Career Shaping
Turn your job into the one you want
 
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Communication 101

For effective communication, it’s important to tailor your message to the receiver. Different personalities require different approaches, according to Deb Haggerty, MBA, president of Positive Connections in Orlando, Fla., and co-author of The Communication Coach ... Communication Tips From the Pros. She divides personalities into four main types and suggests the following approaches for each:

Popular—this spunky type talks a lot, wants pats on the back, and looks at the big picture. Frame your request to him or her in terms of how it’s fun, interesting, or different. Leave the details for later.

Powerful—this is the typical Type-A personality, work-oriented with a focus on the bottom line. Approach this personality with details on how your idea will affect both personnel and budgets.

Perfect—these people are meticulous, organized, and intent on doing things by the book. Appeal to them with written details and give them plenty of time to mull over their options.

Peaceful—these individuals are laid-back and loathe conflict. Present suggestions to them quietly, emphasizing how they’ll make things run more smoothly.

~Anne Federwisch, OTR
   

By Anne Federwisch, OTR
Photo: Photodisc
August 16, 1999

Bored with your job? Looking for a change? Before you dust off your résumé and turn in your resignation, give your current position another try. With a little time and effort, you could shape the job you have into the one you want.

“Any job can become dull and routine,” said nationally certified career counselor Norma Zuber, MS, “and any job that is dull and routine can be made better.” Zuber is founder and director of Career Development Life Planning: Zuber and Co. in Ventura, Calif.

“If a person has been with a hospital or a company for a long time, frequently they have more power than they think they do,” she said. Zuber believes using that power effectively to change your current position can increase your job satisfaction immensely.

Look for solutions

Key to improving your job is identifying what’s causing your dissatisfaction, according to Ramón Lavandero, MSN, RN, director of the International Leadership Institute for Sigma Theta Tau International, honor society of nursing. But rather than wallowing in self-pity over your sorry lot, tackle the situation with a problem-solving approach, he said.

Whether you’re bored with your patient mix, frustrated by burdensome regulations, or feeling like you’re at a dead end, “bringing a solution is so important,” said certified nurse administrator Louise Baldwin, MBA, RN, director of patient care services for Harris Continued Care Hospital–Fort Worth. “You’re the one closest to the problem.”

Nurses often mistakenly believe that they’re the only ones who have ever faced a particular situation, so they tend to just look inward for solutions, Lavandero said.

Instead, they should look to others for ideas. Those people might be in their department, in another profession, in a professional organization, accessible via the Internet, or even outside health care. Network to find a possible solution, then adapt it to fit your needs, he advised.

Tailor your message

Once you’ve identified the problem and a possible solution, talk with your supervisor. Frame your comments in terms of the needs of the people you’re caring for, rather than as a personal complaint, Lavandero said. You’ll come across as more solution-oriented and less whiny.

If past suggestions have gone unheeded, perhaps you need to rephrase your proposal. Valid recommendations are often rejected simply because you haven’t communicated them effectively, said Deb Haggerty, MBA, president of Positive Connections in Orlando, Fla., and co-author of The Communication Coach... Communication Tips From the Pros (Coloring Outside the Lines, 1998, $19.95). By tailoring your message to suit your boss’s personality type, she said, your ideas have a better chance of being received.

Reframe your job

Looking at your job in a new way could also make a significant difference, Zuber said. “It’s what we call in the field reframing. Is there any way a person can think of to look at their particular job with different eyes?”

Part of that reframing can be your own attitude. “If you go to work with the perception ‘this is my job,’ you’ll get bored very quickly,” Haggerty said. “If you go to work with the attitude ‘I wonder what’s going to be new today,’ then you tend to look at things differently.”

Instead of complaining about what you don’t like, Zuber suggested that you “can say something like ‘this job would be more satisfying to me if I could do this and this.’ It’s a rephrasing and thinking about it in a positive way.”

A positive attitude can improve the workplace for others as well. “Negative attitudes are infectious, as are positive attitudes,” Zuber said.

Seek challenges

New responsibilities can also spruce up a dull job. “If they’re in a rut or a routine, they need more challenges. They might want to look into participating in a new venture on the unit,” said Annette Vallano, MS, NP, RN, founder and director of The Self-Care Center for Nurses in New York City and author of Careers in Nursing: Manage Your Future in the Changing World of Healthcare (Kaplan, 1999, $16).

“Many people hesitate to take on more responsibility, because they view it as more work vs. a chance to create more visibility inside an organization,” said Sandy Crawford, senior consultant with Peter Studner Associates, an outplacement firm in Los Angeles specializing in career transition services. Additional challenges should be part of your short-term goals to keep your job fresh and your skills sharp, she said.

Update your skills

The root of your discontent may be that your job has changed, but you haven’t, Vallano said. You need to constantly update your skills to keep up. You can do that through inservices, continuing education courses, workshops, or college classes. “Continued learning is a must if you’re going to survive in health care,” said Baldwin. “This is not an area you can stand still in and be successful.”

Get a life

Although you may think that you’re dissatisfied with your job, the problem may lie elsewhere. “Sometimes people are unhappy with their jobs when actually it’s outside things that are not quite right,” Zuber said. Sometimes people “get so involved with their jobs that they lose sight of the things that enrich their lives, like music or art or waterskiing.” Limiting time spent at work and resuming hobbies can actually improve your job satisfaction, she said.

Your whole being should not be centered on your job, cautioned Crawford. “You need to have balance,” she said. “People with outside interests handle job transitions better because their whole world isn’t wrapped around the job. It’s a part of their life, but it’s not their whole life.”

Know when to quit

Not every job can be altered into one that appeals to you. Sometimes management isn’t receptive to change or personalities conflict irreparably. Vallano said that you may need to quit if your personal mission conflicts with the facility’s, if you have ethical differences, if you can’t master required skills, or if you’re unhappy despite trying to make changes.

Your efforts to shape your current job into the one you want by improving your professional, technical, and interpersonal skills won’t be wasted even if you do eventually quit. You’ll likely need that expertise in your new position. But there’s no guarantee that your new job will be your dream job either. You may need to start shaping all over again.