Know when to move on 5 Travel Edition

• Published in: Weekend Australian
• Main Author: Bass, Jeremy
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: Canberra, A.C.T Nationwide News Pty Ltd 11.03.2006
• Subjects: Bass, Jeremy; Stewart, Shane

Hence the current buzzword in HR and strategic consulting is "passion". Examples: those job ads with faintly ludicrous headings like "A Passion for Customer Service". Worklife careers consultant Paul Stevens published a book called A Passion for Work, and there's even a toolset called Passion Maps offered by a Sydney consultancy of the same name. The most frustrating thing about a rut is that the deeper you're in, the less you feel able to do anything about it. To keep out of this cycle it helps to know what to look for, says Russell Johnson, Melbourne-based CEO of careers consultancy Executive & Professional Register (EPR). "Ask yourself: do you really want to be there any more? Take note when you're consistently not enjoying what you're there to do -- when it feels irrevocably stale or pointless," he says. "Or when you're constantly feeling on the outer, or just persistently unhappy with the direction your organisation's taking - - that's been the case for so many people in recent times. It can be hard to admit, but we know in ourselves when we're only staying for the money or security. And that's not enough reason in its own right to stay." [Shane Stewart] says attitudinal changes began with the wave of restructures and retrenchments in the 1980s. "The generation who saw their parents retrenched and bummed out after decades of loyalty and hard work have resolved not to let that happen to them. They're taking control, and there are plenty of supportive employers prepared to partner with them in developing themselves and managing their careers. "An inherent part of that is learning to take risks. You can't afford to do nothing."