likely to experience negative emotions than someone who has no work at all.”

Think about that. No job is preferable to having a miserable one. I personally experienced this phenomenon working with an HR director who was the twin of the Wicked Witch of the West – the anthesis of what 99.99% of HR directors are. After resigning, she took me to lunch asking me to stay. Wait for it….no it wasn’t because she wanted me to stay, she said it would make her look bad! I was the next to the last person in the department to leave. I quit with no job on the horizon. The misery of working with her was unbearable.

Leaders there were missing the situation and according to Mr. Clinton, a lot of leaders are missing it. The leadership he addresses is global, for business and politics. The study suggests unhappiness has been building for a decade. I can only speculate that the pandemic made it worse and may have sped the misery quotient up. Hmmmm, could this have anything to do with the rise in the popularity of EQ within the same time? What’s the point?

This is not about informing organizations how to treat employees. Others can do that. No, the point is to share ideas with people who want to build a better career.

Are you stuck in your career because:

• There’s nowhere to go in your organization?
• There is no career program?
• You don’t have a mentor?
• Your boss is holding you back?

You can discover the answers before you join an organization.

Are you stuck in your career because:

• You aren’t being strategic in career decisions?
• You haven’t found a mentor or coach?
• Your network is drying up?
• You’re not running your career like a business?

These are questions that can help hold you accountable to do what needs to be done to become a viable candidate for the next promotion or for stepping into the C-Suite.

When moving to a different organization, do your homework.

• Be clear about your career path so you will know what to look for in an organization.
• Research the company. This is easy to do with social media.
• Ask questions during the interview that are important to your career goals.
• Find people who have or who currently work at the organization and ask them questions.

Every successful business needs leaders who understand how to strategize, conduct research, set goals, and make good decisions. As someone who wants to build a better career, you need the same business acumen. If you are struggling with where to begin or next steps, let’s have an exploratory call to see how I can help.