Whether you work for a large corporation or you work for yourself, you will one day inevitably find yourself doing something other than what you are doing now. Perhaps you work for someone else and you are seeing some things in your workplace that don’t align with your values. You might be thinking, “How much more of this can I tolerate?” Whether you decide to switch departments, get a promotion or start your own business, you—like everyone else—need to “Begin with the end in mind” just like Stephen Covey says and the best way to do that is to have a Transition Plan.
It’s a bit risky to generalize complex situations, but there are patterns that suggest we humans do share common desires and inhibitions. As a coach, I study these situations and have noticed a few ways they are best handled. Some of the most common stressful and challenging business-life scenarios are:
1. “The Breakaway Leader.” This is when an individual wants to become free from the decisions of an organizational chain of command and desires to take on the challenge of becoming independent and self-directed. Underlying this natural urge are the risks of uncertainty and failure.
2. “The Indentured Servant.” One of the most frequent complaints from Business Leaders is having become totally absorbed by the business with no free time and the struggle of distinguishing who they are from what the business does.
3. “Working Harder, Not Smarter.” Many top leaders and business owners reach a point where their responsibilities span a multitude of areas and they feel overwhelmed.
4. “The Fumbled Baton Pass.” Many private companies reach a crisis when the founder or head of the family retires or they become incapacitated. In fact, in this case very few businesses survive a change at the top without an effective Transition Plan.
Keep in mind that there is no cookie-cutter approach; it depends extensively on you as the decision maker of your own life to address the challenges. To support you with your transition plan, consider the following typical Transition Plan approaches:
If you plan for your transition while still bringing home the bacon, it will help calm those feelings of urgency that make you want to move right now rather than keeping your frustrations and ambitions in a safe space until the time is right. You don’t need to know all the answers and you don’t have to go it alone!
So let’s make this real for you:
- What is your Transition Plan for your current career?
- How many of your written goals align with your Transition Plan?
- Who in your life is supporting you to live your legacy as a leader?
Drop me a note and let me know your answers! I’d love to hear from you!