Black Enterprise Editorial Department
October 7, 2024
Leaders can get so wrapped up in their own efforts that they can’t see the root of other problems that can be improved.
Reader questions:
Dear fairy priest,
I feel stuck in a career rut. There is no place for me in this organization. I’m tempted to take on a different role to get out of this situation because my boss thinks it’s a “good move” for me. Do you have any advice on how to take back control of your career path?
I wish you good luck,
I get stuck in a rut
Dear stuck in a rut,
Shirley Chisholm talked about bringing her own folding chair to sit at the table. If you get stuck, you may have to build your own table. I was always stuck in a rut. Especially when I ended up riding someone else’s career instead of the one I had created for myself.
At one point in my career, I took a voluntary demotion to advance to a different career track. What was supposed to be just a 12-18 month “mission” turned into what felt like 4 1/2 years in prison without parole. I was bored, unmotivated, and bitter. I continued to explore outside of the role others had placed on me and continued to come up with zero moves. So, to spice things up, I started thinking of myself as an in-house consultant. What needed fixing or attention? How can you improve your business from within?
In some cases, leaders can get so wrapped up in their efforts that they can’t see the roots and causes of other problems that can be improved and ultimately improve the business. At the time, I was working in human resources, so I conducted several focus groups for employees. What did they feel needed to be fixed?
Related content: Meet the Black founders looking to disrupt New Jersey’s cannabis market
Data from the focus groups were used to develop the solution. To gain buy-in, I will engage these employees to develop these initiatives. It brought me out of the atonality of my groundhog days. It also created visibility for myself and ultimately my department. Some of the initiatives I have consulted on internally have become national initiatives. All of this is because I decided to do something to make some difference and shed some light on a career that I thought was stuck. My efforts were noticed, and one day I was asked to join the team as a supervisor in a completely different department. I broke out of the rut and kept moving forward. I used the same in-house consultant mindset to ultimately drive new team and business results.
If you can’t find opportunities within your organization, look outside through volunteering. Many organizations require executives with a variety of skills and abilities. You can leverage these skills externally and bring them back within your current organization. Don’t forget to include those skills on your resume. Just because you’re not paid for your work doesn’t mean it’s not worth it.
Another career rut-breaking method I relied on was to become a Fairygodmentor® to others. There’s always someone who wants to be in the same place as you. Please help them get there. Take the time to listen, share best practices, and build relationships. This action can also breathe new life into a job you thought was a dead end.
Find the pain and fix it. Create your own table!
You understand this!
Sincerely,
Your Fairy God®
Joyel Crawford is an award-winning career and leadership development expert and consultancy that develops empowered, results-oriented leaders through engaging leadership development coaching, training, and facilitation. Founder of Crawford Leadership Strategies. She is the author of the best-selling book and audiobook, Show Your Ask: using Your Voice to Advocate for Yourself and Your Career.
Do you have questions about how to deal with micromanagers? Is your hair making it difficult to move from place to place? Are you stressed out at work? Do you need support coaching for underperformance or want to know how to effectively negotiate and get the job offer you want? Do you have questions about career and leadership development?
Ask a FairyGodMentor® here.
