Knock of ennui & put your career in a dynamic mode

Do you lug your hours at your workplace waiting for the day to be over? Do you fancy being at home at the earliest so that you could watch cricket match on TV? Do you find your day dull and dreary? Do you remain unfocussed in your present appointment? Do you get to be exhausted and exasperated at work? If yes, the writing on the wall is clear – you feel bored rigid, bored stiff, bored to death and bored to tears at work. This is indicative that your career is not on the correct course and manifests the need to set your bearings afresh.

Here are five practical tips to put your career in a dynamic mode:

Identify causes of your frustration:  You should introspect and identify issues that tend to upset you. Is it your charter of work or is it the manner in which your boss deals with you? Is it that your colleagues and fellow-workers do not support or encourage you? Or is it that the compensation package being received by you is inadequate? There could be a horde of causative factors, but that notwithstanding, you need to work out a line of action so that visible alterations to the situation are brought about. Concurrently, you also need to look within yourself to discern if there are any deficiencies in you that may be contributing to your grim situation. Thereafter, you should vigorously take in hand and deal with the problem. The solution could well be demanding what is due to you, going over to a new job, considering a career change or brazen out individuals who have been inconsiderate or unsupportive.

Prevail over apprehensions:  To start with, you need to put all apprehensions in picture; you should assure yourself that there is no concern and fright more monumental than your objectives. You may be shy to face an audience or angst-ridden to undertake an important project. You may also feel reticent to seek a salary hike. Whatever be the case, you must look all fears straight into their eyes. You simply cannot turn your back on them because rather than departing on their own, they will swell and sooner or later will affect your career adversely.

Brush up your resume:  If you feel that you are more than happy and contented in your present job and appointment, it is likely that you have had no time to glance at, leave aside update your resume. Men and women who seek to move ahead are invariably all set for their change. Can you predict when and where there would be a better opening? It could be within your present organisation or even elsewhere. You will be better poised to act in response to any fresh opportunity that may knock at your door if your resume is available duly updated at all times. You should catalogue all your accomplishments on a regular basis to facilitate the same.

Guide others & undertake additional responsibilities:  It is possible that you feel that your job is routinely dull and monotonous; and that you are capable of doing it without effort. It is also possible that you think that it is not viable to look for a better job for any reason whatsoever. Under such circumstances, what should you do to knock off that tedium? Perhaps, you could take to guiding others and sharing your knowledge acquired over a period of time. It will also be in the fitness of things to volunteer for additional responsibilities and projects like coming forward to be a part of study-groups or head working groups. You could also put your hand for training in a diverse field.  

Shed all rigidity:  The only possible impediment sticking up between your current actuality and your dream job or future could be parochialism. If you are not certain of what you seek, then you should dig into people who you know for help. You could ask them aspects that they enjoy about whatever they go about doing. In a large number of instances, people tend to become bolshie when they are required to view how they acquit at their work. Therefore, you should be amenable to considering suggestions and new prospects.

Remember that your ennui at work is a state of malaise close to anxiety and a feeling of emptiness.  You will never be able to see it all at once because it is like dust settled on a window sill – it is there and you hardly notice it but nevertheless you breathe it in. To preclude doing so, you need to be forever on the go.  

Integrating all your passions into your career

Are your passions manifold and multidimensional? Are you one who is avidly inquisitive with a penchant to experiment with diverse specialties? If yes, then you possess many aptitudes and abilities. In other words, you are a multi-ardent personality. However, too many passions make it difficult to find a single career that could keep them alive for long.

But it is always possible to get into a career that combines several or all your curiosities and passions. And if you do so successfully, your company will also appreciate and compensate you for your multi-ardent disposition. Given below are some guidelines that will help you in this regard:

·  Determine the magnitude of diversity needed:  Do you happen to be a person who is required to utilize specific expertise on different days? For example, on a particular day you may need to prepare written reports and on another take to a leadership role. Or is it that you like better to continue working on a specific assignment till such time it is finished? If you can determine the quantitative requirement of assortment and change in your work on a periodic basis so that you remain constructively involved and contented in the process, you will be able to identify possible careers that will offer you such opportunities.   

·  Identify & seek multi-faceted careers:  Are your inclinations tangential or do they tend to meet somewhere? There are many arenas that entail a combination of more than one discipline. For example, journalism necessitates a penchant for photography and communication skills or structural designing that calls for knowledge of art and science are some examples. Likewise, it is ecology that places emphasis on knowledge of both zoology and botany; hospitality that requires a penchant for food-craft and people skills; and cartography that calls for a sound knowledge of geography and drawing skills.   

·  Survey careers that are resilient & are self-led:  Several careers demand multi-ardent make-ups and companies seek such people. There are organisations that are guided by the philosophy that when all employees think alike, then no one actually thinks. They prefer open-mode employees who are more receptive instead of closed-mode ones who are tunnel-visioned. Creative vision is what progressive companies seek and to achieve that, they need multi-faceted personalities. You should identify establishments that encourage innovativeness and value individuality as a trait.

·  Diversify gradually from a single pursuit:  The best way to shape and get into a career of your dreams is by underscoring a single expertise possessed by you and subsequently grasping any opportunity pertaining to a different field whenever it crops up. It is always advisable to remain active, start ventures and simultaneously offer recommendations to facilitate organizational growth. The basic requirement however, is identifying a liberal and progressive set-up where your seniors are amenable to your desires and perhaps as multi-ardent like you. Needless to state, you will have to acquit yourself well in whatever tasks are assigned to you.     

·  Hunt for aim-focused careers: Simply by glancing at an advertisement, you can discern if an organization is seeking to employ a person who is going to concentrate efforts on achieving client satisfaction or effective crisis management; or on the other hand, wanting to fill up a vacancy that calls for performing mundane tasks. The latter category of jobs may not suit you, given your multi-ardent personality. If a job entails directing efforts towards advantages and not mere attributes, it will definitely go well with you and your passions.   

·  Display a high degree of innovation:  It is essential that you comprehend various techniques of operations to include sales; market trends; behavioural patterns; complexities related to your work; alliances and inter- and intra-department dependencies; and client expectations, to name just a few.  When at work, there are infinite methods to perform well. You could incorporate all your passions or qualities in bringing about a better output. Being venturesome is a superb way to blend all your passions and eventually succeed in your pursuits. After all, it is the end result that matters.

If your career is dynamic, you will always succeed in applying your skills and passions; and discover newer ways to address issues as they come up. In other ways, you need to make your career a multi-faceted one. But to begin, you should understand what makes the mare go and then look out for a paired, gratifying career.  

Give your career a lift

Every working individual, irrespective of his profession suffers from something that could be called “replication stress”. What this term essentially means is the fatigue that follows doing something repeatedly. Every work tends to become monotonous and every person - senior or junior – has a tendency to be a victim of such repetitious drudgery.

Replication stress is widespread in ambitious professionals and those who are working hard to excel in their careers. Such stress can be obviated with some application, though there is no fixed recipe.

Do you experience similar tedium? Some strategies to revamp and recondition yourself are:

Take a break: If at your credit, do not hesitate in taking a few days off to rejuvenate yourself; during such breaks, undergo some experiential training or pursue a leisure activity. If company rules permit, consider taking a long break to chase a new dream or acquire an additional qualification. Routine duties could well be swapped for more stimulating assignments. There is no harm in having a word with your manager or senior functionaries to supplement your charter or if justifiable, reducing the same.

Know your preferences:  You must catalogue your workplace likings and aversions; and delve into them to concentrate your efforts on the former so that your distastes are drawn away from you. In the process, you should identify issues that you want to persist with, indulge more or less in and intend to get going with or put an end to. You also must get to know the principles and standards that regulate your life as a whole. If your initiatives are in consonance with them, you will feel an internal tranquil in you.

Alter your routine:  See if it is possible to modify your daily routine; you can put in a request to come and leave early or late, depending upon your preference. You could also swap a working day with a closed holiday. In order to avoid rush, you could elect to have lunch early or late; or decide to forego it and indulge in some exercise instead.

Take to self-improvement:  You could subscribe to a course of instruction that would help you relax and simultaneously be useful to you and your company. Participation in various learning and development programmes being organized by your company is another sure shot method to get rid of your tedium. You should take to reading and writing articles for newspapers and magazines. Floating or following a blog is another helpful activity. Volunteering to attend presentations and meetings with clients, visitors and company staff is also recommended.

Share your knowledge:  If you can spare time (which you should), endeavor to share your knowledge with others. Based on your expertise, you could give pep talks to others at your workplace or professional clubs of which you are a member. Since you have experience behind you, you could coach and counsel greenhorns and young employees too.

Seek help & change:  If there is someone who you look up to, seeking his help in discharging your duties efficiently will relieve you of your ennui. If the organization that you work with is medium-sized or big, you could request for being sidestepped to another section. You could even request for being associated with a specific ongoing project.

Boost organizational productivity: You must recollect previous reviews on your performance and discern fresh improvement arenas. You could even walk up to your boss and solicit an all-inclusive appraisal with inputs from immediate seniors, peers and subordinates; and use the outcome to find a footing for your career bearing.

Indulge in personal step-ups:  Look into your physical health and if required join a gymnasium. Improve your personal grooming; refurbishing your wardrobe will be a great facilitator. Indulging in some social service activity like environment improvement, geriatric care or adult education will also help you rejuvenate. In addition, take care that your network base is kept alive.

The above tips call for sincerity on your part. You should earmark some time on a daily basis and make efforts to galvanize your career. However, you should exercise due caution to ensure that you refrain from taking to many or all the above actions concurrently; else you will suffer greater vexation and fatigue. You could select to affect three or four to start with and subsequently supplement your efforts with more.

Red flags to indicate that your career has mired

You may be taking a licking in your career because of several causes, notable being an absence of adequate growth prospects, changing trends in your field of work and simple tedium.

Do you feel that your career has frozen or reached a dead end? The major indicators for this are:

•Every day, you suffer from Monday morning blues.

•You have been shouldering the same responsibility for years with no new augmentation.

•You have been switching jobs frequently but with no significant vertical growth or increase in emoluments.

•Individuals who joined your company after you have moved up the career ladder but you have stayed wherever you were then.

•For whatever reasons, you are no longer included in any brainstorming or decision-making loops.

•People – colleagues and subordinates alike – are reluctant to seek your views and assistance for any personal or workplace related issues.

•Important official mail is very rarely disseminated or marked to you.

•It has been ages that you attended a learning and development event; and acquired any new skill.

•You have been rather cantankerous about your work and management; and feel that you are being victimized.

Do you see the above red flags? If yes, it is an unpleasant development alright, but you can still get your career make headway and progress the way it should. Here is how you can do so:

•  Have a straight conversation with your superior:   Looking a problem straight in its face is the maiden step to dealing with it. If you happen to be stagnating for some time, you must try to obtain of various pecking orders in your company and then do some plain-speaking with your boss to find out actions and efforts necessary for you to make vertical progression. You could also make it known that you are geared up to take on testing and demanding tasks. Perhaps he may be ignorant of what you have been doing or your aspirations because you yourself have been cagey and not selling yourself. 

•  Seek what you want or are due to you:  You can always seek from your immediate boss guidelines and advice on aspects that you need to perk up. The administrative staff could also be requested to clarify on matters related to your salary increase. You ought to understand that if your overall performance is less vis-à-vis your colleagues, it is a matter of concern. If the allocations for pay increments were made and you happened to be one who has not got any, you should find out the reason for the same. If you are genuinely concerned about finding out the manner in which you could be more competent, operational and deliberate, you could well ask explore the opportunity for being transferred to another department to be acquainted with internal working mechanisms of your company. Acquiring new perceptions and outlooks will lead you to new ideas and stand you in good stead.

•  Be enterprising and venturesome:  You should not confine yourself to your specific responsibilities only; taking initiative to share the load of others, including your boss is recommended. Towards this end, you need to acquire more skills, fior which, attending learning and development programmes will help. You could also become a member of professional clubs where besides attending symposiums or presentations, you also play a key role in delivering lectures. Contributing to professional journals will also benefit you immensely to gain recognition.

•  Fine-tune your disposition:  Pessimism and unconstructiveness harm your career more than anything else. If you do not want your company to regard you as surplus to its establishment, you should not be grouching around unnecessarily. You must know that there is discontentment within you and take appropriate measures to preclude it. Should circumstances warrant moving somewhere else, you should take that bold decision and for all you know, you may land up in a job that is more satisfying without having to wait. 

If you feel that your career is mired, then a career change is perhaps defensible. You could prepare for it by getting into vigorous touch with your contact base in your field of work. Discussing the matter with the concerned human resources manager of your company to look at the likelihood of an intra-department transferal is also appropriate. But you must remember that it is you and you alone who should be at the wheels of your career.      

Your career - begin afresh today

    Do you feel that you are ensnared in routine pessimism of your career? If your answer is yes by any count, the time to ring out the old and ring in the new is today itself. You may not have been ardent about you career, but never mind it. You can and must start afresh; and get the most out of every moment.

    If you have lost out on your oomph, it is likely that you need newer objectives and aims – something that can ignite you and make you stay inspired. It could well be adopting a new methodology of work in your current post or even a fresh start at a fresh job; however, new aims will provide you something to aspire for.

The issue is all about discerning and pursuing new objectives.  How do you do that? Indulging in the following four actions will help you:

·   Believe that new objectives are necessary: You must take it for granted that unless you are devoted to your work, you will not succeed in achieving your objectives.  You would have often encountered people who have been relentlessly working to attain their goals and observed that they are genuine advocates of themselves. Such people are easily distinguishable in a crowd because of their dedication. Are you one of them? Do you have similar passion and dedication towards your objectives? Now, if you cannot answer these questions with confidence, you need to alter your outlook. It is futile being content with situations and conditions that fail to advance and promote your objectives. You need to get out of your shell; maintaining any sort of a status quo will not lead you to success. Remember that wonders and marvels occur in your job and career only when you affirm yourself. You have to get into the ring and not throw in your towel. 

·   Make a small beginning: Do you know what should be your next career move? Or, even if you know, you have not taken the initiative yet. Whatever be the case, the situation is just the same. The opportune moment to do anything is now. But you must start by making a small beginning. Gradualness but with regularity is more useful and effectual than monumentality with indiscretion.. Consistency, although progress may be slow, will eventually be more beneficial than being hasty or careless.   

·   Formulate an action strategy:  Success is invariably contingent on the planning you do to attain it. When you have a plan in place, you will move forward and eventually achieve success. But sans it, you will be unnecessarily groping around in the dark and the end result will in all probability will be zero. If you formulate a strategy and put together a plan, your objectives get regulated because you would have decided on various methods to attain success. In addition, your action strategy will preclude your objectives from overpowering you. While such a phenomenon may not be unusual however, a good plan will offer to assure and reassure you. You cannot assert that one plan is correct and another not; your plan can be complex and extensive or short and easy.  You can generate one with ease by first splitting your career objectives into smaller ones. Thereafter, you should prioritise them and make a timetable for their accomplishment. And as you move ahead, you may apply midterm corrections to cater to various developments. Your plan should serve to inspire and steer you because the principal intention behind your objectives is to have an outstanding life and time.  

·   Monitor your objectives continually:  Everybody seeks to have a ‘go back over and if given an opportunity will avail another prospect. Opportunities do not fly into your hands, even though you may have set objectives. And if you shelve your objectives for whatever reason, you will lose your own credibility. Something that is out of your mind will sooner or later be out of mind. So, if you sneak frequent looks at your objectives, they will become part and parcel of you. Therefore, you must ponder over them so that you do not deviate from the path that you have set out on. It is essential that your objectives remain an integral part of you so that you are able to maintain appropriate focus. And when you do so, you are better poised to transform them into reality.  

Assure yourself of workplace success

“When people go to work, they shouldn't have to leave their hearts at home.”

  ~Betty Bender

You could be having the best job in town or perhaps you are pursuing a career that you had always aspired for. If you are not doing justice to your work, everything is futile; you are bound to suffer great discontent and despondency.

So, how do you succeed in your job? You do not require a colossal outlay for it; all that is necessary is a correct frame of mind, positive disposition and upbeat approach to everything. Here are ten tips that will guarantee you success at workplace:

·   Believe, think & act rationally:  It has been noticed that crashes at workplace are a result of a lack of proper application of employee rationale. People take wrong decisions and arrive at incorrect conclusions. You can believe, think and act rationally by watching people who do so and querying them intelligently. Having an open mind to improve yourself vis-à-vis your breakdowns will also help. Any supposition that you know everything can prove fatal.   

·   When at work, think and do only that:  All jobs are a sort of an indenture; you work to get paid of it and your employer pays you for your work. You have to produce results. Therefore, you should not think of anything outside its scope. Engaging in any other pursuit will be sheer violation of the agreement between you and your employer. To inspire you, you must frequently don the hat of your employer and then mull over your expectations from your workers. A high degree of devotion is essential to achieve all targets set for you. 

·   Believe that you still have to learn more:  Nobody, especially your employer will appreciate you if you portray that you know everything. This is more so during your initial days at work. Learning is an ongoing process and every day at work offers a new experience. If you fail to understand this, you will end up frittering away your time and efforts. Also, if you do not boost your performance level, you will lose out on your worth.

·   Don’t be afraid to clarify your doubts:  You should not hesitate to seek clarifications, even if others are reluctant to do it. You are empowered to know your charter of duties and if you are discharging them properly. This also necessitates knowing if you are on the correct path and who should you look upon for assistance, if required. If you are clear on these aspects, your move forward to achieve workplace success is more or less assured.

·   Build & adhere to principles & standards: As human beings, we have a natural propensity to assist others. You must look inwards to discern how best you can utilize your skills to perform better. By building and adhering to such principles and standards, you will derive happiness and will come to be acknowledged by your employer. The worth that you offer of yourself in this way will enhance your chances of success.

·   Find your feet in altering environments:  Today, workplaces are changing fast; you simply cannot afford refusal to accept change just because you apprehend inconvenience. You must candidly and overtly clinch changes as prospects to improve your knowledge. And when you widen your knowledge base, you automatically generate additional worth for the person and organization you work for.

·   Know yourself and others:  Most people are thrown out of their jobs because of personality issues and moral depravity. Personality issues occur when you remain apprehensive and petrified. On the other hand moral depravity pertains to dishonesty, something not acceptable at any place of work. The only things that stand you in good stead are being familiar with yourself and maintaining self-respect. You should also comprehend what others opine about you, display consideration towards others and ward off all downbeat thoughts.   

·   Remain optimistic, even in downbeat situations:  Positive feelings steer you to success. Today, sensible companies lay great stress on creating an environment of congeniality so that employees can beat workplace stress. Positive thoughts always beget positive results; therefore, negativit on any front serves no purpose.

Remember that your work is a presentation of your capabilities. If you work with sincerity, you will be a witness to your success and contentment.