The Strategic Step Back
Do you feel like your career is stuck in neutral? Are you not advancing like you envisioned? Do you feel like you just can’t get ahead? If so, you might want to consider a strategic STEP BACK. That’s right, a short-term step back to move forward.
When a basketball player who is dribbling the ball is pressured by the defense and not able to progress, he or she will often take a step back to create more space, time, and vision. This gives the player more options to make a better decision, be it a pass or a shot.
It works the same way for your career. A step back in roles, responsibilities, or in some other way, gives you more space, time, and vision to plan your next career move. To gain a wider perspective and more clarity. To build new skills and gain new experiences. Taking a step back isn’t an admission of failure. It’s a strategy to reset and reassess so you can progress toward your career goal more effectively and efficiently.
Below are two real world examples of what a successful, strategic step back looks like:
Example #1 - "Marie"
“Marie” is a successful HR professional who felt stuck and unhappy in her job. Her company’s culture wasn’t great (to put it mildly). She couldn’t get out of reactive mode due to constant chaos. She was forced to be onsite, at her desk, nearly all the time. Work would constantly encroach on her personal life. She didn’t have time or energy to grow. Marie decided to take another role in HR at another company for less money. According to Marie, “It was scary leaving a higher-paying position with defined responsibilities and one in which she was busy, for a job that was varied and at times somewhat boring. But I was able to reestablish boundaries, get some space to breathe and think, and collaborate with other companies – one of which eventually hired me for a higher-level opportunity.”
Later on, Marie left another role in which she felt stuck due to limited occupational and company growth opportunities. In the short-term, she took a step back in title, but the opportunity was with a growing company where she could have more of an impact. At her new employer, she was quickly promoted to a role above the one she left most recently.
Marie told me, “People go wrong in chasing titles and money at the expense of boundaries and happiness. I had a habit of second guessing my career decisions, but became braver with experience. Things will work out one way or another. People need to take their blinders off and ask, ‘What’s next?...What can this new job do for me?’”
Example #2 - Bill (Me / not a fake name / the author)
Around 2015 I was trying to break into the Human Resources field, but kept getting rejected because I didn’t have the “right qualifications.” Feeling stuck in my pursuit of an entry level HR job, I decided to take a step back to get ahead. I quit a permanent, relatively high paying job in workforce development to take a lower-paying, temporary HR Assistant role with another company. My goal was to gain the skills and experience I needed to secure a full-time HR position. And gain new skills and experience I did. For 6 weeks – until the temporary position was no longer needed, and I was let go. Was this step back a failure or mistake? Absolutely NOT! I leveraged that short term stint and the skills I developed to secure a full-time Recruiter/HR Generalist position for a much higher salary than I was making in the workforce development role I choose to leave. I took a step back in pay and job security to gain the skills and experiences I needed to take a big leap forward in my career. I bet on myself, and it worked.
If what you’re doing isn’t working and you feel stuck in your career, consider a strategic, short-term step back. Done correctly, you’ll be able to reassess, reset, reskill, recommit, and reengage. You’ll be able to create a clearer vision of your future and a path to get there. You’ll set yourself up to take a big leap forward toward achieving your career goal(s).
You can continue spinning your wheels or you can step back to move forward. Choose your choice wisely.
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3. Job Fair Red Flags: https://www.linkedin.com/thebillleonard_leonardworkforcesolutions-employmentmatchmaker-activity-6908761657884196864-jiIk?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web
[This article was originally published on LinkedIn on 4/4/22: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/strategic-step-back-bill-leonard-mhrm/?trackingId=1tIu3mJkQaWM6iAcGWBOAw%3D%3D]