St. Louis Business Journal
Getting In Touch With What You Dislike About Your Job Is The First Step To Finding Satisfying Work

By Anna Navarro

January 2000 - For many people, making a transition from work that makes them crazy to work that makes them happy starts by getting in touch with what they don't like, perhaps even hate about their current situation.

It may be that you are bored or aren't using skills that are fun for you. Or perhaps you have a nightmarish travel schedule, or a micromanager boss. Or are at odds with the culture of the organization.

Whatever is bugging you, you may find your first inclination is to try to suppress it. Most humans are somewhat reluctant to leave well-traveled paths to explore unknown territory. And no wonder! The exploration can be hard work, uncomfortable and scary.

But I don't recommend you go with avoidance. Instead, I suggest you really dig into what's bothering you.

It may turn out to be a relatively simple problem to fix. You dream up a new and interesting project, and are excited again about going to work in the morning. You tell your boss your travel schedule is overwhelming you and she works with you to pare it down. Some problems have relatively easy solutions and the advantage of exploring them is you don't have to live with them.

On the other hand, as you explore your discontents you may discover that the problems are more serious. You aren't likely to be able to change the habits of a micromanager boss, or the culture of an entire organization.

Getting in touch with these bigger problems can be a downright unpleasant experience. It can make you mad. It can be discouraging. It can be frightening.

So why am I recommending it?

Because getting in touch with the negatives is what provides the fuel for making changes. It's what gets you off your duff.

Kyle had finished college and been accepted to a prestigious graduate school when his mother became ill and required daily attention.

The daily grind of cooking, cleaning and caring for his younger siblings was too much for Kyle to manage while attending classes. In addition, the family's resources were dwindling and Kyle felt he should earn some income.

He took the first job he could get that would pay the bills and allow him to care for his mother. Although his new career in pharmaceutical sales required a good deal of traveling, it was flexible enough to permit time for family needs. Kyle worked hard and performed very well - earning lucrative commissions and rapidly advancing up the company ranks.

Over time, order began to return to his life. His mother recovered. His brothers and sisters grew up. He married. He was successful in his job - on paper.

Something nagged at him about his work, but he dismissed it. After years of upheaval as a young man, he was understandably reluctant to look at difficult issues. So he made excuses to avoid company functions, made no friendships with anyone remotely connected with work, and denied the problem.

This approach worked for years, but he was completely drained by the end of each day. He had trouble sleeping. Eventually, he went to see a psychologist who referred him to me.

Together, Kyle and I dug into his working environment. Although the top executives in the company had promoted Kyle through the ranks, he felt shunned by the "inner circle" and treated as an outsider by those in positions of power.

Analyzing ideal working conditions and comparing them to his current situation, the following came to light: Kyle's personal life of close-knit family members, Sunday church outings and a monogamous marriage was in direct conflict with a company culture that applauded hard-drinking, profanity and intra-office affairs.

Once Kyle realized why he was being isolated, and how disparate his personal lifestyle was from this organization's "ideal" player, his resentment began to grow. It prompted Kyle to do the hard work required to find a better fit for himself.

Of course, the change did not happen overnight. In addition to defining what type of culture he felt "at home" with, Kyle did a lot of hard work defining what else he wanted in work. He also researched alternative career directions and did an intense job-hunt that landed him in a great job in technical sales.

The catalyst for the entire process was being willing, at long last, to look at the negatives in his current situation. It's what generated the motivation to face down his fears and the energy to make changes.

Anna Navarro is the founder of Work Transitions, a nationwide career consulting firm that trains independent career strategists and consults with individual clients.

This column was originally published by the St. Louis Business Journal. The actual title of the column and date in which it appeared in the Business Journal may be slightly different from what appears on WorkTransitions.com.