Even though you’ve made it to the “top,” CxO careers are full of ups and downs. In a career peak, you are motivated, excited, inspired, and inspiring. A career trough is just the opposite; you feel dormant, stagnant, and uninspired, possibly even demotivated and disengaged. You feel like you’ve put in exceptional amounts of time and energy but aren’t experiencing the fulfillment that should come from your efforts.
Have you recently felt like you:
- Have no noteworthy accomplishments to celebrate?
- Are no longer growing?
- Have no sense of focus or purpose?
- Have nothing of value to offer?
- Don’t know what your next career step could or should be?
- Haven’t succeeded at anything in a long time?
You might be in a career trough if you answered yes to one or more of these questions. Here are some ideas to reignite your passion.
How to Get Out of Your CxO Career Rut
- Seek out people who are excited about their work. Enthusiasm is contagious. Find people who share your ethos by volunteering with a local charity, joining a local professional society, or attending seminars, conferences, or networking events that are outside your comfort zone.
- Work with a professional executive resume writer to update your career marketing documents. After working with an executive resume writer, a frequent statement is, “Wow! You made me sound amazing!” Sometimes it takes an outside perspective to counteract internal focus and the associated spiral.
- Sign up for a professional development course. Stimulate your brain and spark creativity by learning a new skill! Pick something you’ve been curious about for some time or something that will make you a better leader and look good on your CxO resume.
- Self-reflect. Ask yourself the hard questions and dig down to the root of your career stagnation by completing a “5 Whys” analysis for each of the following questions: What are you good at? What are/were your career goals? What do you value the most? What values are you willing to compromise on? What are you ready to do to get yourself out of this career rut?
To find out how we can help you get out of your CxO career rut, book a complimentary and confidential call with us here.
