Here is a brief article written by Herminia Ibarra for Harvard Business Review and the HBR Blog Network. To read the complete article, check out the wealth of free resources, obtain subscription information, and receive HBR email alerts, please click here.
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Research shows that our lives alternate between periods of stability and transition. For many people, midlife or midcareer is the most turbulent time of all. Once you’ve achieved a certain measure of success, you may be asking yourself whether you want more of the same or something different—and whether your work allows you sufficient room to experiment.
If you’re in (or entering) a period of transition, marked by an increased sense of urgency for change, you’re ready to consider whether you’ve outgrown your role or organization. But if you’re in a period of stability—one of relative contentment, focused on executing well-laid plans—it probably makes sense, for now, to continue building on the career choices you’ve made.
This assessment will help you sort out whether you’re poised for change and what steps you might take next.
Do the following statements describe you?
1. I have been in the same job, career, or organization for at least seven years.
O Yes O No
2. I find myself feeling a bit restless.
O Yes O No
3. On balance, my job is more draining than energizing.
O Yes O No
4. I resent not having more time for my outside interests or family.
O Yes O No
5. My home life is changing in ways that free me up to explore different options (kids have left for college, for example, or partner’s job has changed).
O Yes O No
6. I envy or admire the people around me who have made major professional changes.
O Yes O No
7. My work has lost some of its meaning for me.
O Yes O No
8. My career ambitions are changing.
O Yes O No
9. Recent personal events (such as a divorce, a health scare, or the death of a loved one) have led me to reassess what I really want.
O Yes O No
10. I don’t jump out of bed in the morning excited about the upcoming day.
O Yes O No
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Here is a direct link to the complete article so that you can record and submit your responses to obtain an evaluation.
Herminia Ibarra is a professor of organizational behavior and the Cora Chaired Professor of Leadership and Learning at Insead. She is the author of Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader (Harvard Business Review Press, 2015) and Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career (Harvard Business Review Press, 2003). Follow her on Twitter @HerminiaIbarra and visit her website.