Have you lost the thread of your strengths?
When you joined the charity sector was because you wanted to do a job which used your strengths. It might have been a role which was a natural progression from some professional training, or which used your other skills and was linked to your passion and values; most people don’t work for a charity for the pay after all. And for some it will feel like a calling, something which might not be as great for us as you’d expect. I’m sure you started the role with excitement, you were motivated, and you were confident you could do the job, and make the difference you wanted.
But my anecdotal experience is this doesn’t last, often the natural career progression within the charity sector is to move up the ladder of management. And this can provide great opportunities for learning and development, as well as an opportunity to make more of a strategic impact. I remember every time I moved into a more senior role, I was full of excitement, I felt energised, and my eyes would shine with the possibility.
But once you’re in the midst of the work, the role often more like two jobs than the one you applied for, you can find yourself focussed on aspects which aren’t the exciting bits which drew you to apply. The strategic work often falls to the wayside whilst you deal with crises, endless meetings, and board reports, and whilst you can do this work, it’s not using your strengths, it’s not the work that lights you up. And the work which does light you up, becomes more infrequent.
Or perhaps you’re in a role which just doesn’t fit your skill set. Maybe you made a strategic move into a new role or serving a new community or had to take the first role you were offered post redundancy, and it’s just not a good fit.
Finally, maybe your strengths are just not utilised to their best in your current role, it’s not that you’re stretched in all the directions, but instead the role doesn’t challenge you. And you’ve forgotten what you’re truly capable of.
Any of these circumstances can get you to the point where you feel overwhelmed, bored and losing confidence. It means you dread going to work, you struggle to proactively plan your work for the week, you procrastinate over the tasks which bore you (or overwhelm you) and feel like you’re not getting anywhere. And then you wonder what the point is, whether you’re really making any difference, and if the stress is worth it.
But if this resonates, and you feel like you’ve lost the thread of your strengths in your work, then all is not lost, there are steps you can take to find it again. Here’s how:
Write down all the things you are good at, and you enjoy.
Understand how you’re really spending your time. What tasks are you actually doing across the week, and how much time are you spending procrastinating?
Where’s your energy going. Once you know what you’re doing, which tasks give you energy, which saps your energy & which leave you feeling neutral?
Check your thinking, are you placing a negative spin on your work. How can you think about it differently?
Where can you use your strengths more at work, to reignite that excitement?
Where are you using your strengths outside of work, to help you feel more fulfilled?
And if these don’t work for you, then maybe it’s time to explore what you really want your working life to look like.