Many of my clients are discerning whether it’s time to make a shift in career.
Doug was a mid-career faculty member who had just been promoted to professor. He had successfully completed rotations as his department chair, as well as serving as a college-wide curriculum coordinator. He was known as running an efficient meeting and effective at reducing tensions between colleagues. When his supervisor announced she was stepping down, the dean turned to Doug as a natural successor. Colleagues also pressed him to apply, as another colleague was gunning for the position but was not well regarded.
Doug worked with me to discern whether taking on an administrative position was a fit with his sense of purpose and his personal career trajectory. He was very happy in his current job and had several projects that he wanted to complete in the next few years. He also had two children still in school and valued the flexibility of completing his work in his current role.
Doug struggled however, with the awareness that he was the best choice for the position. He came to realize however, that just because he was the most qualified for a position, it still may not be his path. Just because the he fit the position well did not mean that the position fit him.
I worked with Doug to help him to develop a set of negotiation strategies to prepare him for a conversation with his superior. He explained his responsibilities in other pieces of his life and suggested that it was not quite the right time in his career for this position, but did not rule out the possibility in the future.