Thinking The Grass is Always Greener on The Other Side
It is always tempting when you receive an employment offer with a bigger salary than what you currently earn. By default, it lures you into thinking that the grass is greener on the other side. Unfortunately, this is not entirely true. Thinking the grass is always greener on the other side without proper research and review of the policies and working conditions from a new employer can cost you much more than you initially realise.
This can be the difference between moving from a decent job to a really terrible workplace. Avoid looking at your next job strictly based on the salary and automatically arrive at the conclusion that the grass is greener on the other side. Just like David found out; he wasn’t at this point in his career, ready to move to a job where his pension, tax and health insurance would no longer be provided by his new-to-be employer. Think long-term and review everything before concluding the grass is greener
Thinking Short-Term Career Risks
If you are building a career, your thinking and decisions should be hinged on the long-term benefits it has for your career. The bigger picture spans beyond short-term benefits. Don’t be short-sighted by your present job or be tricked by the juicy salary offer of a new job. Think long-term and focus on career opportunities and options that it presents your career with a better chance of attaining your goals. Thinking short-term has the capacity to cloud your judgement and this will eventually affect your career negatively.
Getting Comfortable
Do you remember the level of enthusiasm you brought with you when you resumed work at your current place of employment? This was a few months or a couple of years ago. Do you remember the enthusiasm and diligence with which you attacked your tasks because you wanted the job? Now, you have gotten comfortable and grown lackadaisical about developing yourself or acquiring relevant skills. Sadly, nothing awaits any career professional who treads this path than doom.
Getting comfortable is detrimental to your career because it doesn’t just affect your chances of doing a fantastic job but can eventually lead to job loss, which can be devastating for your career. Don’t get comfortable with your great results, the job role or company. Consistently find ways to stay edgy and stick to a path that improves your career and professional capabilities.
Outdated Skills Invite Career Risks
The workplace with the advent of Technology and Artificial Intelligence is at a critical point of revolution in the workplace. The last thing you want to be is a career professional with skills that are no longer relevant.
Job automation means several job roles and redundant tasks will be lost to machines. Only career professionals who have their skills updated and have acquired new skills will remain relevant in this wave of technological advancement. Always seek out training, professional certifications and new skills that help you stand out as a top performer in the workplace.
Burning Bridges
The professional life is about relationships; nurture and maintain them. Between you, your colleagues and employers, it is always advised that you maintain a cordial relationship. Things go wrong and people disagree but if you ever have to leave an organisation, try not to burn bridges or close doors you have walked through.1
Nothing Lasts Forever
‘Nothing lasts forever’ is a statement of fact. Your career and everything around it might be going nicely at the moment and then the next instant, due to circumstances beyond your control, you could lose your job. What was once a cordial relationship between you and the management of the company could suddenly go wrong.
Don’t let unforeseen circumstances like this knock you or your career down. Give your best at all times and when it ends, get up and go at it again with your best.
