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Features
Is it Time for a Change?
by Marguerite Stenquist

Science tells us that a chrysalis hanging from a twig houses something called the “pupa,” from which a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly. Every cell in the caterpillar changes. In its pupa stage, the insect is shapeless organic goo. The caterpillar actually melts and reshapes itself at the same time. Its old physical identity is erased entirely; it is, in essence, reborn as a butterfly. Scientists cannot explain this phenomenon, which many people consider to be miraculous.

In Deepak Chopra’s “The Book of Secrets,” he tells us that change is natural and essential to life. For example, “(the body’s) skin cells perish by the thousands every hour, as do immune cells fighting off invading microbes…Cells adapt from moment to moment. They remain flexible in order to respond to immediate situations.”
           
Our physical selves thrive on change, even instigate it, while at an emotional level, we tend to be more skeptical. What separates us from the caterpillar’s miraculous transformation from pupa to butterfly is that our logical self, not nature, decides if we should make a change, what change to make, when to make it, and how to make it happen. We are intellectually and emotionally active participants in the process. Consequently, our decisions to change are often peppered with fear, doubt, low energy, and procrastination. So while we want to acknowledge what sometimes holds us back, we want to focus on the possibilities. Let’s remember that we have been designed, at a cellular level, to emerge from a past condition into a new configuration of ourselves.
           
Those Shifty Values. We have all experienced the urges and stages during our work life that signal the need for change: restlessness, boredom, frustration, curiosity, loss, sometimes aging, even panic. In hindsight, these cues often predict turning points – crossroads where new priorities emerge that struggle to be satisfied rather than stifled.  In fact, how we suffer or blossom through our turning points may be our most reliable guide to future choices.
           
Career changes often reflect a shift in values that may go undetected (or not honored) for long intervals. So it isn’t unusual to work in a particular capacity that is out of synch with our values. At twenty, for example, what I valued most was a job with a high-profile company and a predictable paycheck. So I signed on with Eastman Kodak and stayed for twelve years, until a couple of those urges became too prickly to ignore, probably boredom and curiosity. The truth is I worked around this discomfort for several years before acting on the signals. I could say the timing wasn’t right or I could say it was a case of avoidance. But let’s be kind: acting on a values shift doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process. I was in my thirties when I discovered that, at that time, I valued a job that capitalized on my writing strength. This priority drove all my decisions after that: back to school for an English degree, relocation, and a job as public information officer for the Colorado Secretary of State. Less money, more engaging: a successful turning point.  But it didn’t occur without doubt and fear (the pupa goo).
           
My Kodak boss said, “If you can’t find your niche here, can you find it anywhere?” My mother said, “What’s an English degree going to get you?” My co-workers said, “But nobody leaves Kodak.” It’s true. Some of them stayed for another thirty years.  
           
At forty came another values shift: challenging assignments and travel. So I moved into the advertising world, where I managed millions of dollars for Denver clients, bustling around New York and San Francisco to produce TV commercials.  And in my fifties I valued learning and teaching, which led to a master’s degree in education and a few years teaching writing. I wanted nothing to do with travel. In my sixties, I place the highest value on flexibility and creativity in my work. I am a corporate trainer. I’m writing a novel. I am experimenting with art and yoga.
           
Each turning point has taught me valuable lessons: Fifty is not too old to go to college; change that honors values is energizing, not exhausting; and taking the next step means being willing to linger in the transformational goo for a period of time.  
           
Taking the Next Step. If you’re feeling the prickly sensation that signals a potential turning point in your work life, here’s a process that can help you make a smooth TURN:

1. Turning-points timeline – Reflect on your past. In a notebook list the key events that have occurred over your life’s journey and about when they occurred (not every event, just those that jump out at you during your reflection). Which ones influenced your career choices (promotion/demotion, family circumstances, finances, downsizing, relocation, education, health, termination, a passion, etc.)? What career changes did they lead to? Of those, which changes do you feel really good about? Let’s call these your turning points.
2. Updated values chart – Examine each turning point to discover what you valued most at that time (i.e. interesting assignments, money, management, travel, teamwork, fun, working outdoors, working downtown, peaceful environment, competition, creative work, prestige, power, informality, structure, freedom, flexibility, learning on the job, making a difference, the opportunity to do what you love to do, exposure to experts, access to resources, etc.) Identify a couple of your key values at those times.
3. Reflection on current situation – What do you value most today, as it relates to an ideal work situation? How does your current job reflect these values? Are your job and values in synch? For example: I value writing; my job requires me to write 80% of the time; I value freedom; my job allows me to work from home and the focus is on results not seat time. If your work and values are compatible, you probably are not at a turning point. But, if you’re feeling that prickly restlessness, keep reading.  
4. Next-step planning – When our work is consistent with what we value, we are what Gallup researchers describe as “engaged” performers. Their studies show that over half of the U.S. workforce is not engaged in their jobs; they show up but take the path of least resistance in most of what they do. This drag on productivity, I believe, results from a disconnection between values and the job. When we are engaged, we feel more satisfied and less stressed, which is a much healthier way to spend a forty-hour week. If you’re feeling disengaged, the following steps can help you take the next step:
   • What is one compelling goal at this stage of your career (i.e. promotion, retirement, career change, self-employment, education, relocation, self-improvement, etc.)? Be as specific and as honest as you can.
   • Does your goal honor your current values, or is it a “should-do” that does nothing to relieve that prickly feeling? If it’s a should-do, go back to No. 1 above to remind yourself that you have escaped this pattern in the past and you have what it takes to escape it again…if you want to.
   • If your goal and values are in synch, and you have admitted this in writing in your notebook, you have taken the first step in your next-step program.

The rest is up to you. Follow the process that has worked for you in the past. Remember that a successful TURN usually requires spending a little time in the goo. But each time you TURN, the goo feels more like reassurance than chaos: “Oh, yeah, this is how it’s supposed to feel; I’ve been here before” – there’s a butterfly in the making.

Marguerite Stenquist is a curriculum developer and trainer. One of her key clients is Colorado Judicial Branch. For information about her services, go to www.onthejoblearning.com.

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