You’ve Reached an Inflection Point in Your Career. What Now?

Points of inflection — life’s what now? moments — emerge frequently across our professional and personal lives. They can arise from difficulty, like when we lose a job unexpectedly or are forced to deal with a chronic illness, or in the wake of exciting new opportunities. Whatever the catalyst, points of transition can feel threatening. Research suggests that typical reactions range from avoiding the problem by retreating or postponing to knee-jerk pivots or the search for quick fixes.

Examining our first reaction to destabilizing change invites us to explore the possibilities that exist beyond our initial impulse. This requires having the humility to recognize that even the most well-trained and talented among us can become unsure, unsettled, and reactive when operating in unfamiliar terrain. Developing a practice of pausing to regulate, resource, and reorient before we respond can counteract the threat response and help us to be more curious and creative in the face of what now? moments, even when we’re not sure what comes next.