Frustrated at Work? Ready to Quit?

"CNBC reported 10/12/21; "Of the roughly 50% of employed Americans who intend to make career changes because of the COVID-19 pandemic, 41% are seeking flexible and/or remote work, 39% desire a raise and/or promotion and 33% are interested in changing industries." So why are so many people dissatisfied with their work and careers?

Its super easy to place the blame externally because I'm sure that there are companies with crap cultures and plenty of workers with terrible bosses or staff. Placing blame doesn't fix the problem though whether internal or external. At the beginning of 2020 I would have counted myself in that 50%, even before the pandemic. Our company culture was leaning negative, I was frustrated as an employee and tearing my hair out as a leader. I did not want to go to the office or sit in any more meetings. And that's a terrible place to be when you're in a leadership position. But here's the deal. I realized that if I am not happy I'm the one who has to make a change.

The rub of it was that I've spent so many years working for the same company, helping build it from less than 20 to over 200. And I didn't want to just throw up my hands, abandon my team and walk away. So I had no choice but to spend some time soul searching to fix me in the equation. All of my energy and focus was going toward internal conflict, project issues, putting out fires, and pushing staff that were underperforming. That created a vacuum of energy that didn't fulfill me or allow me to exercise my need to create. And I need to create to be happy.

What I think CNBC failed to consider in their article is how many people are just frustrated with a career, or work, that isn't meeting their basic human needs; Love/Connection, Variety, Significance, Certainty, Growth, and Contribution. As a leader I was frustrated with the trivial details that were sucking up a lot of my time. I had hit a wall in my own personal growth and because I was sucked into putting out fires all day I wasn't meeting the basic human need for growth and contribution.

So here's where leveling up stronger comes; I identified what my issues were, that was the easy part, but now it was up to me to fix them. Because the one thing I know for sure above all else, no one is coming to fix things for you. You have to put in the work.

Check out @level.up.stronger on social media this week where I go into detail how I am meeting my six basic needs, leveled up stronger, and stay with the company I helped build to make it even better!!