26: Why Public Sector Leaders Already Have What It Takes to Navigate Career Change

Find the full transcript at https://spacetoshiftyourcareer.com/26

Imagine you’ve spent years building a specialised toolkit.

You’ve used it in high-pressure situations. You know which tool to reach for when things get messy. You’ve solved problems others couldn’t.

Now imagine you walk into a completely different environment… 

And suddenly... none of your tools are labelled anymore. They’re all still there. But they don’t look quite the same in this new context. 

So you hesitate. 

You think: “Maybe I need a whole new set of tools for this.”

But what if that’s not true? 

What if the real challenge isn’t that you lack the tools… 

But that no one has shown you how to use them differently?

That’s exactly what I see happening with public sector leaders considering a career change.

In this episode, I want to help you recognise 3 powerful skills you already have – and how they can carry you through your career shift.

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Yvonne Davidis helps public sector leaders develop exciting career options that align with who they are now and how they want to evolve in future. 

With 20+ years of moving countries, working for the UK and Denmark across three continents, plus professional coaching certifications, Yvonne is a unique specialist for leaders in the public sector considering their next chapter.

Book a 90-minute Jumpstart Session to clarify your deal-breakers and must-haves for a more satisfying work experience.  

For step-by-step support on your career change journey apply here for Yvonne's 5-month Find Your Career Space programme, and she'll be in touch to invite you to a free discovery call. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Imagine you've spent years building a very specialized toolkit. You've used it in high pressure situations. You know which tool to reach for when things get messy. You've solved problems others couldn't. Now imagine you walk into a completely different environment, and suddenly none of your tools are labeled anymore. They're still there, but they don't look quite the same in this new context. So you hesitate. You think, maybe I need a whole new set of tools for this. But what if that's not true? What if the real challenge isn't that you lack the tools, but that no one has shown you how to use them differently? That's exactly what I see happening with public sector leaders considering a career change. So in this episode, I want to help you recognize three powerful skills you already have and how they can carry you through your career shift. You are listening to Space to Shift Your Career, a free resource for leaders in the public sector wondering what's next. I'm Yvonne Davides and I've created this podcast to invite you to explore new paths that reflect who you are now and how you want your career to evolve in the future. I have a talent for creating a high trust space so you can reflect, think out loud and test your assumptions. And I love helping you explore, dream and discover new possibilities for yourself. I moved country several times and I know what it's like to change careers, both within and out of the public sector. And I'm a trained career change and executive leadership coach. I've been working with career shifters as a mentor since 2013 and as a coach since I started my business in 2022. Now subscribe so you don't miss any new episodes. Now let's go. And I understand where that comes from. When you've built deep expertise in a specific system, with its language, structures, and ways of working, stepping outside of it can feel like stepping into unfamiliar territory. Can feel like your credibility resets to zero. But here's the thing, you're not leaving your skills behind, you're bringing them with you. The challenge is not capability, it's translation. Let me show you what I mean. Let's talk about three transferable skills you already have but may not be using yet to navigate your career change. Number one, you know how to stay steady when things are unclear. In the public sector, certainty is a luxury. You've likely worked through shifting political priorities, tight time frames, competing stakeholder expectations, and moments where the stakes felt incredibly high, and still you showed up. You made decisions without perfect information, you held perspective when others lost it. You kept things moving forward. Now compare that to your career change. Yes, it's uncertain. Yes, you don't know exactly how it will unfold, but it's a different kind of uncertainty. It's not a national crisis, it's not a system-wide reform. It's something much closer to home, which means something important. You actually have more agency here than you are used to. So instead of asking, what if this goes wrong? Ask, what it look like to trust myself through this process. You've already proven you can handle uncertainty. Here's transferable skill number two. You are wired for iteration, even if you don't call it that. Let's talk about how you approach your work. You don't jump straight to final answers. You explore, you test, you consult, you refine. You know that good outcomes come from engaging with reality, not just thinking about it. And yet, when it comes to your career, it's easy to fall into a very different pattern. Waiting, thinking, overanalyzing, hoping that clarity will arrive before action. But the thing is, clarity is usually the result of movement, not the prerequisite for it. Your career change is not a one-off decision, it's a process of discovery. You might start with a loose idea, have a conversation, try something small, realize it's not quite right, adjust. That's not a detour, that is the process. And the more you allow yourself to engage with it that way, the more momentum you will build. Transferable skill number three. You know how to turn intentions into action. There's something else you do every day at work, often without thinking about it. You make things happen. You take complex pieces of work and turn them into timelines, milestones, and next steps. You don't wait for the perfect conditions. You work with what's available. But when it comes to your own career, this is often where things stall. Not because you don't know how to plan, but because you haven't prioritized it for whatever reason. And that's a very different challenge. So instead of asking, how do I fit this in, you might ask, what would it look like to treat my career like a strategic priority? Because even small, consistent actions create momentum. A conversation here, an hour of reflection there, a small experiment next week. Over time, those steps add up. So here's what I would love for you to take away from this episode. You're not underqualified for your own career change. You're not starting from zero. You're a leader who has already navigated complexity, uncertainty, and change at scale. Your career shift asks you to turn those same capabilities towards yourself. And yes, it can feel unfamiliar, but it can also be incredibly empowering. Because this time you're not doing it for a system or program or policy outcome. You are doing it for you. So take a moment to reflect which of these skills feels most accessible to you right now, and how could you start applying it this week? Start small, stay curious, and trust that you already have more than you need. Until next time, make space, rediscover you, and then take action. Thank you for listening today. You care about solving real problems and making a difference. And you feel it's time to figure out in what way you can do that in the next chapter of your career. Learn more about how I help leaders in the public sector break through four limiting beliefs about shifting their career. It's space to shiftyourcareer.com. And if you're getting value from this podcast, please do share it with other public sector leaders who are considering what's next for them.