New year, new transitions. While the rest of the world is busy setting goals it may or may not accomplish in the next twelve months, what is barely spoken about is the challenging need to transition from one year to the next. When it comes to work, this transition can be a rather daunting one, especially for many, if not most working women and moms taking into the new year increased responsibilities on the home and career front. As we’re still in the midst of an ever-growing pandemic, what with faltering childcare, a growing career “Great Resignation” phenomenon, and the constant debate around vaccinations, making it from one year to the next at work has become quite the difficult process.
As a working woman and mom, you may have felt the pressure of everything going around you, in addition to the usual pressure you normally face. I know I sure have…And while you may be caught up in the day-to-day haze of unending to-do’s and items to cross of your list, you may even not have given much thought of making a clean professional transition from last year. Yet, especially in the trying times we’re living in, it’s much needed. Every career year brings with it its weight of needed (and not-so-needed) changes, especially the last one we’ve been through. So much has changed, and is still bound to change, in the way we work and live, from the advent of remote work to the new rules of quarantine, that we cannot ignore the impact it has on our careers as we move into what feels like a new era…
If you’ve been contemplating the last year and are wondering about how to make the best of this transition at work, as so many of us are, here are some tips that may help:
- Refresh your sense of purpose
If there ever is a time to refresh our sense of purpose in our careers, especially as working women and moms, it is certainly at the beginning of a new year, especially as we close a previous difficult one. It’s the opportunity to start again with a fresh slate, a fresher sense of who we are and what we want out of our work.
What are the areas and activities that truly bring you fulfillment? What are those tasks that bring your energy levels up instead of draining you? Where do you find yourself come alive? What parts of your work tap into your natural gifts and talents? These are the areas, tasks and activities that, knowingly or unknowingly, are aligned with your sense of purpose. Reminding yourselves of these, or uncovering them for the first time, can help re-awaken the purpose inside of you and guide you to seek to incorporate more of these into your current work, or move towards work that includes them.
You can also ask these questions of those around you who may provide you with an insight you may not have yourself.
- Honestly assess the prior year
Your career is a living, breathing process that is supposed to evolve from year to year. However, this evolution can only occur when you’re willing to honestly assess the past as you move towards the future of your career. This requires you to connect the dots from year to year, asking yourself simple yet deeply revealing questions such as:
How did you feel about the last year of your career? (fulfilled, drained, overwhelmed, satisfied…etc)
What worked well?
What didn’t work so well?
Was last year aligned with your sense of purpose as described above?
These are also questions to ask of those around you at work, including your management and team. You can also consult your performance review for insights into these from others’ perspectives.
- Now connect the dots…
Refreshing your sense of purpose and honestly assessing the last year of your career will help you connect the dots as the to the future of your career.
What needs to change?
Based on your sense of purpose and the last year of your career, how are you defining career success in this season?
What would you need to do to achieve your own definition of career success, in your current or in a different role?
These three steps to transition from one career to another may seem simple, yet are loaded with information and insights to help you successfully move from one season of your work to another. Most importantly, they will help you set the appropriate, meaningful and purposeful goals for yourself in this new season.
How are you transitioning to a new year at work?
The Corporate Sister.
