After giving a role everything you’ve got for a lengthy time, passion for the work can sometimes wane. It’s not that you’re burnt out or endlessly tired, it’s just that the enthusiasm you had for the work has diminished to the point where you have noticed it. You don’t look forward to engaging with others nearly as much as you used to.
I’ve noticed that even reading or listening about a particular topic that’s adjacent or not-the-point-of-waning-passion helps too. That said, I change my environment or find something like my (never quite enough) golf hobby helps.
I've kept the passion alive in two ways: 1) Continuous improvement - I'm always looking for better, faster, and cheaper ways to provide the products and services my team offers, and 2) I change jobs. I've been at my current company 11 years (longest tenure during my career) and I've had four different roles. They're not completely different, just expansions or pivots - HR Operations -> Talent Management -> Training & Development -> Leader Development. I may be in the minority, but I think companies should consider establishing term limits for their high-potential leaders and individual contributors. At one company I worked at, they set it at 18 to 24 months - I thought this was too short. Three to five years might be better. I guess it would depend on the role and industry. I think we get too hunkered down and territorial in our jobs and forget that it is not about us. It is about the role we play. If you've been in your role a long time and you feel stuck, maybe it's time to audition for a new one.
When the fire dies out to a redundant career it is important to remember why you felt the need to be in that particular position in the first place. You need to ask yourself "Have I master my skills in this field?" or "Is there nothing else to learn?". Have I exulted all possibilities to excel in this area? When the answer to these questions are all yes, then that should tell you that you ae ready to be challenged at another level. Some careers have an expiration date, and it's time for a career advancement.
One of my favorite parts of this post is the emphasis on how normal this is. Our lives operate on seasons, and it's normal to go through a season of reduced passion. What's important is how you react to it, right?
I’ve noticed that even reading or listening about a particular topic that’s adjacent or not-the-point-of-waning-passion helps too. That said, I change my environment or find something like my (never quite enough) golf hobby helps.
I've kept the passion alive in two ways: 1) Continuous improvement - I'm always looking for better, faster, and cheaper ways to provide the products and services my team offers, and 2) I change jobs. I've been at my current company 11 years (longest tenure during my career) and I've had four different roles. They're not completely different, just expansions or pivots - HR Operations -> Talent Management -> Training & Development -> Leader Development. I may be in the minority, but I think companies should consider establishing term limits for their high-potential leaders and individual contributors. At one company I worked at, they set it at 18 to 24 months - I thought this was too short. Three to five years might be better. I guess it would depend on the role and industry. I think we get too hunkered down and territorial in our jobs and forget that it is not about us. It is about the role we play. If you've been in your role a long time and you feel stuck, maybe it's time to audition for a new one.
When the fire dies out to a redundant career it is important to remember why you felt the need to be in that particular position in the first place. You need to ask yourself "Have I master my skills in this field?" or "Is there nothing else to learn?". Have I exulted all possibilities to excel in this area? When the answer to these questions are all yes, then that should tell you that you ae ready to be challenged at another level. Some careers have an expiration date, and it's time for a career advancement.
One of my favorite parts of this post is the emphasis on how normal this is. Our lives operate on seasons, and it's normal to go through a season of reduced passion. What's important is how you react to it, right?