Why knowing your Career Kryptonite reduces stress (even if you're not ready for big change)
Every December, I haul the cumbersome blue Christmas decorations box down from the attic. On my rickety loft ladder, I’m again accompanied by a soggy feeling of dread. The lengthy, frustrating process of untangling the giant ball of intertwined Christmas lights, is unbearable.
Each year I vow to do it differently. Yet, each New Year’s day, I’m so eager to get rid of the Christmas detritus, I scrunch up the lights…stuff them back in the blue box…hoist them back into the attic…again pushing the problem over to next December.
Until I discovered the empty kitchen roll method of wrapping the lights. This simple packing method transformed the long, painful process, into a quick, simple process…one that has reignited the joy of decorating the house for Christmas.
Knowing your Career Kryptonite has a very similar effect. It gives you a method to unpick something complicated and messy, turning it into something simple. It can even make your future work less painful.
Getting clear on your Career Kryptonite could be the easiest, quickest way to change your enjoyment of your work. Check out the downloadable worksheet below to discover yours.
So what is your Career Kryptonite?
I use the term “Kryptonite” to refer to the…
people,
processes,
structures,
work styles; and
environments
…which STOP you operating at your best. They may very even force you to operate at your worst.
WARNING: We midlifers cannot expect to do fulfilling, satisfying work whilst getting paid well to operate at our worst.
3 Benefits of getting clear on your Kryptonite.
Choices.
You need to clearly understand the specific environments, people, situations and work styles that bring out the worst in you. Otherwise, you have a limited choice on how to react when they appear. They catch you off guard and unawares. You can be blindsided.
When you understand, and become aware of, your inner reactions to the above, you have time to choose your actions and reactions accordingly.
The video below introduces you to one element of my kryptonite. If I’d have discovered it sooner, my career would have transformed in many ways.
Control.
Most midlifers are unable to pinpoint their work kryptonite. Therefore, they’re unable to avoid it. They can’t design around it. Plus, they’re then at the mercy of their work environment.
This lack of control leaves too much to chance. Too much to luck. Often this leads to:
Stress,
Frustration,
Intense blaming,
Self-doubt; and
Self-criticism.
More often than not, it builds a direct path to burnout.
Freedom.
Not understanding your kryptonite leads to the limited ability, or complete inability, to design work that gives you the freedom needed to operate at your best. Each career move will have a random tinge…an “I fell into this” sense.
We midlifers are WAY too old for accidental career moves, aren’t we?
Is getting clear on your Kryptonite enough to give you freedom, choice, and control?
No, it’s not enough.
You also need to build your career around your Superpowers. This way you’ll have joyful and satisfying work, every day.
Getting clear on your Kryptonite is the easiest, lowest hanging fruit on a career design process. With some small changes, you can stop operating at your worst.
You’ll discover what you need to avoid, or design out of your work to grant you more control, freedom and choice…this will allow you to operate at your best.
Critically, it also gives you more energy, to make meatier changes.
How about a couple of examples?
Case Study 1 - Jack - Corporate Machine Kryptonite.
Now in his 50s, Jack had evolved those creative Lego building skills into a successful, creative, scientific career filled with meaning and substance. But, his Kryptonite was bringing him to his knees.
Jack was a brilliant scientist who invented medical products. Products that had the potential to remarkably change the quality of life of their users.
From being a young boy, he described himself as creative. He spent days on end sitting alone on the kitchen floor, designing and building Lego farm machinery from his imagination. He recalls the enjoyment of making prototypes, testing them, evolving their design, making different versions and sizes with different functionality.
Now in his 50s, he’d evolved those creative Lego building skills.
Having a successful scientific career filled with meaning and substance was excellent. However, his Kryptonite was leading him straight towards a burnout pit.
One of his Kryptonite elements, was being able to move any product through the corporate machine.
He could get it beyond the working product, and through the sales and marketing cycles, with ease. In his language, it was “killing” him. He was stressed…burning out…wanting to run for the hills…
When we met but didn’t realise that he was operating in his Kryptonite every single day.
He chose to learn about the detailed elements of his Kryptonite.
He decided to design as much of it out of his role in the short term.
Then he started getting excited about his long term career options. He became excited.
The direction to walk away, became clear.
He regained control of his career (and his energy levels), after understanding his Kryptonite.
Case Study 2 - Chad - introverted sales Kryptonite.
Chad, a recent client. was a cracking technical sales person. He described himself as introverted…as if it was a weakness.
Contrary to popular opinion, introverts make amazing salespeople - as long as they can make long-term and/or deep relationships, with their clients.
He’d taken a new role, a promotion, to a director role, but things hadn’t been going well.
His new boss wanted him to focus exclusively on new clients - cold clients. This was his Kryptonite.
Everything about Chad focussed on the long-term, creating win-win outcomes with his clients. He could problem solve, handle complex objections, and present in difficult technical industrial environments with ease. But he’d lost his confidence after nearly two years of cold-calling.
None of his Superpowers could be displayed in a cold phone call.
Every time he pressed "dial" he eroded another tiny piece of his confidence.
He’d started blaming himself, thinking he’d never get another job that involved sales again.
The cyclical downfall meant that every day he was operating closer and closer to his worst. He couldn’t see the turning point.
He soon discovered, or was reminded of, his Superpowers.
They were totally opposite to the ones he was required to exclusively use. So, he made some decisions. Granted, it took some time…but he moved to a new company where he found himself battling with complex, deep, technical sales discussions. He and his confidence thrived once more.
Untangling that ball of Christmas lights.
So, you see, getting clear on your Kryptonite is like unravelling that tangled ball of Christmas lights.
Today you can start designing your work tomorrows. You can do this with much less pain, drain, stress and burnout!
Then you can start learning how to add in some joy.
Want to get clear on your personal Kryptonite?
Click image above to download a worksheet that will show you my method for getting clear on your career kryptonite.
Download my worksheet to begin to get clear on your Kryptonite. If you are not already a member of the Midlife Unstuck community, I welcome you aboard. It’s a private community filled to the brim with professionals who are feeling somewhat career stuck, and are learning how to design their future differently.
If you like this article, you might like these:
What does the 21st century midlife crisis look like? In my opinion…
How to tell if you’re in the wrong career - not just the wrong job.
New job, new role, two years on - things are not right…very not right!
Are you ready to become someone who loves their work? Consider joining The Fierce Emporium.
A course designed specifically for professionals in their 40s and 50s who feel career stuck and are ready for change.
