Get Your Career Mojo On (Part 1) - Avoid Nojo!
How is your career mojo?
After a long absence, navigating a return to work can be daunting, especially if securing a new position. Typically, most of the people I speak with rely on networking as a common strategy. However, with so many managers and leaders furloughed or laid off, the competition can be fierce. Add to that bias about long-term unemployment, and even great mojo can take a hit.
You see, there remains in our culture a stigma about long-term unemployment. This is especially true for the more mature knowledge workers; I see it in my coaching practice as they share their experiences and feelings, including self-blame. Left unchecked, long-term unemployment can suck the air out of our spirit. When this happens, our mojo becomes a no go, or as Marshall Goldsmith coined it, “nojo.”
According to Goldsmith, nojo occurs when we become discouraged and confused. I see this happening right now with two common mistakes: waiting for the facts to change and looking for logic in all the wrong places. As a result, we get stuck and stay stuck. Fortunately, there are actions we can take to navigate a solid return to work.
Avoid Mojo Traps
Waiting for the facts to change. When we experience a setback, such as a job loss, it’s not uncommon to wait for the facts to change into something more to our liking. Similarly, when we are given a choice between two undesirable options, we’ll often choose neither. But, in a rapidly changing world, such inaction can be akin to moving backwards.
Instead, consider what action you would take if you knew the situation would not change. Ask yourself, “Which path do I choose?”
Looking for logic in all the wrong places. Have you noticed how much time and energy you spend on finding reason in situations where none exists? It’s easy to do; after all, we’re trained to value logic. However, sometimes decisions that affect us are unreasonable, unfair, or unjust.
Instead, we can recognise and accept that human beings are profoundly illogical. We can accept the things we absolutely can not change, find the courage to change the things we can, and develop the wisdom to know the difference.
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Photo by Usman Yousaf on Unsplash
