When to Disrupt Yourself and Your Career (Quick Study)
So, what do you do when you’ve been at the same company for three or four years in the same role and you adore it? I mean, you have faith in the company. You have faith in the mission. But there’s this nagging feeling that it’s time for you to try something new. You’re not using your strengths effectively. You don’t get to put your skills to use every day. You wake up on Monday and think to yourself, “Oh my goodness, I have to go to work, and I might even get sick.” That’s a sign to you that, maybe it’s time to try something new. So, what are you going to do? One of my experiences was while working on Wall Street as an equity analyst for about eight years. I was an institutional investor-ranked analyst at the pinnacle of my profession. And it was as if it said, “It’s time.”
It is time that I try something new. I then visited my supervisor. I said, “Hey, I’d like to try something different.” Time appears to have come. And he responded, “Really, we like you exactly as you are.” I departed within one year. I would not have left the organization if I could have jumped to do something new or disrupted myself from within. I would have continued to reside in my current location. As a result, I embarked on this journey, pondering, “How can I construct a framework or codify a process to ensure that high performers who wish to remain at an organization they adore do so?” What does that look like? You feel bored. Why? because you have ceased to learn. I have nothing against this company. Not that I dislike this supervisor. Simply put, I am no longer learning.
Everyone is on an S-curve, which is the first thing you need to comprehend. If you attempt to remain at the peak of the S-curve for too long, your plateau will turn into a cliff. What is the S-curve in a sentence? What’s the word? I’ve never been asked to say it in a single sentence. That’s amusing, no? What then is the S-curve? A learning curve is the S-curve. You, along with everyone else, are on a learning curve. It looks like this: There are three sections. First, there is the bottom of the curve, also known as the starting point, which is characterized by inexperience. You’ve recently begun a new position. You just began a new position. Slow expansion is anticipated. Consequently, you will feel somewhat disheartened on a few occasions. The steepest portion of the curve, or sweet spot, is characterized by exhilaration, learning, and confidence. Things will be difficult, but not excessively so., but not excessively simple. Your neurons are all active. This is the sweet spot in the S-shaped curve. The high end of the curve is also present. Where you become a master is at the peak of the curve. You have mastered your domain, which is distinguished by its monotony.
The positive aspect of this, however, is that you can then say to yourself, That’s why I’m irritable. Therefore, I am bored. Therefore, I feel the need to try something different. And once you realize this, you can say, “Alright, I need to take action.” You may be pondering, Really? I really appreciate the top of this S-curve. It is reasonably comfortable. And for me to leap to a new S-curve will be somewhat terrifying. It implies that I must place myself in a situation where everything is brand new and extremely uncomfortable, and I do not wish to do so. However, it is frightening if you do not jump. If we are too comfortable, we cease to grow and become complacent, which is a huge, enormous danger zone. If you know anything about mountain climbing, you know that when you reach an altitude of more than 8,000 meters (26,000 feet), you enter the death zone, because your brain and body begin to die.
It is also the death zone when people are at the top of an S-curve. Because your brain and body will begin to die if you remain there for too long. You must complete it. You’re at the apex of an S-curve when you realize, “I’ve got to jump to another S-curve.” And either it will be at another company, or I’d like it to be here. because I appreciate this business. I like my boss. How do you construct this conversation with your supervisor? You desire to accomplish everything I did not. Similar to what I did on Wall Street, I’m experiencing boredom. I desire to try something novel. In my naiveté, I anticipated that my boss would figure it out automatically. I have gained valuable knowledge. Be quite proactive. You wish to enter and declare, “It’s time for me to try something new.” I’ve observed a problem that needs to be solved by the organization, which I interpret as an opportunity.
Here, I believe I can help solve the problem. Therefore, I would like to do that. I will train my successor so that you, my boss, are not left in the lurch when I leave, and I hope for your support. Sometimes we forget that our boss also has a job to complete. And if we leave, it will be difficult for them to complete the task. However, if you are able to find a place for yourself, you must ensure that your replacement can be found. Then there will be no disruption to business, and you will have resolved a number of the issues or challenges that may have led your boss to say, “Well, I don’t want you to leave.” You respond, “Well, actually, in the long run, not only will this benefit me, but it will also benefit you and the organization.” You, as a leader, and your organization require individuals who can develop. You require individuals who can learn, jump, and repeat.
As a manager, your challenge is to ensure that this person’s S-curves continue to expand if they are skilled at their work. Occasionally, they will approach you and attempt to jump an S-curve. And if you wish to keep them, you must permit this to occur. Sometimes they will not approach you, but if they have been a high-performer in the past, you must push them. Because, if they are at the apex of the curve and bored, they will either leave or disengage. They will be content and remain, which is undesirable. This is detrimental to their health. It is not healthy. It is bad for the business. My position is that when you lose your job, you are at the apex of the S-curve. It is now time for you to leap. The universe gives you a nudge because you know what you should do but refuse to do it. Do you wish to disrupt yourself, seize control of the circumstance, and determine how, when, and where to leap? Or, would you prefer to be pushed off the cliff? Your plateau transforms into a precipice.
