The Plunge

The Plunge ….

Many of us go through job transitions.  Sometimes it is a choice, sometimes it is forced.  It can be exciting, scary, frustrating and rewarding – all at the same time!  I have gone through many job transitions in my career, and I am in the midst of one right now.  I just happened to have started a new job about two months ago.  This week I want to share with you my plan for making this current transition my best one yet. 

First, let me give you a bit of background about this recent job transition of mine.

After about 2 ½ years as an engineering manager for a large global team, I recently took an individual contributor role as a business operations manager in an exciting new area.  I am still with the same company – but, in an entirely new job.  As I was leaving my old role, a number of people asked me what exactly my new role was all about.  I said it was a in a new business area that the company was starting, and I was going to be part of a small team helping to drive its success.  Beyond that, I had very little idea of exactly what was in store for me.  Now, some of you out there may think I was nuts to just jump into something so ambiguous.  But, what attracted me was the ability to work on a large program with huge business impact and being part of a small team that was in the center of this storm.  It sounded risky, exciting and different from the things I had done in the recent past.  And, I was ready for it. 

So, I jumped off the diving board, and plunged into the water. 

So two months into the job now, I can honestly say that what I am doing is challenging, intellectually stimulating and fast paced.  I feel like I run a hundred miles every week and cover a lot of ground.  It is exciting.  But, I know I am not yet making the difference I would really like to make.  I still have a long ways to go! 

There are days when I don’t know whether I am in a giant pool, a lake, a fast running river or the ocean.   The dive has taken me for a deep plunge, and I am making some headway.  I have not reached steady state, but the ride so far has been exciting, rewarding, frustrating, challenging and fun.  It has certainly gotten me out of my comfort zone – which is what I wanted.

One thing for sure, I am putting all my past experiences into use in making this transition as successful as I possibly can.  I think that is part of the reward for getting older and wiser J.

In this week’s series of blogs, I am going to tell you about my adventures in settling into my new role and some of the steps I have taken and plan to take in making this a successful job transition.

I would absolutely enjoy hearing from all of you who are in the midst of transitions or have experienced transitions.  Share your feedback, thoughts and stories!