CHAPTER 6Now That You Know the Truth About What Your Organization “Actually” Needs from You: Do You Still Want This Job?

Schematic illustration of the sixth step representing do you still want the job.

 

“I have respect for the past, but I'm a person of the moment. I'm here, and I do my best to be completely centered at the place I'm at, then I go forward to the next place.”

—Maya Angelou

You are now at a pivot point in this process. You have collected the data from various sources. You have spent time thinking about why you took this job and what you expected when you accepted. You have analyzed the information and condensed it into insights and understanding about where you are. You have, in the words of Jim Collins, “Confronted the Brutal Truth.”i

Now, it is time to put these insights into action. There are three basic questions you need to answer. This may take a little time but it is simple in principle:

  1. Do you still want the current job?
  2. If yes, are you willing to commit to changing what you need to be successful and appreciated?
  3. If no, do you want to stay with the organization you work for?

Before you do that, however, it may be useful to confirm some of our basic assumptions:

You can't go back in time. Everything you've done so far, good or poor, is in the past. Whatever your answer, nothing you have said or done implies you made a mistake or failed in any way. Spending time on recrimination is natural but does not help you move forward. And ...

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