Written by Helen Emms, Business Performance Director at tfconnect
So, Christmas cheer is in the past, as is the hangover from New Year partying, and it’s back to the EventProf grind! Feeling passionate, excited, thrilled… or urrgghh?
The New Year is a great time of year. For many of us it’s a time to throw out the old and start something new. But even with those earnest New Year’s resolutions set, many of us will be lucky to make it through to the end of January, commitment diminishing as we engage in the same old patterns and behaviours. Did you know, the process of decreasing motivation can take as little as 3 days? If you get through to March, you are doing a great job!
And, the plan looked so promising on 31st December, too 😊 Thank heavens for February, the month of love, to give us something to focus our attention, maybe a winter holiday or an Easter break, then the summer will come again and before we know it another year has passed. But, what went wrong?
The counter-offer: a quick fix?
Most of us set resolutions to move away from something we want to avoid. Dreaming of a new job can be a way to feel better, a distraction from the things that aren’t going so well in your current job. Maybe you feel like you’re in the wrong role, the culture isn’t for you, or you’re being undercompensated. Moving away from a situation where you cannot see the problem shifting is a natural and right response. No one wants to suffer, do they?
Why then do 57% of people offered a new opportunity, in a new company, accept a counter offer from the very employer they were trying to leave? What is the fear that keeps us in a job that we have already fallen out of love with? False hope bites back and that’s why 80% of those people accepting a counter offer leave within the following six months and 9 out of 10 leave within a year. Counter offers really don’t work for you or for the business you are in.
Money is never a long-term solution to a broken psychological contract. If you’ve lost faith in your employer, the role, or the organisation, then it really is time to stick to your guns and move on. Setting that goal for the New Year can drive you forward with a passion. It’s time to be clear about what you want, what the coming year looks like, and what you want to feel by the end of it. Hold on to the sense of achievement and progression that will come – it feels great, inspires you and leads to a brighter future.
Be clear… as you head towards Spring, and the daily grind of an EventProf’s working day kicks in; the long-hours ramping up as you become consumed by another event or exhibition; knee-deep in another show that drains your energy and steals your attention, it would be too easy to be swept away by the high that gives a sense of happiness in your current role. Has the pain gone? Maybe, or maybe it’s hidden. Chaos and firefighting can be such a draw, a great distraction, and – if you are lucky – the success of a show will bring a strong feeling of achievement. But, is this reallythe dream job you’d imagined when you started the year?
It’s not all doom and gloom though…
Do something today that your future self will thank you for!
Stay focused on what you aspired to achieve on 31st December. Define clearly what that looks like, what it feels like, and the first step you need to take to achieve it. You may need help along the way of course, and you will certainly need to face your fears – remember why most people accept a counter offer in the first place!
Why not work with our events career experts who can help you make that journey a reality? It’s a confidential service, we will know how to find what you are looking for and help you present yourself in the best way possible to get the outcome you want… A New Year, New Job, New You? What are you waiting for?
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Author: Adam Parry
Adam is the co-founder and editor of www.eventindustrynews.com Adam, a technology evangelist also organises Event Tech Live, Europe’s only show dedicated to event technology and the Event Technology Awards. Both events take place in November, London.
