The One Trait Shared By People Who Absolutely Love Their Jobs
Four ways to get your goals and values aligned, according to a professional career coach.
Getty images | Canva Assessing your values and principles is vital to prevent big mistakes in your career.
When you feel out of sorts in your work environment, chances are there is a misalignment between your values and those of your employer. If you fail to address this misalignment, you could be on the path to burnout.
When you’re clear on your values, it makes it easier to assess your situation and decide whether to challenge it, accept it, or leave it.
How to get clear on your values so you can be happy at work
Start by determining whether you love your work and whether it aligns with your values. After that, list the pros and cons of staying or plying your trade elsewhere.
1. Do I love what I am doing?
If you love your work, you look forward to Mondays. You enjoy being with your coworkers. Time at work seems to fly by since you hardly ever look at the clock.
You can connect the purpose of your work to the excitement that comes with knowing how it impacts your customer.
You feel supported by your leadership. You have a best friend at work. These are among the factors that would indicate you are happy with your current work situation.
Photo: Mongkolchon Akesin via Shutterstock
2. What are my values, and are they aligned with my current role?
To prevent big mistakes in your career, it's crucial to be clear on your values.
When asked, most people are unable to list their values. Often, a way to discover your values is when others ignore or discredit one or more of them. If that makes you angered or irritated, it’s a sign it’s one of your values.
For example, your boss may ask you to work late often. This bothers you because it takes away time with your spouse and children. Your value of family time and work is infringing on this. Work-life balance could also be a value you need to assess.
How to find your values
You can find a list of values or do an assessment, but try to find your top five values. Once you have them, rate them in order of importance. How willing are you to temporarily sacrifice one or two of them? Which one or two are non-negotiable? Knowing this can prevent you from making big mistakes in your career.
Think about your values and those of your employer. Do they both align? If they don’t, it could be a sign to look elsewhere for employment.
3. What have I got to lose if I leave?
To avoid making big mistakes in your career, inventory your pros and cons before you decide to leave your current role.
Think about where you are now and what you will give up if you leave.
Consider the financial aspect, such as salary, bonuses, stock options, and other benefits like health insurance.
What about the culture, which is how the company lives its stated values? If you value autonomy or creativity and your boss micromanages you, how long are you willing to stay in that stifling environment?
The fact you’re asking means you’re not sure yet. What would it feel like if you left that negativity behind?
4. What do I stand to gain if I stay?
If you’ve been with your organization for a while, you may have more reasons to stay than to think about moving on. On the other hand, you, your role, and the organization may have changed in many ways since you started there.
In short, it pays to spend some time giving your career situation some thought. Why? Because companies with diminishing profits still resort to staff reductions and layoffs. Many people are shocked and unprepared when it happens to them. If you were to receive a layoff notice, how ready would you be?
If you’re happy with your work, your work culture, and your employer's values align well, staying put for now might be your best choice. Ultimately, it’s a good idea to reassess your current career situation.
It will give you a renewed sense of peace and purpose or the motivation to prepare for a transition.
Taking the time to ask these four critical questions will help prevent you from making big mistakes in your career.
Brent Roy, PCC, CPLC, CMC, is a certified executive, career and personal development coach, and mentor coach. He works with men and women who want to increase their confidence and boost their executive presence to prepare them for promotion or a new career.