Turning Career Frustrations into Opportunities

👋🏻 Jacob here

We all experience career frustration. 

That soul-crushing feeling when you’re stuck in a job that’s about as fulfilling as watching paint dry. Or the pain of going several months without a purpose — after a 20-year stint of every opportunity seemingly appearing out of thin air.

Let me tell you, you’re not alone. I have a few clients chewing glass in the hellscape that is executive job search 2024.

But here’s the kicker – those frustrations? They’re not just annoyances. 

They’re opportunities.

Hear me out; there’s more to it than simply enthusiastic naivety.

Every time you feel that twinge of frustration, it’s your inner badass trying to tell you something.

It’s saying, “Hey—something’s not right here.” And that, my friends, is precious information in the right hands.

And to be clear—the right hands are your hands. The hands of an executive who has built a career from overcoming much more complicated problems than needing to have a few uncomfortable conversations to correct your path.

So, how do we turn your lemons into career lemonade?

Let’s break it down:

1. Identify the Source: What exactly isn’t going right? Are your relationships and network underwhelming? Do you have a know-it-all founder half your age driving the company into the ground? Is it a lack of growth? Is it you or the market—or, more likely, a combination of both?
2. Flip the Script: Take that frustration and ask yourself, “What’s the opposite of this?” If you’re frustrated by a lack of autonomy, you know that independence is crucial for your next role. You need to add that to your networking and narrative immediately. 
3. Skill Up: Use your current situation as a training ground. Do you hate how your company handles hiring talent? Congrats, you now have firsthand experience of what not to do (assuming your influence isn’t what led them to the mistake). Use that knowledge to share a story about what you learned and promise a better future.
4. Network Like Your Career Depends On It: Others in your industry will likely share your frustrations. Use that common ground to connect with people who can help you level up your career. Your network is your net worth—and you need to exercise this habit every day. You don’t decide to build a well when you’re already dying of thirst. 
5. Create Your Exit Strategy: Don’t just daydream about leaving – start planning it. Use your frustrations as motivation to update your resume, polish your LinkedIn profile, and reach out to contacts. If you’re already in a search – you have no time to feel sorry for yourself; you must adopt a bias for action and get after it.

Remember, everyone has been where you are and will be there again. 

Those we look up to most use their frustrations as fuel instead of letting them become roadblocks.

You must adopt this mentality—or you don’t belong in the C-Suite.

This is not the end. It’s the beginning of your next big move.

Stay frustrated, stay hungry, and most importantly, stay fearless.

Until next time!