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You have enjoyed considerable success in your career but lately have been feeling plateaued and in need a more stimulating job. You realize that you are at a place in your career where you only have so many moves left. So what do you do? Call your friendly headhunter, check the online job postings or hunker down and accept the current situation?

The above scenario describes a critical time for many mid-career professionals. These are not easy issues to resolve. It is tempting to stuff these difficult concerns down into the deep recesses of our consciousness and hope that things will work out. However, if we ignore addressing these concerns, we do so at our own peril.

I have counseled scores of people in these situations, both as a human resources manager and as an executive coach, and have reached two conclusions. First, facing the inner work required during these particular times is extremely painful for any individual. It requires courage to face our strengths and our limitations. In my experience, the people who can tolerate this psychological discomfort and work through it ultimately made wise choices. The individuals, who jump at the first job opportunity, pay a very steep price. So wrestle with your mid-career turbulence, take your time and seek out trusted advisers.

One of the best resources, at a time like this, is your manager. Wait a minute Mark, you don't know my boss. The only career he is interested in advancing is his own. This may be true. However, you may be selling him or her short. Your manager may not be a Mr. Rogers type personality, but he or she can be extremely helpful. For this to work, however, requires that you approach your manager in the right way. Keep in mind, that most managers are not good at giving career advice. They aren't trained in this area and often would rather be solving technical problems associated with their job. However, they are also in a position to do a number of things for you that no one else can. Before you ask for "the most important conversation of your career," I recommend that you review the following.

• Do your homework. Spend a quiet weekend afternoon at you local library with a pencil and notebook. Brainstorm without being overly judgmental of your ideas. Describe the best-case job scenario for you. Try to describe it in as much detail as possible. Don't focus too much on your limitations. We all have them, and at mid-career they probably aren't going to disappear.

• Don't focus on how much money you can make or how important the title will sound. As author and consultant Marcia Sinetar wrote many years ago, "Do What You Love - The Money Will Follow." There are a lot of miserable people who made the mistake of using titles and salary as their only criteria for career success.

• Make a list of the job related things you don't like to do. You will never be happy or successful if the majority of your work falls into tasks on this list.

• Complete the "Career Development Profile" on my website. This free PDF file contains a structured approach to examining career issues.

• Once you have completed all of the above, consider making an appointment with your manager for that important conversation. Before you reach for that phone, however, determine how he or she can best help you. Some managers are well connected internally and can arrange for you to meet key players in the organization. Others are wired into the external professional community and can also make helpful introductions for you. You and your manager may share a similar career history. In this case, he or she can provide valuable insights on what is required to move to the next level. Which of these situations sounds like a fit to you?

• Always ask for advice, not solutions! Don't put your manager in the awkward situation of feeling he or she has to find a job for you or solve your career issues.

• The following may be considered by some to be brinkmanship or even conniving. I will let you be the judge. I believe that there are certain times when your manager will be more disposed to having a career discussion with you.

  1. After you have successfully achieved a major accomplishment.

  2. Following the resignation of one of his or her key direct reports. (It would be very embarrassing to have another person resign.)

  3. When he or she is asked to contribute names for the organizations talent evaluation or succession planning process.

  4. Caution! The worst possible time to attempt this discussion is in connection with your annual performance appraisal. Managers will be too pressed for time.

With a little bit of preparation you can turn "the most important conversation of your career" into a springboard to a rewarding career move.

I'm interested in your success. If I can answer any questions related to this article or if you have a comment about the article, please let me know at .

Additional Reading:
"Getting the Coaching You Need - The Flip Side of the Coaching Coin" - From our Coaching Tips archive.

Copyright 2006, Mark J. Campbell. All rights reserved.
Permission to reprint this article is granted, provided you let me know where it is being printed, the copyright is not removed, and the following text accompanies each article:

"Mark Campbell partners with organizations for leadership development. For a complimentary subscription to his newsletter, "Management Challenges," go to www.mjcampbellassoc.com."

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